Concerts are my escape. Over the past two years, I have been to over 15 concerts. While it may seem excessive, I find my best self when I’m listening to live music. There is something I find addictive about hearing that song you’ve listened to a million times on the radio live and in person. These moments continue to make me whole and have a huge impact on my life. Concerts are my safe place, and I have been absolutely devastated to see that not all concerts are safe.

While it is a given that concerts can be dangerous, there is a fine line between given risks and avoidable tragedies. People can naturally be injured at concerts: there’s a lot of people, it’s hot, and accidents happen. However, the danger associated with concerts should not be due to violence. It happened in Paris at the Eagles of Death Metal concert, it happened in Orlando with Christina Grimmie, and it happened in Manchester with Ariana Grande. Every time I hear of one of these stories in the news, my heart sinks. Then I think, what if next time I’m at that concert? I am extremely fortunate to have never experienced an attack with malicious intent. However, recent occurrences present a grim reality: it is possible that next time I might not be so lucky. There are some venues that have a great amount of security, but others are not prepared at all. When I went to Twenty One Pilots, the security team had no control over the people rushing past the metal detectors into the doors. When I went to Zella Day, my purse was never checked. There have been countless times when I have noticed people sneaking in banned items, such as camera lenses, outside food and drinks, and selfie sticks. Among all concert venues, there is a common trend in security measures being done in a poor manner or not at all in many venues. These are small steps that can save lives being overlooked simply because of logistics and saving time.

This can not continue. There needs to be a stronger security presence at all concerts. Live music is a place where people can come together and celebrate for a number of different reasons. While some venues have learned how to prevent these types of events through tight security measures, all concerts must set a security standard that can be met. Something as simple as a few more minutes checking purses, mandatory pat downs, and more organized metal detector lines can prevent horrific tragedies from constantly repeating.

Of course, there always is the option of no longer attending concerts. For me, that will never happen. I personally believe that I can not lose the moments I hold so dearly by living in a place of fear. I hope in light of recent events, concerts can become a safe place once again. While progress may be slow and sometimes almost backwards, there is surely a way to make sure tragedies like these do not continue to repeat.