Concert season can be year-round, but towards the spring and summer months, most artists will choose their tour and festivals to be set. As someone who has been to multiple concerts, I wanted to put together some of the best tips I’ve learned from my experience.
Always Bring Cash and a Card:
Recently a lot of concerts have switched to using cards only, but you might want to carry some cash on you still. The main reason is parking. A lot of times concerts will have parking, but it will fill up fast. After regular parking fills up, often buildings, businesses, and individuals will offer their land or parking lot, but you will have to pay a higher fee with cash. So, to be safe, keeping around $10-$20 on you for parking is usually a safe bet.
Look into Adding a Clear Bag to Your Accessories:
As for purchasing items before the concerts, having a clear bag can be very helpful. Depending on your venue you might be required to have one. Usually, these clear bags often need to be a small size as well. Some bags that I recommend are the USPECLARE Clear Purse or the Veckle Clear Fanny Pack, both of which can be found on Amazon.
You can Dress Up for the Concert, but Remember to Comfortably:
Dressing up for the concert is always a fun idea to do. Sometimes with a certain artist, we might want to get crafty, wear over-the-top pieces, or try to color code. All of these are fine, but make sure to still be comfortable with it. Depending on where you are seated or standing, some outfits can be good for photos, but not the whole concert. Adding props to your outfit might also be a fun idea, but make sure that it won’t affect others watching. As some items could get in the view of others or just push them into a smaller space, remember they paid for the experience too, so give them equal concert respect.
Don’t Splurge on Merchandise Just Yet:
Merchandise for a concert is always something that is often right next to the venue and there are usually many lines and tents lined up to purchase items, but don’t splurge right away on something. This is because, sometimes the artist will also have these items on their own website. Most artists currently will have the same tour t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and accessories at their booths and online. There are instances where maybe an artist has a limited edition piece of merch, but it isn’t as common. Also, if you choose to wait to buy your merchandise or buy it online in general, you won’t have to worry about holding it the whole show as well.
Eat and Drink Before You Go:
Food and beverages will be present at concerts but at a higher cost. My big recommendation is to save money by eating and drinking something before you go. This will save you money and will also give you more of a selection to choose from for a meal or snack. Also remember to stay hydrated as well if needed, as venues whether inside or outside can become hot quickly given the amount of people around, so in this case it is smart to have some money with you to purchase water.
If You’re Not Driving, Book Your Transportation in Advance:
If you aren’t driving yourself and using public transportation or another form of transportation such as Lyft or Uber, get those plans ahead of time. Apps such as Uber allow you to book a trip ahead, which can help you not only get out of the concert sooner but also ensure you a lower price than others would get if they booked as the concert is over. As for public transportation, buses or shuttles often will have access to pay for your ride from the location of your concert.
Don’t Record Everything:
We pay for the experience, we get plans made of what we’ll wear, and who we’ll go with, so we want to make sure we capture the moment, but don’t be on your phone for the whole show. Constantly when I have videos or photos from concerts, I’ve noticed that a major portion of the crowd has their phones in front of their faces. Although, again we want to savor that memory, we often don’t get the whole experience of music being played live if we do. So, open your camera when they might play your favorite song, but don’t be glued to it or you could miss out on the experience as a whole.
When Going with Another Person or Group Always Plan and Communicate:
My last tip is if you are going with someone or a group, always plan and always communicate. If you don’t plan or communicate, this experience can go downhill very quickly. So, book the same transportation for there and back, make sure to check in on your other concert-goers on what they’re bringing, and always let everyone know if you have to move away from the group or get something; as with so many people, a trip to the bathroom or getting water can make someone get lost fast. As well as remember to be safe in terms of alcohol consumption or sharing something with another concert attendee, so safety is key.