By Willow Kelley

Lowell, MA – The summer concert season returns this month, and here are reminders to help the more experienced fan thrive and the less experienced concert goer survive.

Almost everyone on the face of the earth enjoys live music.  A live music concert experience has no comparison.  However, not everyone understands how much planning is actually necessary for the ultimate concert experience.   Avid concert goers, like myself, have learned to take every precaution, know every venue. Shows Not to Miss at Local Venues

The entire process starts way before the day of the concert in question. Buying tickets is an important step to reduce anxiety as the day approaches. The sooner, the better.  No one wants a feeling of helplessness that comes with not knowing if you can get a last minute ticket at a reasonable price.  If you know your favorite musician is going on tour, try your best to save the money for a ticket. You’ll feel better knowing you have your tickets in advance. Read More

When the concert date arrives, there is still preparation needed, and most of it involves little more than common sense and thinking ahead.  On the night before make sure everything you need or want to bring to the show is laid out with your attire. Items you will need, or might want bring include your ticket, money for food and merchandise, your phone, identification, a pen and some paper.  A pen and paper are essential in case you get  lucky and meet any of the acts, but that comes much later.

Tickets are usually advertised by a band’s social media. It is best to only use these links when buying tickets, because they have tickets for the original, fair selling price. Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com are two very popular sites that bands use, but sometimes these sites crash.  So, it’s best to get on the site before it gets crowded.  Depending on the size of the band, there are also possible promotional deals to get free tickets such as contests and drawings. Though the chances are slim to win, if you really want the tickets and have no money, it’s a good way to go about it.

Another aspect to ticket buying, in some cases, offers concert goers to purchase ‘a meet and greet pass’.  I have been a fan of the pop rock band Paramore for about eight years. When I joined their  group email, I signed up to received their e-newsletter. In 2014, that subscription paid off, and I was emailed a meet-and-greet code for the band’s next tour.  I got to meet the band before their 2014 concert at Xfinity Center.

There are a few different ways the meet-and-greet passes can be acquired. The most popular way, in my experience, is through the fan club or newsletter. As a member of a fan club or newsletter, you have signed up to receive priority access such as regular letters from the band, a heads up on unscheduled shows, updates on promotions and pre-concert ticket sales (offered before the general public). If you are a huge fan of a band, I recommend signing up for a newsletter long before you plan on seeing a show of theirs.  It certainly paid off for me when I got to meet Paramore.

Fan clubs are a bit different. This is a subscription to a band’s website to receive perks, but it requires a monthly payment. Payments can range from 10 to around 30 dollars a month, and automatically cancel if the money is not paid in time for renewal.  With fan clubs you are paying for access to information which may include select seats.

Once you have your tickets, there are a lot of decisions to make. If it’s important to you to be close to the front, make sure you get there early enough. This only depends on whether or not the concert is GA, also known as general admission, which means there are no assigned seats. If your show gives you a section and a row on your ticket, you don’t have to worry much about anything beyond the traffic.  If you get dehydrated or need to go to the bathroom you may lose your spot during the show.  To avoid such distractions like bathroom breaks or a run for water, make sure you eat something,  drink enough water and make a pit stop before you find that best viewpoint of the stage.  

Inside the venue is where the fun begins. You have a few options, but with these options come sacrifices.  So, give it some thought.  You can either go right to where you want to stand or go directly to your seat during the show without doing anything else first. With this option, you will not be able to buy merchandise or get food until either between acts or after the show.  Keep in mind that there will be long lines for both, as well as a long bathroom line, but if being close to the stage is important then it’s the best option. If you do get food or merch, or go to the bathroom first, you’ll have a slim chance of getting toward the front, but there are still ways to do so.

Something a lot of kids like to do at seated shows is jump seats.  I’ve tried my hand at this, but I’m not as stealthy as some others. If you’re seated in a place where you can’t see, and you see some empty seats  closer to the stage, it’s up to you whether you want to try your luck at snagging them.  Go act like you own the place and jump the seats.

What happens next varies.  The least likely thing to happen is that you will succeed and be able to stay in your new and improved seats for the rest of the show. Another occurrence could be that the original seat owners arrive, tell you to move, or that you’re in the wrong seat. It’s best not to argue with the official ticket holder.  Considering you don’t have any proof that they’re your seats, because they’re not, you don’t want to attract the attention from security, who might decide to bounce you.

Now come the unwritten floor rules of every rock show, held at venues from 900 to 6,000 capacity. These rules focus less on shows at big arenas such as Madison Square Garden, or the TD Bank Garden, but are still helpful if those shows happen to have a “pit” or spot on the floor in front of the stage without seats.      

Firstly, be polite to the opening acts, especially if the concert is at a small venue. Do not “boo” them, or heckle them. Their job is to open the show and get you excited. Openers are almost never well known, it is important that you make them feel like they’re doing a good job, even if you don’t particularly like their music. You don’t have to dance or sing along, but there’s no reason to throw water bottles at them either.

Next, be cautious of the people around you. At heavier shows, there will more than likely be mosh pits, which are huge circles of people, either in the center or the back of the floor,where people “dance,” which usually means they run around and bump into people. These are usually all in good fun, but there are always those few people who think it’s wise to swing their arms around and seriously hurt people. Concerts are supposed to be fun, not followed by a trip to the hospital. Pay extra attention to people around you, and leave the pit immediately if you feel unsafe.

Along these lines as well are crowd surfers. Crowd surfers usually come from the back of the floor, and want to get closer. They ask stronger looking people to lift them up, and throw them forward. They then rely on the crowd to keep them going, and not drop them. Two main things to be aware of when you’re faced with a crowd surfer: watch your head, and pick them up. There is a huge possibility that you will get kicked if you’re not paying attention. If you see a crowd surfer coming at you, keep your hands above your head.  

Crowds will be rough, sweaty, and tight at a general admission concert. As long as you follow this guide, with a few adjustments depending on your exact show, and you will be entirely set to survive.