HOW TO: Have The Best Concert Experience

I've been to my fair share of concerts, and while they've all been their own levels of incredible, I went to one recently that I truly just can't get out of my mind. So you might be wondering...is this entire post just going to be me fangirling and reminiscing about one night?

Yes.

BUT, throughout the post, I’m also going to be talking about what makes up a great concert experience (to me), and how you can always have one!!

STEP 1: THE ARTIST(S)

Obviously the first step is to make sure you’re going to a concert with artists that you like and enjoy! On the other hand, it’s also fun to go to a concert featuring artists you don’t know because of the whole experience. Personally, my favorite thing about concerts is being able to sing and dance along to the songs, so I prefer the former.

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In this particular case, the concert featured The Millennial Club, The Ivy, and Brandt Orange. The Ivy & TMC are two bands that I discovered late 2017/early 2018 and have been such a big fan of ever since. They played in Anaheim last year but my best friend (aka Jess aka the only other person I know who listens to them) had already moved away to SF so I had no one to go with, so I was so. stoked. to finally FINALLY be able to see them live!! 

(Fun Fact: TMC actually performed at UCI’s Summerlands in 2017 but Jess & I were both away at a club retreat that weekend so we never got to see them then either 💔)

STEP 2: THE COMPANY

ALRIGHT the second most important thing is the person/people that you end up going with! It’s good to know what kind of concert go-er you are (Do you like to dance? Do you like to sing along? Do you scream? Do you jump around and jam out? Do you sway? Do you bop along to the music?) because the energy you choose to be around will affect you. For example, if you’re like me and you like to shout sing (lol), jump, and dance around, I like going with people who do the same. Everyone listens and reacts to music differently, so TRULY you do you, but those are my two cents!

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Jess and I have been to Coachella together, but other than that, this was our very first concert together!! We were quiiiite excited because we loved these bands and we hadn’t seen each other since May, so it was a nice little reunion too! Speaking of being on the same wavelength, Jess and I are sing along-ers and dance along-ers, so this was quite the night. My favorite thing is when we turn to each other and proceed to head bang to a song (try it, it is so much fun) or grab the other person’s hand because the music is just so good and the moment is so great and life is amazing. 💕

STEP 3: DRESS FOR THE OCCASION

I’m honestly still trying to perfect this step, but I think what you wear is so crucial when going to a concert! I love being comfortable, so I typically opt for a t-shirt dress, t-shirt + jeans, tank top + jeans, a dress, or a jumpsuit, and comfy (dance-worthy) shoes. You really only need your phone, wallet, and keys too. I tend to use my cross body bag, but I think I’m going to go bag-less and only have my phone on me for future concerts. It makes for a much more dance-friendly outfit hehe.

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I actually used my fanny pack this time, which wasn’t too bad!! It got a little annoying at the end, but it was much lighter than a cross body bag. Jess made a good point and said that a mini backpack would have been perfect because it just stays on your back and your hands are free! I remember wearing a backpack on one of the Coachella days and it was super convenient.

BUT my ultimate goal is to just have my phone + some cards on me at all future concerts so I can dance and jam out all I want~!

STEP 4: MIRROR SELFIES, PICTURES, & VIDEOS GALORE

I’m a huge advocate for documenting things, so if you are too, this is for you!! I know everyone is different in that aspect (some people like taking photos/videos, and some don’t) but I personally love love doing it. I love looking back on them, but I really enjoy making things from that content (e.g. a vlog, instagram story, collage, etc.) (follow me on Instagram for more fun concert content)

Take photos and videos all you want, but I try and make sure to only record/photograph ~30-45 seconds of a song at most. While it’s always nice to have footage to look back on after the concert, you’re really there FOR the live music, so be sure to stop and listen to it! 

