I hope you missed me! Please let’s ignore the elephant in the room (me disappearing for almost a year) and let’s move right into the best concerts I attended in 2025. In no particular order, these are the ones that stand out amongst a plethora of incredible shows. Meaning everything went as planned, the vibes were good, setlist on point, and memories that are still vivid to this day. Who will make the cut? Charli xcx? Aespa? The Weeknd? BANKS? Keep on reading to find out – let’s gooooooo ✮⋆˙𖦹⟡⋆⭒˚.⋆
Phantogram: Taste of Randolph + DJ Set at Outset Chicago [June 13, 2025]
It ended up being a night full of firsts for me. I’d never been to Taste of Randolph before, and I’d also never been to Outset—a newer venue I’ve been meaning to check out for a while. The whole night felt like things were just clicking into place: I planned the perfect hang with a friend I met at Phantogram’s February show, the on-and-off rain finally cleared, and Chicago finally got a Phantogram DJ set. Between the free festival show and the late-night set at Outset, I really couldn’t have asked for a better setup. These two Phantogram sets both make the end-of-year list because I can’t pick just one (plus I’m already eliminating the VIP experience from February because that show would be biased). I think these two shows really encompassed more range – from playing a FREE show at a local food festival to playing their favorite music during the DJ set (which we’ll touch on in a sec).
Most importantly – I really enjoyed catching up with my friend, walking the street festival, snacking, and day-drinking! I think I had a really good THC margarita if I remember correctly (I don’t). Cut to us staking out the main stage every half hour to make sure we can get front and center for our (literal) favorite band. When it was finally time for the show, it was nice and breezy outside and the crowd was low-key. Minus this one 7-yr-old child who would not stop yelling “sing Same Old Blues!!” between every song. Sarah if you happen to read this: When you stooped right down and told him to his face “NO.” that made my entire life LOL!!
I’m sorry that’s my favorite anecdote, but moving on – the outdoor show was sick. I’ve never seen them play in this setting, and it felt like I was on stage how close I was. Their crowd interaction is always unmatched, talking shit and cracking jokes with us like old friends meeting after a long time. Then a mere few hours later – suddenly I’m at Outset and they’re DJ-ing and performing again until like – 2am? I remember my friends and I were so locked in – at one point we finally turned around and there was no one standing behind us. We’d somehow danced for hours and hours! The songs they played just proved once again that they’re my favorite. Outkast, The Knife, ODB, Massive Attack… the list goes on and on. And in an unbelievable moment to add on to an already amazing night- Sarah actually took my phone and filmed us during “Don’t Move”. ICONIC night out!!
★ FINAL SCORE: 10/10 (For their unwavering consistency and energy from start to finish)
The Weeknd: Soldier Field Chicago, Night 1 [May 30, 2025]
It wouldn’t be an outdoor show without it raining every single time, right? Chicago is so annoying about that, and I’m pretty sure there was also a dust storm this day? Elements aside, my bestie and I (prepped with ponchos) didn’t let anything phase us heading into Soldier Field. Our Weeknd obsession was peaking, and our Hurry Up Tomorrow was finally happening. Hats off to her for securing the amazing VIP tickets with a clear view!
We’re not particularly Playboi Carti fans in the slightest, but he had a good song or two and we caught a vibe while there was literal lightning above our heads. I’m like, HURRY UP ABEL please!!
Highlights of the night being that the rain stopped within a few minnies (bless), the set design and production for Abel was unbelievable, and as expected – his voice was unshakeable. He is one of the best live vocalists I’ve ever heard. The setlist was perfection; there wasn’t a single song that I felt was missing, nor was there a song I didn’t want to hear. “Lost in the Fire”, “Sacrifice”, “Baptized In Fear”, I could go on and on. Every song was my favorite song, and getting to share that with my bestie made this concert land on the end-of-year list. Hurry Up Tomorrow was such a staple in my 2025 rotation, and even got to see the movie (which in my opinion, made the album so much more complete).
★ FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10 (My favorite Weeknd tour, but comparatively placing it bit lower than other shows this year)
Baekhyun Reverie Tour at Rosemont Theatre Chicago [June 25, 2025]
This show was the most unbelievable, surreal opportunity of the year – easily. The rarity of certain artists coming to the US can be a bummer sometimes, so when I get a chance to see someone I’ve been waiting years to see – I GO! K-Pop speaking, I have 2 favorite guy groups (BTS and EXO) and 2 favorite vocalists (Jungkook and Baekhyun). And sometimes you just gotta spend your BTS 2026 money to make other dreams come true LOL. All this to give context to the importance of attending his Reverie US Tour in June. Not to be dramatic but this was my moment!
This also had to be the most nervous I’d ever been for any concert, mostly because of the 100% chance that I’d be perceived by this man (whether during soundcheck, the show, or the hi-wave on my way out of the venue). And what happened? It happened! He walked right over during soundcheck, read my sign that was asking him to sing “Ice Queen” and sang it. If it wasn’t filmed by this sweetheart that I met in line, who would even believe me? After that overwhelming experience, nothing else mattered. My feet stopped hurting, my skin cleared up, and I just wanted the actual show to start.
