I went with my friend to see Arctic Monkeys perform live at the Kia Forum Sept. 29. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I cannot recommend this band enough. Photo courtesy of Sydney Tilles.

I anxiously anticipated the start of the Arctic Monkeys concert in the pitch-black Kia Forum, my heart rate skyrocketing as fans around me began screaming. As the clock struck at 9:09 p.m. and Alex Turner stepped on stage, I knew I was about to have the most amazing night ever, even if it meant losing my voice.

Arctic Monkeys released their latest album, “The Car,” Oct. 21, 2022, and began their tour Aug. 25. Each performance lasted 90 minutes, but when I saw them live, it went by in a millisecond. The band played songs from their entire discography, mainly focusing on their most beloved album, “AM,” which was released Sept. 9, 2013. They performed in 18 states across the U.S. and Canada and, sadly, ended their tour Oct. 1 at the Kia Forum.

I never knew what I was missing until I went to see Arctic Monkeys on tour. Before that wonderful night, I had never been to a concert and did not know what to expect. A girl throwing her bra on stage and others professing their undying love to Alex Turner as he sang were definitely not on the list of what I thought was going to happen. However, I honestly cannot say I’m surprised.

Arctic Monkeys did something a little different on this tour. Unbeknownst to us viewers, there were two parts to the concert. There was the main part, where they played the majority of their songs, including my all-time favorites: “Snap Out Of It,” “Knee Socks,” “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High“ and “Do I Wanna Know,” and there was the second part, which only included a couple songs to end the fantastic night.

“Snap Out Of It” was a hit they played towards the beginning of the concert. It was a huge crowd pleaser — everyone was singing along and grabbing each other when the song said, “I wanna grab both your shoulders and say, ‘Baby snap out of it.'” I was clinging to my friend, and we were jumping up and down.

Another popular song was “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High,” which is on their “AM” album. The song is comprised of emotional and strong vocals and bass, making it a great song to belt out in the car.

Arctic Monkeys is notorious for intentionally messing up the beat and tune of their songs, and they have been open about not being a “sing-along” type of band. However, instead of fans giving up and not participating, trying to sing along has become a game for the audience.

“Do I Wanna Know” is Arctic Monkeys’ most famous song, with over 1.5 billion streams on YouTube. It was also the most exhilarating to see live. Before the song started, the venue turned pitch-black, and everything went silent. It was not until I heard the first chord that I knew to savor every moment. While the song is 4:25 minutes long, it went by in a haze of excitement and adrenaline.

After they played arguably their two biggest songs “Do I Wanna Know” and “505,” Arctic Monkeys left the stage. The crowd went wild as we all wanted more.

One of my favorite songs of all time is “R U Mine,” which they had not played yet. So when they left the stage, I was seeing red. I told my friend I was not leaving until they played that song.

I could not be more grateful that we stayed because, a few minutes later, they came back on stage. During this time, I did not realize that causing a ruckus was a ploy to distract the audience. As the stage crew lowered the turned-off disco ball, the band started singing once again.

Sadly, they only played two songs in this second round. They still had not sung one of my favorite songs, and I had lost hope until I heard the intro to “R U Mine.” At that moment, I mustered up all the energy I had left and sang, screamed and cried out of joy. It was the perfect way to end the concert.

My adrenaline rushed throughout the entire concert and even hours after it ended. With Alex Turner’s stage presence, the amazing music and a really fun crowd, The Car concert was truly one of the highlights of my life.