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Oh boy did we take pictures LOL. Since the venue was super small and we were there right at 8 pm on the dot (we were actually there at 7:30 but just waited and hung out in the car hahahah), we had ample time to take photos. There’s a really nice outdoor patio area at The Observatory but unfortunately they kept it closed that night! But..bathroom mirrors dude. We took, probably way too many photos & HUJIs but we were also cracking up the whole time and I just look back at those pictures with so much joy :’)

After that, we headed back into the room and just hung out, since Brandt Orange wasn’t supposed to come on until 9 pm. We also decided that even though the room was pretty dark, that it would be nice to get a photo. There was a guy who walked in earlier that I noticed because he was wearing a LANY shirt…(to be continued)

STEP 5: MAKE A FRIEND

You know how everyone always talks about how you should make friends with the people at concerts and how much fun/easy it is because you all immediately have a common/mutual interest? WELL, I’ve always wanted that but it’s never happened nor have I ever found it easy. BUT. YOU GUYS. IT HAPPENED. IT HAPPENED ON THIS NIGHT. Okay more on that below, but honestly if you can strike up a genuine conversation with someone at a concert, it (for some reason) is the greatest feeling ever. 

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Let’s talk about LANY boy.

I spotted him because of his shirt and immediately was like...omg...we have to be friends. I ended up asking him to take our photo for us and he was just so nice about it, even after I was like...can you 

a. back up a little bit and do a full body shot and
b. also take it on HUJI sorry thank you sO much

And when I showed him how I wanted the picture, he was like “oh yes yes I see the vision.” Like excuse me, someone who is patient and actually takes the photo the way I show them ?????? And listens to LANY??? YOU GET ME. LET’S BE FRIENDS.

But anyway, he was great and we started talking about LANY, who else he’s seen in concert, who we were at the concert for, has he seen any of them live before, why was he there solo, etc etc. and it was just SUCH A COOL MOMENT????

I think the idea of meeting someone at a concert is always so cool but it almost seems like it’s just one of those things that never really happen. We completely forgot to introduce ourselves and exchange names, but after the concert ended, he approached us and said the exact same thing (sorry forgot to say my name, it’s ___). We finally introduced ourselves, and as he waved to leave, he said “bye, be safe.”

WHO. SAYS. THAT. Literally the first time I’ve heard a (pretty much) stranger/new friend tell me to be safe, I’m crying 😭💕

Our regrets: Not getting a picture with him & not exchanging IG handles or something because he was actually so cool to talk to. But given how similar our music tastes are, I really believe we’re going to run into each other again in the future 💫

STEP 6: BUY MERCH [we done messed up a-aron]

I’m all for minimizing my clothing consumption, but I think concerts are a different story. It’s not like I’m going to a concert every single month to the point where this would be a little outrageous, but I think that concert merch is something I’m always willing to invest in.

I usually wait until the end to purchase something (unless I know 10000% that I’m going to love them) because sometimes the artist(s) might not sound as good live, or it just wasn’t a good enough night to make me want to buy a shirt..you know? Or I’m just not into the designs lol.

All this is to say- BUY THE MERCH.

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We did not buy the merch.

AND HONESTLY, I’m regretting that now and have been staring at The Ivy’s online store for the past week. At the time, I thought the designs were all great but there were just some tiny things in each item that I wish was different so I thought that I’d rather wait for their newer collections instead.

Well little did I know how hung up I would be about the concert afterwards and how often I would end up playing their songs. So anyway, just do it. Just buy the shirt.

STEP 7: MEET THE ARTIST[S] 

Granted, this isn’t possible for every single concert and it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea either! But I love telling people if I genuinely love their music because how often can you tell that to your favorite artist?

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We did do this. :’)

STEP 8: PROCEED TO LISTEN TO THE ARTIST[S] FOR THE NEXT WEEK AND SOAK IN THE PCD

Post-concert depression is REAL and it’s okay to just dwell in it. Just do it. You can’t escape it. I’ve literally been listening to The Ivy’s 9 songs on repeat for the past week and haven’t gotten sick of it yet LOL. It’s the best and worst thing.

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But I love it.

And there we go! There’s your crash course and my diary entry all wrapped up in one post. But honestly I hope you enjoyed reading this post and it helps you out in all of your future concert endeavors 😊

Here’s to more concerts and nights and moments like these 💕

What's the best concert you've ever been to?

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