We arrive at the Moody Theater on Oct. 23 to find ourselves in a surprisingly large crowd, considering the size of the venue. Rainbow-themed clothes, t-shirts with the Blue Neighbourhood album and the occasional flower crown greeted us as we politely push our way to the uppermost balcony. We sit for 30 minutes, watch the opening act, Astrid S, and sit for another 30 minutes, our excitement growing with every second.

Then it all begins. The lights on the stage change from normal room light to a dim teal as everything around us turns dark. Slowly people walk on stage — the keyboardist, the guitarist, the drummer. The screams from the area in front of the stage intensify as the band starts to play and Troye Sivan walks on stage.

I have been a fan of Sivan for a little less than a year. As soon as I started listening to his music, he became my favorite artist instantly. Though his music is technically considered pop music, it doesn’t sound like the stuff you’d hear on the radio. There’s something different about his slightly-electronic sounding music that sets it apart in a great way. I also love the message behind his songs, how he wasn’t afraid to be himself and what his music has done. It seems like everyone I talk to who listens to Sivan’s music has attached their own special significance to his songs that ties them to their own lives. So, naturally, when my friend surprised me with tickets to the Austin show of his Suburbia tour, I was beyond excited.

Being at the concert was amazing. Because of the size of Moody Theater, no seat was a bad seat. We were one row away from being as high as possible and we still felt like we were close to him. He sang a surprising range of songs — everything from “YOUTH,” the song he performed on the Billboard Music Awards, to “COOL,” a song one would only know if they listened to his album.

It lasted for only a little more than an hour, but no time was wasted. Everyone around us was singing and dancing along to the songs we all knew and loved. Sivan had such an amazing energy, especially since he was incredibly sick — he tweeted almost right after the opening act that he was feeling terrible and had posted on his Instagram story earlier in the day about the massive amounts of medicine he was taking. He had even considered rescheduling the concert, but eventually decided to come out anyway.

He was so much fun while talking to us, making jokes about how close everyone was and wearing his own merch. At one point, he mentioned that he wanted to take a picture with everyone, but that he didn’t have his phone. He asked someone to borrow their phone and used an actual fan’s phone to take a video. He also took two pieces of art from fans who made them and brought them. His personality and, of course, his singing made this night possibly one of the best nights of my life.