Concert Do's and Don't's - Eric's Declassified Concert Survival Guide for Nubes

I have been to over 30 concerts in my life. I have always enjoyed going to them, and am always looking for new ones to go to. Whether it’s a band or artist that I have never seen before, or someone who I have seen in the past, I’ve always got an itch to be at a concert. Concerts are a place to be able to just forget about your problems for a while, enjoy some live music from a band/artist you enjoy, meet new people, and just all around have a good time. With all the concerts that I have seen comes certain tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way. I feel that while going to a concert is definitely supposed to be a fun thing, there are things that I think that you should be prepared for when going to one. I have decided to compile a list of  concert “do’s” and “don’t’s” for all y'all. I know that some of, if not most of these are going to be kind of obvious, but I still think they're nonetheless important.

DO:

• Plan In Advance How You’re Going To Get To The Show - Getting to the show is obviously a really important part of concert going. I mean come on, if you don’t get to the venue, HOW are you going to be able to see the show? Different venues might call for different means of getting there, as some modes of transportation might be more practical than others.
• Driving - If you’re going to drive, make sure you know what the traffic is like before you leave to get there. There could be accidents on the route you would usually take to the venue that might make another way of getting there faster. Another thing that you might consider if someone else that you know (and get along with) is going to the show is carpooling. Not only would it cut the pressure off of at least one person to get there them self, it’s also a lot more fun to go to concerts with someone else. Not to mention, it also would split the cost of parking (in theory) if you drive with someone else. Which leads me to:
• Parking - Try to plan in advance where you’re going to park. If you’re not familiar with the area that the venue is in, try to find out where the cheapest places to park are. Another important thing is to check to see if where you’re looking at has a time limit. If you do know the area well and have gone to concerts or other events in the area before, then that’s great. I made the mistake of not trying to find cheap parking when I saw Gary Clark Jr. at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, and ended up paying $20 (which is relatively cheap in that area, but it still couldn’t have hurt to look).
• Drop-off / Pick-up - You could always have someone drop you off at the show and then pick you up once it’s done. I’ve done this multiple times. When picking you up, you want your ride to get there to pick you up a few minutes after the show lets out, so let your ride know when the concert is going to be done soon. The time in advance I would recommend you let them know in advance is: however long it takes on average to get from where your ride is to the venue minus 10 minutes. This is easier to do if you know about how long the band/artist you’re seeing’s concerts usually last. That means if it takes an average of 25 minutes to get from where your ride is to the venue, let them know 15 minutes before the show lets out to leave to pick you up. This gives you time to get out of the venue and walk to wherever your pickup spot is, and you can be there when they pull up. If your ride is 10 minutes away, you text them when the show lets out. Of course, feel free to work something else out with your ride if you want. This is just a recommendation.
• Walking - If you live close enough to the venue, or you don’t live close to it but you’re crazy, this is always a good option. Just make sure that you know for sure where you're going, and that you’re aware of your surroundings when walking to/from the venue. If the shortest route isn't the safest one, then take another route. Nothing is more important than your safety.
• Train - While this isn’t a mode of transportation in the area that I live, and may not be where you yourself live, it is in other cities such as Chicago, New York, Cleveland, and others. Be sure to find the route that is most convenient for you. Convenience is subjective, so what "convenient" means will vary from person to person. Things to consider for the most convenient route are: closest stop to the venue, closest stop to your home, departure/arrival time, and other things like that. As before, be aware of your surroundings not only while you’re on the train, but also while you're walking. Again, nothing is more important than your safety.
• Bring Enough Money For Merchandise - Seriously, who doesn’t love some concert merch? While tour exclusive merchandise has become a staple for concerts across so many genres, let’s face it - it ain’t always cheap. Before you leave, know what you want to get at the concert, and at least have an idea of how much it’s going to cost if you don’t know exactly how much it will be. Some acts will have relatively cheap merchandise. I saw Beck at the Hollywood Bowl this past September, and bought a shirt and a lithograph for $50 total, which honestly isn't bad. However, I have also been to concerts where the shirt alone was $45 (I’m talking to you, Peter Gabriel & Sting, and Bon Jovi). With some tours, you’ll be able to search online to see how much merchandise is. What I usually do is search the hashtag for that artist and scroll through the most recent posts to try to find pictures of the merch stand. You’ll be more likely to find that with more current and popular artists such as Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Lady GaGa, etc. Some might outright post the merch on their website before the tour even starts (Paul McCartney has done this in the past). Some may not be so easy to find, though. A tip in that case would be to go to the Facebook/Instagram page for one of the past venues of the tour, and look to see if there's photos from their show there. Sometimes they might post a picture of the merch stand. Also, try looking around online for merchandise from the artist’s last tour to get a sense of how much things might be this time around. Looking for the merchandise ahead of time will also help you in choosing what you want to get ahead of time.
