Last week I had the opportunity to attend a small concert for one of my favorite artists. Maisie Peters, a UK-based musician, has been touring the US in honor of her first full-length album. As soon as I learned of this, I bought tickets. I was not sure if I was ever going to get another chance to see her perform live. 

On the day of the concert, I was at the venue two hours early. I wanted to secure my spot at the front of the line. The atmosphere in line was one of excitement. Everyone was watching Maisie update her Instagram story as she prepared for the concert, and soon the crowd was breaking out in song. It did not take too long for us to realize that the sky was getting dark, which was not supposed to happen before the concert started. As we looked at the clock, we saw that it was now a full hour late for the planned start of the show. 

Our confusion only mounted when Maisie and her team walked by and told us that the city of Salt Lake had had a planned power outage at the venue and had failed to inform them. Her team and band members scrambled to find a generator and get it set up as we continued to wait in line. Maisie herself decided to go back into her tour bus (parked alongside the line) and start preparing an acoustic set in case the power never returned. 

Learning of this situation, you might assume that the line became belligerent as people grew tired and cold, or that people started to leave. Instead, we kept singing. As it grew completely dark, we sang our favorite songs from the album. By cellphone light, we then saw Maisie open her bus window and hang out of it to sing with us. 

Eventually, the generator was connected, and we were allowed to enter the venue. It was an intimate affair, and the performance was spectacular. Maisie sang an encore as well as a song that she had never before performed. The crowd sang along until our voices grew hoarse, and only smiles were found all evening.

Together, we had all decided that we were going to make the most of a bad situation and have fun no matter what. That evening will always remain in my mind as a spectacular event. I learned that having a bad time is entirely up to me because even less-than-ideal situations can be incredible.