One of the best things I did was avoid the setlist for this concert. It was curated to perfection, and he chose so many songs good across different eras of his solo career. To be honest, it was shocking seeing him in person with my bare eyeballs, no zoom needed, on that tiny ass stage at Rosemont Theatre (which has slowly become a venue that I really appreciate). His voice…was so…CLEAR! I will never forget how it was reverberating around the room when he’d belt or hit high notes. Classics like “UN Village” and “Candy” stood out, but matched the energy of the newest songs like “Elevator” and “Cold Heart”. His styling was impeccable, and maybe – just MAYBE – I wore all black satin to match his outfit.
The only sad part of the night was how fast the “hi-bye” was (which means you basically walk past them and wave goodbye on the way out). Can we talk about how the moment I walked around the corner to enter the room, after I laid eyes on him I already had one foot out the damn door of the venue? Why was he so close to the door?? Well, I turned my head around like the exorcist and stared him down and told him thank you for singing my request during soundcheck. And just like that – it was over and I was standing outside a random door trying to process that I just lived my dream…
★ FINAL SCORE: 9/10 (VIP was so worth it – I’d have really missed out)
Tame Impala at United Center Chicago [November 3, 2025]
This being my 4th time seeing Tame Impala in Chicago across the years – I can confirm that this last United Center show topped them all. Deadbeat Tour was insane! With a limited U.S. run of just 8 shows across 6 cities, I’m so glad that Kevin Parker and the gang made sure to come back to us after 4 years.
I was itchinggggg for new music from Tame ever since The Slow Rush album carried me through the pandemic. Deadbeat dropped on October 17, and literally weeks later – I’m at the show losing my mind. While I don’t like the panic of a short ticket-buying window, I do enjoy going to a show when an album just came out. That night, somehow even the new lyrics came to my (recreationally altered) mind like I’d been listening to them for years. Strategically sitting in the 200 section, I was fully immersed in the 360-degree setup and taking in the atmosphere. When the lasers first came on during the outro of the opening song “Apocalypse Dreams”, the entire mood shifted in the arena. We knew that anything was possible at that point (and I was so glad I brought shades). Let’s normalize concert sunnies!
While this end-of-year list isn’t in any particular order, this is the concert that I haven’t shut up about. My friend and I continually reminisce on the entire night: a 30 minute photo shoot in the intersection outside the venue, losing a joint and then finding it on the sidewalk 20 minutes later, walking laps behind the building to find the “Deadbeat” truck, and getting yelled at by the merch guy. So many things happened before we even got to our seats.
Performance-wise, I remember “Borderline” transporting me back to 2020, “Afterthought” being a sleeper hit, and the rainbow lasers in the outro to “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”. I also remember how all the 35-40 yr olds (like me) peaked and crashed at the same time – it was so funny. We expelled so much energy up front, and then I look over and we’re all suddenly sitting down! But we charged back up, and it continued to be one of the best concerts ever. Ready to see them again!
★ FINAL SCORE: 1000/10 (Quite possibly the best show of the year. Except for skipping “Obsolete” in the Chicago setlist)
j-hope of BTS at Allstate Arena Chicago, Night 1 [March 17, 2025]
Last – but not least – is my dear Hobi, j-hope, Jung Hoseok of BTS. Believe it or not, this was a very last minute decision to go, but not that I didn’t want to. My friend hooked me up just days before the event with a ticket that I could buy from her. She so kindly offered to host me at her place, too, so getting ready for this show was a much-needed BTS-filled girl’s night. I managed to put a last-minute fit together using some pieces I already had, and went with a comfy (but bold) ensemble. This was also my first time making a picket for a show, and it turned out so cute. Thank you, B, for convincing me to get (further) into the spirit! And no look is complete without an Army Bomb, of course. Any opportunity to bring it out of retirement is a win, and this was my 3rd official time.
It’s in my nature to want to break down Hope on The Stage minute-by-minute, but I’ll spare you and call out some key moments that made this such a memorable show of 2025. The crowd was notably diverse, with even my seatmate being a woman who had to be around 70 years old. She was so nice to me and even gave me a custom keychain (and one for my friend) that she’d made herself to gift to ARMYs. Day 1 of his two-day stop in Chicago included a string of hits, from both his solo discography and music within BTS. Can’t believe I got to witness an early era “Mona Lisa” performance (not him putting filters on the audience’s faces), I saw the infamous “Baepsae” drop-split and hip-thrust (IYKYK), and I experienced my first ever “Mic Drop” fanchant! Which is essentially an initiation ritual at this point. And ARMY did their thing and we were sooooooooo loud. What was my favorite? Probably “Arson”.
Another thing I enjoyed about this tour was how much dancing was incorporated into this show. It almost followed a story that highlighted his love for street dancing and it’s culture. The dancers were skilled in so many different genres, and during the encore the stage literally illuminated to display all of their names. The support for the entire band and crew was so nice to see – BTS loves to share the spotlight.
Hobi also took several moments to specifically acknowledge how special Chicago is to him, as the response from his headlining stage at Lollapalooza was insane. The ORIGINAL Hobipalooza (yes) was really a turning point in his career and I’m so lucky to have been there. 2026 is only gonna go up!
★ FINAL SCORE: 8/10 (Only because my seat was far away and I’m Hobipalooza biased)
Honorable Mentions:
FINAL THOUGHTS:
