I’m going to preface this with the fact that this list isn’t what should be in your bag. It’s what’s in my bag, which, because of who I am as a person, is not the same thing. If I had any sense I would’ve learned by now not to bring much of anything to a concert. If I had enough sense I might even come to the conclusion that I shouldn’t spend the last of my monthly budget on concert tickets halfway through the month. Luckily that’s not the case for me, so here’s what’s in my bag!
The Ticket
You really would think this goes without saying, but you would be surprised how often this is the last thing to make it into my bag. Have a printed copy, a digital copy, and a backup copy. Don’t make my mistakes.
Snacks (and assorted wrappers)
I’ve never gone to a concert less than 2 hours before doors open. I’m that girl. If the only difference between being close enough to make eye contact with a performer and being so far back you only have a vague idea of their position on stage is patience, it’s a price I can afford to pay. That being said, it can be upwards of 4 hours before the headliner even starts. You do not want to be the person who passed out during the opening band’s performance. Bring something small but filling, like granola bars. If you can’t take it into the venue, scarf it down in line, there’s no shame in it. If you can take it in, ration it. Trust me, when you pull up to campus and realize it’s Friday so Mac’s Place closed 3 hours ago, you will be grateful for whatever’s in the bottom of your purse.
A Portable Charger
You should honestly always have one on you but there is literally nothing more nightmarish than having spent your battery on awful concert footage and then being stranded at the venue with no way to call an Uber. You deserve better than that.
Playing Cards
Two hours is a long time to be in line. It is not, however, a long time to establish your position as alpha Uno player in your friend group. I’m speaking from experience here, the difference between hours spent demolishing friendships with a draw four and hours spent being forced to eavesdrop on the high school Dungeons and Dragons players behind you because you don’t want to waste battery life on Bejeweled is nothing short of an eternity.
My Debit Card
Here I would like to remind you once more that this is not necessarily what you should bring. In fact, I might advise bringing twenty dollars cash for emergencies and leaving your debit card at home. You might lose it or, even worse, spend sixty dollars you don’t have on band merch you don’t need.
A Matte Liquid Lipstick
You don’t even need to wear makeup to a concert. I do, and every time I say it’s the last time. Unless your setting spray is some kind of miracle worker, you will be leaving this concert looking… different than you did when you came in to put it gently. That being said, if you’re trying to cop a picture with a performer after the show, the best way to disguise the fact that you cried during the set is to go ahead and apply some fun lipstick.
A Sharpie
If you want an autograph bring your own sharpie and don’t get attached to it. That’s the community sharpie now. People’s pens are out of ink, most people didn’t bring a writing utensil at all, and the three markers the band brought out have all mysteriously disappeared into the chaotic abyss, never to be heard from again.