• Make Hotel Arrangements If Necessary - Let’s say you’re a huge fan of Fall Out Boy. They just announced a new tour, and you’re excited as all get out. But alas, they’re not playing your city (insert sad face here). But that’s not going to stop you! No!, you say “screw it”, and get tickets for their show in a city 3 1/2 hours away, because nothing is going to keep you from seeing one of your favorite cringy middle school emo-phase bands in person! Because nostalgia! However, being in a city 3 1/2 hours away isn’t exactly the most ideal for driving back home after the show, so you book a hotel room for that night. When doing this, you make sure that the hotel you book is reasonably priced, somewhat close to the venue you’re seeing Patrick Stump & Co. at, and in a good part of town. This is what you should always do whenever booking a hotel for an out of town concert. Also look at reviews for the hotels you're considering so you can figure out if there's anything you should be concerned about with any of them. There are other things that might come into play as well, and you should also take those into consideration when they are presented. The show you are seeing does not have to be Fall Out Boy.
• Scout Out The Nearest Restroom/Drinking Fountain Before the Show -
• Restroom - There’s a chance that you’ll have to use the restroom at some point while the show is going on. Make sure you know exactly where the nearest restroom is before the show starts. That way, if you end up needing to use it, you know exactly where it is and can get there and back as quick as you can. Try to use it about 10 minutes before the band takes the stage if you know what time they're supposed to take the stage
• Drinking Fountain - Okay, I’m just going to say it - screw venue concession prices. No seriously, it’s highway robbery. If you want to pay for a water, get ready to drop $5 for one bottle. If you don’t feel like doing that, find the drinking fountain that's closest to where you're at to watch the concert. Yeah, ya might have to leave your seat during the show. But ya know what? It’s free. If you’re in an area of the venue where there is no drinking fountain close by, or the venue for whatever reason doesn’t have one at all, another option is to go into the restroom and use your hands to cup the water from the sink and drink it like that.
• >>>>*****¡¡¡¡¡¡BRING EARPLUGS!!!!!!****<<< - In case the excessive asterisks, exclamation points, Spanish exclamation points, bolding, underlining, arrows, and all caps lettering didn’t make it obvious to you - the reader of this blog - I have decided to put much emphasis on this matter. I don’t care how many concerts you’ve been to. I don’t care how durable you think your hearing is. Bring. Earplugs. This is non-optional. Protecting your hearing is vital, especially in loud environments like a live concert. You may feel like you look ridiculous, but it doesn’t matter. Who knows, you may end up not even needing them. I’ve been to plenty of shows where I didn’t need earplugs. However, I’ve also been to plenty of shows where I did. There have been 2 that I didn’t have them, and the music was so loud that it actually detracted from the experience. Both of these shows were in small venues (one being a 5200 capacity amphitheatre, the other a 2000 seat theater). But the sound people were apparently under the impression that they were playing Soldier Field and had the master volume turned up way too loud. So always bring earplugs with you, even if you end up not needing them. It’s better to have them on you and end up not needing them than to end up needing them but not having them.
• Check The Prohibited Items List - Be sure that you know what you can and can't bring into the venue. If you have to ask yourself if something would be allowed in, then go to the venue website. I've never seen a venue website that doesn't have a list of prohibited items. If you're still not sure after checking online, call the venue and ask someone who works there. Not only is it for your own good, but it's also just fun to see what kind of ridiculous things get put on those lists. Because you know that the only reason the ridiculous ones are on the list is because someone attempted to bring it into the venue before. Also, be aware of items that the band/artist has prohibited. Some acts will place additional rules on top of the venue's rules that showgoers need to be aware of.
• Be Aware Of Your Surroundings - I know I said this a couple times in the travel portion of this, but it applies all around. No matter where you're at, stay vigilant and make sure you know what's going on around you. For the most part, people are pretty trustworthy at concerts, but you can't let your guard down. Weird and bad people do still go to concerts, and you never know what they might try to do. Every once in a while, take a few seconds to make sure that you still have everything that you brought with you so you know you still have it. Be aware of the people around you and take note of anyone that's giving you bad vibes. Staying vigilant could also help not only yourself, but it could help other people as well. If you see something going on that doesn't look or feel right to you, say something, or find a security guard. I'm not saying that you should be constantly worrying about this. It's not something that you should stress yourself out about to the point of forgetting to enjoy the show. But definitely don't put it on the back burner either.
• Bring A Poncho For Outdoor Concerts - If the show you're going to is at an outdoor venue and you're not going to be under cover, bring a poncho if there's even a possibility of rain. You can get ponchos that bundle up into a little bag, and you can clip onto your belt loop. There's really nothing more to this one.

