Imagine being personally invited to attend Taylor Swift’s after party. Picture being serenaded by Ed Sheeran. Envision getting pulled on stage to dance with Allstar Weekend. Senior Kelsea Mcnaughton has done all three thanks to her tenacity for participating in radio contests and her connections with radio stations.

Mcnaughton recalls the first moment that her passion ignited for attending concerts and meeting famous people. During her sophomore year, in 2010, she went to an Allstar Weekend concert, which marked the very first time she had been able to meet and hang out with the band.

“I was shocked that the bands just came out and hung out with you and were so involved with the audience,” Mcnaughton said. “That show was what started it all because I just thought it was the coolest thing ever, even though these people weren’t super famous.”

Since then, Mcnaughton has enjoyed going to concerts and events to meet famous people face to face. Although she has many other interests, going to concerts is one of her hobbies because she attends many concerts and finds it to be exciting.

According to Mcnaughton, she is a big music person.

“I plan on going into the music industry on the business side because I can’t sing at all, so for me anything music related is fun,” Mcnaughton said.

According to her sister, senior Kyleigh Jandro, it is definitely a hobby for her sister and she finds her to be a concert junkie. Jandro expresses how their parents actually had to tell Mcnaughton that she could not go to any more concerts until she gets a job–not because she needs money for the shows, but as an incentive to find a job.

Jandro has been to a few concerts with her, including Taylor Swift, Austin Mahone and Joe Brookes.

“The concerts were really good, especially Taylor Swift. It was incredible. We get good seats usually because Kelsea gets them. Or we got there super early so we we’re like first in line,” Jandro said. “For the ones we have gotten for free, Kelsea usually wins them from 95.5. She is lucky that way.”

According to Mcnaughton, she has never bought VIP tickets to anything and cannot even remember the last time she bought tickets to a concert. She typically gets hookups from radio stations but has also gotten lucky enough to win concert tickets twice.

“For a lot of the more popular or mainstream people that I’ve met, I get passes from the radio station Live 95.5,” Mcnaughton said. “I have friends that work there for the street team so they always hook me up.”

Macnaughton also enjoys attending more underground artists at local venues.

“For a lot of the other people I meet, I go to smaller venues, like Hawthorne Theater. The artists just hang out after the show, or they’ll be out by their tour buses before the show, and I end up meeting them there,” Mcnaughton said.

Mcnaughton truly loves the thrill of going to concerts and meeting famous singers and bands in person.

She has also made lasting friendships through attending concerts and now gets to do what she loves with the ones that she loves.

“Kelsea and I are really good friends. We met at a concert a few years ago and have gone to concerts ever since,” close friend Amanda Jones said. “We go to concerts together and have the best time. We always go early and find ways to meet the bands and can usually get on the guest list.”

Jones plans to attend the musicians program at PCC, extending her love of music into the professional realm.

Mcnaughton’s top three most memorable concert moments ever include meeting Taylor Swift, meeting Ed Sheeran and dancing on stage at an Allstar Weekend show.

“When I met Taylor Swift, that was probably the greatest moment of my life. She has been my favorite person and idol since 2006. I met her on September 6, 2011 at her after party,” Mcnaughton said.

According to Mcnaughton, out of 14,000 people in the crowd, her and her friends got picked to go to her after party by none other than Taylor Swift and her best friend Abigail Anderson.

“We were the craziest people in the entire arena. I had dreamed about the moment I would finally meet Taylor Swift since I was 12 years old, and it was finally happening,” Mcnaughton said. “She was the sweetest person I had ever met, and we were with her for about an hour after her show. I still remember every single moment clearly and I don’t think anything will ever top that!”

Mcnaughton notes the moment Ed Sheeran serenaded her on her birthday and says that it definitely tied with meeting Taylor Swift as the greatest moment in her life.

In addition, Mcnaughton was really thrilled when, after she had been on their tour bus having lunch with them, the lead singer of Allstar pulled her up on stage and started dancing with her.

“It was just a lot of fun and something I hadn’t done before, which is why it has made it to the top three!” Mcnaughton said.

She also adds that meeting Demi Lovato and bowling with 3OH!3 was also very amazing.

“Kelsea seriously loves every aspect of concert,” Jones said. “Meeting the artists we are inspired by is like the cherry on top.”

Mcnaughton’s passion and love for concerts, celebrities and music continues to grow deeper.

Mcnaughton plans on going to many more concerts this summer. She plans on going to the Live 95.5 Summer Splash and hopes to finally get to meet Carly Rae Jepsen. She will also attend the Vans Warped Tour, which she is really excited for, as she plans on seeing the Allstar guys once more along with The Summer Set. She is also going to the One Direction concert and Taylor Swift’s sold-out concert with Ed Sheeran as her opening artist this summer. Mcnaughton plans on attending even more concerts on top of that, as other bands and artists finish releasing their summer tour dates. In addition, she plans to go to Coachella next year.

Mcnaughton loves meeting famous people, going to concerts, taking pictures with celebrities, hanging out with bands and overall anything music related.

“I go to have a good time with my friends, support my favorite bands and artists, and I just love the loud music. There’s just this adrenaline rush I get when I know I’m going to a show,” Mcnaughton said. “At concerts there’s just this energy that you can’t experience anywhere else. I really don’t know why meeting famous people is so fun. It just is!”