It is a warm summer evening. The setting sun hits concertgoers as the day starts to fade into night. Blankets are being laid out on the lawn by patrons and people start to gather around the stage and all over the amphitheater. When the darkness hits, with it comes the music.

For Pattonville High School, the closest concert venue is not too far from home. The Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, only four minutes away, holds concerts year-round, but the most popular time is during the summer.

Junior Ethan Massey intends to attend an alternative/indie concert featuring Rex Orange County on June 18.

“Rex Orange County is an English alternative artist. I just heard about his concert somehow and my friend was down to go, so we got tickets,” Massey said. “He is, however, one of my favorites and is also inspiring to me as a musician.”

Listening to live music is a different experience than listening to the radio or on a phone. Energy surges throughout the crowd, and artists singing live allow fans to hear their truest voices, with more emotion behind the vocals.

“I haven’t gone to many concerts,” Massey said, “but I enjoy rock, alternative, indie, jazz, blues, R&B, soul, country, and more. In the end, the best to see live is a group with deep talent, beautiful harmonies, and good chemistry.”

The cost of concerts can sometimes be prohibitive. “I hate spending money, so I don’t want to, but [the concert] was not insanely expensive,” Massey said. “I have a couple friends I am going with, and who knows if this artist will ever come back to a location so close to me. It seemed worth it after considering everything.”

Although Pattonville does not directly benefit from events at the amphitheatre because they don’t collect tax revenue on sales or events, they do “collect property taxes like any commercial property located within the school district,” Pattonville’s Chief Financial Officer Ron Orr said.

“That being said, the county assessor does factor how well a company is doing in determining their valuation, and having regular events like concerts would likely contribute to the value of that property remaining stable or perhaps growing,” Orr explained.

Senior KJ Morgan plans on going to an R&B concert featuring Chris Brown on August 5. He said he was looking forward to “the atmosphere because there is going to be a lot of people there.”

For Morgan, his favorite music to listen to at concerts is “hip hop and rap because seeing it live is more memorable and there’s more energy than if you would listen to it on your phone.”

Besides hip hop, Morgan also enjoys rap. His favorite concert he has been to is “Lil Dirt because he’s a good artist, and he has good songs.”

“I don’t go to many [concerts] because I don’t really have any interest in going to any so this is kind of a one-time thing for me,” Morgan said.

While some students may attend more concerts at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre than other concert venues because of the proximity, some students have other reasons.

Junior Victoria Wetly is attending Pointfest on May 21, featuring many artists, including Papa Roach, Highly Suspect, and Halestorm.

“Honestly, I go to Hollywood [Casino Amphitheatre] because of the connections my dad has,” she said. “It isn’t because of how close I am to the school. I’ve been to many concerts at the Enterprise Center and the Pageant or Delmar Hall.”

Whatever the reasoning for students choosing the amphitheatre, the venue will be populated by a number of Pirates and their friends and families throughout the summer, offering a welcome break from the pressures of the school year.