DON’T:

• Try To Sneak Prohibited Items Into The Venue - This ties in with the checking prohibited items list on the "Do" list. If you know something isn't going to be allowed at the venue, don't try to bring it in anyway. Just don't. It's not worth it. Security checks are placed at each entrance, and you'll have to go through it before your ticket is even scanned. If you have a prohibited item and security sees it, they're going to at least tell you to put it back in your car, or wherever it came from. That would prove to be a real hassle for anyone that didn't drive there. I doubt that they would tell you that you wouldn't be allowed into the show because of it after you already took care of it, but I wouldn't risk it. Follow the rules.
• Be Obnoxious At The Show - There’s a fine line between having a good time and being obnoxious. The one universal rule of etiquette is to always be respectful of the people around you. Usually this isn’t a problem, but occasionally there will the one idiot that’s deliberately causing trouble, talking down to other people, and just being an all-around douche. There are some things that you can do at some shows that would be looked down upon at others. These can be things related to a person's behavior, the way they're dressed, or some other thing. For example: Shouting at the top of your lungs for the sake of shouting at the top of your lungs is something that you'd probably expect at a show like Metallica or AC/DC. However, if you tried to pull that off at an Andrea Bocelli concert, you're without a doubt going to get dirty looks, and there's a better-than-not chance of someone telling you to shut up. Another example: if you ever go to a twenty one pilots concert, you’ll undoubtedly see a bunch of people walking around with black paint on their necks and hands, with a beanie and round, white sunglasses on in an attempt to look like Blurryface era Tyler Joseph. That’s something that is completely normal at a TØP show ("normal" is a very broad term when talking about TØP). However, if you tried to dress excessively like that at say, a David Gilmour concert, people are going to look at you with extremely confused looks. TL;DR - if you have to ask yourself if something is going to be too eccentric for the show you're going to, chances are it is.
• Watch The Entire Concert Through Your Phone Screen - Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with getting a few pics and videos to capture the moment. I’m talking about the people who have their phones out the entire time and are taking pictures and videos until the battery dies (#firstworldproblems). I know for a fact that people film entire concerts because I’ve seen them on YouTube. Some artists actually institute bans on picture and video taking (The Eagles/Don Henley), and some straight up ban usage of cell phones (Jack White). I never really understood that until I started using my phone less and my eyes more. Trust me, it’s a lot more fun watching the show directly with your eyes, instead of watching through your phone screen while recording a video that you’re most likely never going to even watch after the couple days following the concert. You pay attention to the show more, and it makes it so much more special and memorable.
• Buy Merchandise Just To Sell/Auction It Online The Next Day - I know this one sounds ridiculous, but trust me, it happens. I was made really aware of this practice during twenty one pilots’ Tour De Columbus in 2017. What this was, was a 5 day tour twenty one pilots did around their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. After the first couple shows, I noticed that people were already selling some of the merchandise from the shows that had already taken place online. This was especially true with the show-specific posters. It was incredibly frustrating to see because people were buying this stuff just to try to immediately profit from it online, while there were other people who genuinely wanted to get this stuff to keep and treasure who got gipped out of it at the concert. I saw the last show of TDC at the Schottenstein Center, and was gipped out of one of the posters. I can’t say for certain if it happened because of people who did that, but seeing the same poster on eBay for $500 the next day certainly wasn’t reassuring (for reference, the posters were I think $40 at the shows). If you’re going to go to a concert, only buy merchandise if you want it for yourself or to give as a gift to another person. Buying it then realizing after a while that you don't want/need it anymore, or it doesn't fit you anymore, or something like that is one thing. However, immediately reselling for profit it is just a douche-move, especially if the merch is show-specific and/or very exclusive, as was the case for Tour De Columbus.
• Do Drugs - Yeah, sorry hippies, but I'm putting this on the list. This also ties in with the prohibited items thing above, but I wanted to give it special attention. I know that you hear everywhere that you shouldn't do drugs, that drugs are bad, and all that jazz. And whoever is saying all that is right. In the context of a concert, doing drugs could ruin the experience for you, and potentially someone else. It could inhibit your memory, it could make your sight and hearing more sensitive, among other weird things that it could potentially do to you. Above all else, IT'S ILLEGAL. When I saw David Gilmour, some guy was smoking a joint a few rows in front of us, and was asleep for pretty much the entire second half of the concert. Now, to be fair, marijuana is legal in some places. So if it's legal where you're at, as long as it's not prohibited by the venue or band, feel free. Just don't go overboard with it.

Well, there ya have it; my "do’s" and "don’t’s" for concert going. I will be adding to this list if I think of more things that I can add to it. I hope that next time you go to a concert, you remember some of these tips, and hope that it helps enhance your experience. I hope you all found the parts that were supposed to be humorous to actually be funny. I really appreciate you all reading this, and hope that you stay tuned for future posts. Greedo shot first (fight me).