It happens every time. First there’s strategizing. Strategizing leads to worrying, worrying leads to antsy preparation and by the end of the week my nerves are shot. It’s a little thing I like to call “General Admission Anxiety.”

I get myself so amped and nervous thinking about things such as: How early should we arrive? When should we put our coats and blankets in the car so we can be ready when they open the doors? Are they going to give out ‘Meet and Greet’ passes for the first 10 people in line like last time? What if we’re 11th in line? Simply put, I am a nervous wreck until my butt is firmly situated in line, preferably in front of the rest of the crowd.

I know this may sound a little bit crazy, but having the torment end in the sweet victory of the front row is what makes my blood pressure spike. I can only hope you know the indescribable feeling I’m talking about.

To illustrate my point, The American Life, Meg and Dia, The Cab and The Plain White T’s performed at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 16, thus the madness ensues.

Feeling optimistic, my best friend and I packed my Jansport full of all the necessities to get us through a day of waiting. We arrived at the venue at 10:45 a.m. My heart raced as I counted on one hand how many people were there already. We were sixth in line! The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30. This meant that if everything was on time we would be rocking out in a short 7 hours and 45 minutes.

Throughout the day the bands trickled between the venue and their tour bus. The Plain White T’s lead singer Tom Higgenson and guitarist Tim Lopez were even kind enough to chat for a few minutes.

Show time finally rolled around and we were ushered inside. Breaking out into a run, we found ourselves literally front and center. This was a first and I nearly imploded from the excitement. There was no moshing, no confrontations, just amazing music. Opening the night, KC-natives The American Life impressed with their electro-punk style, but left me wishing their sound quality had been better so that their lyrics could have been heard over the instruments. Meg and Dia were strangely more impressive live than on iTunes, a rarity in my experience. Alex DeLeon, lead singer for The Cab, came down into the crowd, melting every girl’s heart in a 50-foot radius, and PWT’s front-man, Tom, signed autographs and took pictures with fans after the show.

I’ve said it a million times in the past and I’ll say it again: the wait was worth it! Sure, we could have showed up five hours later and still held the same place in the line, but what’s the fun in telling that story? The quirky mishaps and anxiety made the concert an experience and I simply wouldn’t have it any other way.

As for now, the X’s are fading from my underage hands and I’ve been momentarily cured of my “General Admission Anxiety.”