When I was younger, throughout elementary and middle school, I used to frequently attend school picnics. We had several a year, around 2 or 3, and each time we would alternative between either going to the park or to the beach. They would primarily be at parks with immense picnic tables that could seat tiny children with large appetites and even bigger energy, or, at the beach by the sand, where these same tiny children would find themselves under mushy moats and diminishing doors. For some reason, every time we visited a park, it would be a different one on Long Island. I loved going to the parks because, though I had lived in Long Island for my entire life, I hadn’t been to more than 2 or 3, one in my current town, one in my old town, and one, the one we all know and frequent (long islanders; particularly Nassau County-ers?), Eisenhower Park, the Central Park of Long Island. What I quickly discovered in those few years is that – Long Island has a lot of parks – all of different sizes, styles, activities, etc. Meanwhile we would only attend 1 beach – Jones Beach. Long Island also has many beaches but that I wouldn’t discover until later. 

        Jones Beach, located in Long Island, New York, is like our “Jersey Shore.” Packed with masses of people, encompassed by dusty, often times dirty water, that would rush up to the top of our toes, taking our bits of excitement with it. Beaches, particularly Jones Beach, weren’t my favorite. I was not a huge fan – not yet.

        In 7 grade, I went to my first concert at Jones Beach, only 15 minutes away from my house. 15 minutes away from my old house then, 15 minutes away from my new house, now. Long Island is big but oftentimes feels so small.

        My sister had surprised me with tickets that summer, I was 12, she was 20. I was in genuine shock and excitement. I had seen concerts on TV – from Leanne Rimes to NSYNC. I  watched them frequently on Disney Channel and All That. I would’ve loved to go, but never really expressed it to anyone. It never seemed to be a real option, at least not one I thought was available to me any time soon.

        To top it off, the concert was a part of a tour hosted by MTV; dubbed the Total Request Live Tour.  The lineup had a majority of my favorite artists at the time – from Eve to 3LW. But most importantly were the headliners - my all-time favorites - Destiny’s Child. A year before my sister had surprised me at school, in her fairly new white Altima. It was rare for parents to pick us up from school, since we were bused to and fro, so when I saw my sister outside my school it was a big deal. I didn’t have to take the bus that day. It always for some reason felt so mature to get picked up. 

            Once I walked up to the car she asked me:

            “Hey, did you know Destiny’s Child will be at Roosevelt Field today?” 

             I quickly shook my head, my eyes slightly bulged. 

            She answered, “Well, they’re only going to be there until 4. The line may be                 long so we would have to leave right now, and hopefully make it on time to                  see them in person and possibly meet them.” 

    We went, we made it, we saw them in person. This moment for me, at 11, was epic.

        I had only been to one concert outside of the ones we put together and starred in at school, it was the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. I loved it, because I got to go to the city, which was rare, and the show was in fact spectacular. It of course would fail to compare to the concert for the pre-teen who pretended to perform as any one of the three Destiny Child members on a weekly basis with her friends.

        Since I had never really envisioned actually going to a concert at that age, when the time approached, and the tickets came in the mail, and my sister opened them, and I saw them, only then did it become real. I was really going to a concert. I was really going to see the people I listen to, live.

        For the most part Long Island is boring and redundant -  as kids we go to the mall, the movies, or out to eat. As adults your entertainment continues to be primarily the mall, the movies, or out to eat. 

Going to this concert was not only unfathomable, but it was my ticket to Europe, before I actually went to Europe, before I understood the importance of going outside my box and experiencing something new.       

        The following day I went to school and told my group of friends. They all broke out into excitement, as if they too were attending the show, because we had all loved Destiny’s Child. We had sung their songs together, pretended to be them at recess, and debated about them during gym. While the boys took all their energy to duck and dodge balls, we spent hours talking about our favorite artists: who were the cutest ones, who were the most talented ones, which ones wore our favorite outfits. We tried to emulate them and continuously failed. 

        Later that week I found out Katie Perpall, the one who always pretended to be Beyoncé, a white Beyoncé, but Beyoncé undoubtedly at every recess, as well as the one who would jump into full blown chorus, when even the slightest mention of a word seemed like it could be a part of some DC song, would be going to the concert as well. She and I had met the year before. We bonded over our love for the girl group and similar taste in music. We were happy, we were the ones who “won the lotto” and the reward was tickets to see 3LW, Dream, Nelly, EVE, and Destiny’s Child.

        The day finally arose. I got up, on a Saturday around 8 am, early and eager, like it was Christmas morning. I tried to carry on with my day like it was every mundane Saturday afternoon – we got up, got ready for the day, made breakfast, then lunch, and watched TV until the hours progressed, slowly.  At around 5, I began to get ready. 

        First and foremost, I put their newest album Survivor on in the big black boom box we had used interchangeably throughout the day, playing my early 2000s pop side by side with my sister’s far more mature and calming R&B and neo-soul. Every blue moon we had similar music taste and could jam out together. That day was one of those days. We danced and sang to the entire album while I got ready for  the concert. I fixed my hair and whipped out my brand new, blue sleeveless camouflage shirt, I bought at Delia’s the week before to rep for their newest “Survivor” video, mirroring their three girl army personas.

        We drove over to Jones Beach around 6:30, the sun was starting to fade and would soon be completely out of sight, but there was still light out. By the time we got to the amphitheater, rows and rows of chairs were filled. I looked up at the crowd above me, the high up filled seats quickly gave me sudden vertigo. We, my sister and I, were seated right above the lower level seats. I loved my seats, for my first concert, there was no difference between the first row and my row (especially as long as I wasn’t in those “vertigo” nose bleed sections). 

        When I looked to my right, I saw the familiar dusty dark blue-green water filled beach. It was a staple for all Long Islanders – whether you liked to go to the beach or not, and now, it would become my tuneful playground for the next 2-3 hours. Instead of volleyball nets and sandcastles, I would experience 3LW and soulful singing.

        The crowd was filled. For viewing purposes, a large screen was added to the theater for those nose-bleeders who sat at the apex of the amphitheater. A screen I would continue to see throughout the years of my concert going.

        The first group to go on was 3LW, I sang along to the two songs I knew with zest. I danced, something I rarely done, not even in front of my family, and definitely not in public. I was having fun, real, genuine, thrilling fun.  The next acts went on, some I knew, some I became introduced to, some I simply can’t remember. Eve went on, I rapped in sync with her, trying to match her emotion-filled bravado. She was great, I remember becoming a solid fan of hers as I watched.

        Then it was time for the headliners – Destiny’s Child.