How Gillette Stadium Made me Love Concerts (podcast #2) - Riley Moulton

The speaker, Riley Moulton, introduces themselves and talks about their self-portrait. They mention that they are from Massachusetts, specifically Rhode Island, and grew up near Gillette Stadium. They share their love for concerts and how it has become a defining aspect of their identity. They express their desire to never miss a concert and hope that others will think of them when they attend a concert or think about the Patriots. Hello, and welcome to my second mini-podcast. If you don't know me, my name is Riley Moulton, I'm a sophomore, and my self-portrait seems like a lot to cover in just three minutes. I mean, how does one squeeze 19 years of life into three lousy minutes? I couldn't even do the math for that, but it seems like not a lot of time. But on the other hand, some could say that three minutes might be too much. I mean, on the surface, I am a 5'7", blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. It can't get more basic than that. It is basically as ordinary as one can be. But honestly, I like to think I'm not that basic once you really get to know me. It's like the semi-deeper stuff that makes me me. It makes me a little interesting. I think that's what would fill the three minutes. Like, for example, you know, I am from Massachusetts, but not the, like, pack-your-can-have-it-yod Massachusetts that everyone thinks of right away. More like the kind of lobster-loving water fire, pretty much, in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, right on the coast. Growing up here definitely built up my character, but honestly, I am still from Massachusetts, and I'll be a Massel until I die. A cool thing about where I grew up, though, is that I grew up 30 minutes from iconic Gillette Stadium. It is where the Patriots play, which, if you're not a Patriots fan, okay, I'll take the slander. But it's where a lot of really big-name artists have played concerts. If you think of someone who is very popular, there's a large chance they've played at Gillette Stadium. I mean, Mariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel, the list goes on. The first-ever time I was at Gillette Stadium was for Taylor Swift's Speak Now tour, when I was only six years old. I went with my mom after begging for tickets. And after the show, I told her it was the best night of my life, and I never wanted to miss one of Taylor's concerts ever again. And little did I know how much of a love for live music I would have built up on that very night when I was six. Concerts might be my most expensive hobby, but it's where I feel the most alive and the most connected to what feels right. I'm a concert girlie till I die, and people tell me that. They associate me with concerts, and anytime they want to go to a show, they just call up me. And you know what? I'm not complaining. The environment, the fellow attendees, the outfits, queuing all day for a general admission show, just the anticipation when all the curtains drop and the show goes black, it's a feeling like no other. And it almost feels like a rush. And I have my mom taking me to see Taylor Swift at the Ripe Atrium 6, all to thank for that. I hope my love for concerts never ends, because it really defines me as a person. And I bet it never will. I'll be one of those people who is probably 70 pulling up to Taylor's shows, because I'm never going to miss a show now. So overall, maybe I can talk about myself for three minutes. I mean, get me talking about concerts, and I could go on for days. My love of live music might be one of the things I'd want in my self-portrait. You know, I feel when I first read this assignment, I was a little torn on what to do. But then after talking about Massachusetts, kind of thinking about my identity, and I eventually landed on concerts, I knew exactly where this would go. So thank you for listening, and next time you go to a concert, or happen to maybe think about the Patriots, I hope you think of me.