Some might tell you you’re throwing your money away, wasting your gas to drive to distant arenas to see, “wait, who are you seeing again?” They’re the people who think listening to the album or watching a YouTube clip will give you the same experience. Really, we feel sorry for these people, because they just don’t get it.
They don’t understand that it is perfectly acceptable to buy tickets with money you don’t have. That you will pay for your ticket and all of your friends’ tickets on your debit card because you need to all sit next to each other, and even though you know they’re lying when they promise to pay you back really soon, it doesn’t matter because you’re going to a concert.
It’s more than knowing you’re going to see that band you love in the flesh. A concert is an all-day event; it’s a mark on your calendar that you look forward to.
There’s the outfit-choosing, the drive to the show where you blast the music you’re about to hear for the next few hours, and the mutual bond shared between every attendee at that concert because you’re all there for the same exact thing.
I know you don’t really care about the openers, but you get there in time for them anyway, because you’re no half-assed concertgoer. Usually, you actually like the opening acts, and swear you’re going to check out their stuff later – which you rarely do.
The musicians you came here for are acting like absolute divas, making you wait forever to see them. But it’s a calculated build-up you’re all too familiar with, and you surrender to the feeling of anticipation. You briefly think about buying a drink, but then decide you’d rather not take out a loan for a bottle of water.
And then it happens – the lights dim, and the audience starts cheering as the music starts. Whichever one of your friends guessed the opening song right is fan-girl screaming about it, but you don’t care, because you are entering musical euphoria.
The band’s setlist varies from new music to their older tracks, and you’re screaming out all the lyrics like they are the most beautiful words ever written. You and your friends are dancing like idiots, and you think you look way cooler than you actually do. It doesn’t really matter, because you’re at a concert, the one place where it’s socially acceptable to dance and sing your heart out. The lead singer tells the crowd funny personal anecdotes and you convince yourself they’re being totally honest when they say you’ve been their favorite audience.
When the encore is over and you start to file out, you continue to sing because the adrenaline isn’t quite done pumping yet. You might feel a little sad it’s over, but it’s okay, because you’ve always got another concert coming up soon.