Everything You Need To Know About Attending A Live Concert

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Live concerts are always fun and can be a fantastic way to instantly uplift your mood. There are many types of concerts you might go to, but they all contain similar things that you need to prepare for. In this guide, you'll learn everything you need to know about attending a live concert for the first time.

Check the seating arrangements when you book

Always be sure to check the seating arrangements when you're booking the tickets. This is because most concerts have a concentration of standing-only and seated tickets. If you're not careful, you might accidentally book a standing-only ticket instead of a seated one - or vice versa!

Generally, it's advised to book seats at a concert. They can go on for hours, and you will probably get tired at some point. It's nice to have somewhere to sit whenever you need to. Plus, the standing areas will always be the most dangerous. Maybe dangerous isn't the right word, but it's where people are more likely to be jostling about and moving around. In the seated areas, you can just enjoy yourself without fighting for space amongst a crowd.

Get your tickets from a legitimate source

Don't buy tickets from anyone or anywhere that isn't a legitimate source. Whoever you are going to see will have their own ticket sources to sell tickets for the event. These are clearly displayed on all the advertising materials for the concert. A quick Google search for tickets will usually show you the trusted sources as well

Never buy from random people online or from people on the street outside the concert. These tend to be scalpers who are selling tickets for much higher than they should be sold for, trying to get people to buy them out of desperation. Not only that, but many tickets will need to have your name on them, and ones from random people are unlikely to have that. Thus, you could be denied entry to the concert!

Plan your arrival at the venue

It's a smart idea to plan your arrival at the venue a good few days before the concert happens. If you're driving there, do a few test runs to scope out the venue and learn how to get there as quickly as possible. Make sure you account for traffic on the day - it's better to turn up early as you can just sit in the car while you wait. If you're late, you run the risk of missing part of the concert.

Another benefit of planning your arrival is that you can find the best parking spots. Most concert venues have parking spots available, but they can fill up really quickly. Also, have you tried exiting a venue when everyone is parked in the same parking lot? It's horrible, so you should have a look around for parking spaces that are a short walk away from the venue. It lets you bypass a lot of traffic when the show ends, so you can head home with less stress.

Those of you that aren't driving should still try test runs to and from the venue. If you are getting public transport, be sure you get the right trains/buses and learn which stops to get off at. It will make the actual day a lot easier for you as you know where you're going and what to expect.

Decide when you want to arrive

On the topic of your arrival, you should decide when you wish to arrive at the concert. Now, there are two ways to approach this. You can arrive before the event even starts, ensuring you get into the venue without needing to queue. Or, you can choose to arrive a bit later, just to see the main event.

You see, most concerts go on for hours, but only a couple of hours are the main event. Instead, the first few hours are spent with other bands or entertainment warming up the crowd. If you're not interested in this, don't bother going in early. You're better off waiting until it's closer to the main event, then heading in. There'll be no queue at that point, and you already have seats so nobody can steal them anyway!

Bring some form of hearing protection

Concerts are loud - extremely loud. In fact, they're dangerously loud and you shouldn't really subject your ears to the volume of noise for too long. For days after the concert, your ears will be ringing, and you may actually suffer from some short-term hearing loss. In extreme cases, you can damage your ears so badly that the hearing loss is permanent.

Therefore, you may want to wear some form of hearing protection to keep your ears safe. Naturally, you want to still hear everything, so what can you do to find the ideal solution? It's simple, find earplugs designed for hearing loss prevention for musicians as you still hear the music, but it dulls the volume down to healthy levels. As such, you can enjoy the concert without damaging your hearing.

Bring water!

Don't forget to bring a bottle of water with you to your concert - or possibly multiple bottles if there's nowhere to go and refill yours. Being at a concert can mean you're moving around a lot and getting sweaty, so you lose fluids. It can also mean that you simply forget to drink for a few hours as you're so engrossed in the show. Thus, you need to bring your own water to stay hydrated the whole time. Don't forget to take sips now and then, pacing yourself so you don't spend the whole time running back and forth to the restroom (missing parts of the concert).

On that note, you've learned everything you need to know about attending a live concern. Well, almost everything! In this day and age, you need to be clued up on the coronavirus rules and restrictions that might be in place. Research the concert and look at the venue to see what rules are in place and what you might need to do or bring with you. This ensures you can enjoy the concert safely.