5 Rules for Concert Going
12:56 AM
Last Sunday I went to a Los Hermanos concert. Los Hermanos is an old but forever young carioca band, which has been pleasing the youths of every generation for years now in Brazil. Despite not officially being together anymore, they do play random concerts with their old material every now and again.
The concert was amazing, the day was perfectly cool and the band had a pretty flawless performance, starting exactly on time (a difficult feat in Brazil) and playing with all their indie brazilian rock hipster vibe and giving everyone chills. If you want to maybe get to know them, I'd say listen to O Vencedor, De Onde Vem a Calma, Cara Estranho and É de Lágrima, some of my personal favorites. The lyrics are killer, too.
But this hasn't been my first concert. Nope. Not at all. I love live music and I try to go to shows whenever I can. Up until now, I've been to 17 concerts. This allowed me to learn and elaborate some basic rules for concert going which everyone should know and I got inspired to kindly share that knowledge!
1. Don't be ridiculous. Wear something comfortable.
I know, you are going with your friends and taking a billion pictures and you really want to look cute. I know, it's a rock concert and you want to put on the most rocker-chick outfit you possibly can. I know. But first, be comfortable. Your main goal at a concert is to have fun, so don't chose something that will take away from the experience. And also, you can be stylish and cute and all that jazz and still wear something that won't bring you down.
My choice of outfit is always something light, as concerts tend to be very hot and sweaty (Brazilians do concert with passion, you know, like everything else), and that allows me to move freely.
Regarding shoes, my general pick are Converses, this time, however, I opted for a pair of boots which had slightly chunky heels to give me a bit of extra height, but I still knew I'd be comfy since I use these on a daily basis.
Don't take huge carry ons. You want to be allowed to move and jump around and enjoy the concert, so it's best to take a small bag, preferably one that closes securely.
And to make me sound very much like your mother: take a jacket. Chances are, you will be leaving the venue all sweaty and hot from so much excitement and going directly into a chilly evening or transport with high air conditioning. To not freeze: take a jacket, a cardigan, anything that can be carried around without much fuss, but will still give you enough warmth. As I had chosen a sleeveless romper for my outfit, I decided to throw on a checkered button down that could easily be tied around my waist whenever I was not wearing it (and added a bit more style to the whole look). Bingo.
2. Drink water with smart timing.
I've seen one too many people pass out at concerts for dehydration. Don't be that person. Make sure you drink loads of water during the day of the concert so that when it's time for the fun part, your body is well prepared.
Now, make sure you stop drinking water with a reasonable amount of time before the show (I'd say an hour is fine) and take a trip to restroom before it starts, so that you don't spend the show wishing you did! And after the concert ends, go right back to rehydrating, as you probably spent a lot of energy and sung your heart out!
3. Essential items.
There are not many things you need in a concert, but the ones you do, YOU DO. Always have: Band-aids, hair ties and hair grips, an ID, a fully charged cellphone, your tickets and enough spare money to buy water, any sort of snack and pay an emergency cab if needed. If you wear contact lenses like me, I highly recommend taking eye drops, too.
It's also quite a smart idea to take a bottled water and a cracker, but many venues do not allow you to enter with such things, so make sure you check such regulations before going.
4. Establish a meeting place.
You might think this is completely ridiculous and unnecessary, but many were the times I needed a meeting place. It's extremely easy to lose your company at a concert and cellphone batteries die, there is no signal and you simply cannot find them again. That's when a meeting place would come handy.
When you get to the venue establish a clear, central, easily located spot as your meeting place and stay there if you happen to lose your friends. I mean, better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it, right?
5. Have FUN.
I've been to concerts with people that were much more interested in staring at their phones. I've been to concerts next to people who complained all the time. I've been to concerts with people that new none of the songs. Those were all very frustrating situations.
Concerts are expensive in Brazil, we don't get to go see our favorite bands and singers all the time and it's definitely not for an accessible price. That's why when we can go, we do it with passion and full heartedly. Concerts are special moments when you can feel the energy and stay an hour or two in awe of an artist's talent. So pay attention to what is happening in front of you, jump around, dance freely, sing every lyric of every song and do it with people who are just as excited as you.
If you don't know the artist you are going to watch live, give it a listen online, get to know them, chose songs to be excited for live performances of and songs you really don't care about. Try to study up a bit so you can get involved in the moment.
Take pictures and record videos, but not all the time, not of the entire concert. Here's a secret: you only really need one picture of the event, most of them look exactly the same. And you most certainly don't have to publish them on every social media platform right at that moment.
Above all, please do not complain. Maybe you did try to give it a listen and you genuinely don't like the musician, but went anyway because your sister or boyfriend or best friend begged you to go with. If so, just go, try to enjoy how much they are enjoying themselves and don't complain. There are thousands around you who were really excited to be there and your complaining is highly disruptive to their experience. Respect people's moment. Maybe you'll end up surprised by the live performance if you give it a chance or at least you'll be happy to see people you care for having a great time.
Either way, make sure you find a way to have fun.
8 thoughts
Great tips! Especially agree with the water one. The amount of times I end up dehydrated during a concert (I even passed out once!) is just ridiculous haha x
ReplyDeletethesundaychapter.com
I've been there too! It's awful! And over such a simple thing..
DeleteThanks for visiting!
xx
Nice post! I've always wanted to go to a concert but I haven't yet! Will keep these tips in mind if I (hopefully) do soon, though! x
ReplyDeleteLina / lina-khalifa.blogspot.com
Thanks!! Hope you get the chance to go to one soon!
Deletexx
So nice :)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend ;)
Lisa | Joy Della Vita Travelblog
Thanks! Hope you had a lovely weekend too!
DeleteI love Los Hermanos and am so jealous you got to see them, but its great to hear that you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteJenn
poucaalegria.blogspot.com
Aww, I hope you get to see them live one day! It's definitely worth it!
Deletexx