by Karen Kohler
It’s safe to say concerts are back in full swing, with countless artists currently on the road or announcing their tour. This can be overwhelming, especially for those who haven’t had a chance to experience one. There are plenty of concert videos out there but it’s hard to know what it’s really like until you’re surrounded by people sweating profusely in the best way possible.
Expect to do a lot of waiting. You’ll likely want to get to the venue before doors open, half an hour to an hour is probably a reasonable amount of time depending on your tickets and how much you care about seats. Expect parking to take a while and be prepared to walk a little bit. You’ll want to wear comfortable shoes anyways because everyone will be standing and dancing along, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on that! And yes, cute outfits are a part of the concert experience, but you can make it work without uncomfortable shoes. In general, comfort should be a priority because you will, of course, get very hot. Crop tops and ripped jeans seem to be a good, basic outfit. Of course, if it’s colder outside you may want a flannel or jacket that you can take off. It may be best if this is something of lesser value though since if you’re taking it off and putting it down, there is a chance of it getting lost or stolen. With that in mind, remember most concert venues only allow small, clear bags so bring only essentials, like a charged phone and your wallet, maybe some chapstick.
Once you’re in, you’ll likely still be waiting for a bit, if you have seats that you can leave and come back to, this is a time when many people will be roaming around, looking at the merch stands and going to the bathroom. The merch stands will likely be out of your budget but concerts are a good time to splurge, and either way it’s fun to look. If you’re unable to leave your seat or standing place, now is a good time to do last minute research to make sure you know the words to sing and scream along to. Expect to scream a lot and probably lose your voice as well as maybe your hearing temporarily, and to use up a lot of phone storage. You will also likely be hungry and quite exhausted afterwards but also expect to have a lot of fun!
