1. Getting The Most Bang For Your Buck

    Any music fan will tell you that the hassle of buying a concert ticket has become outrageous. Concert pros know how to cheat the system to get the most bang for your buck when buying concert tickets.

Setting your budget is one of the biggest factors in concert life. How much are you willing to pay to see this specific artist? Is this artist your favorite artist in the world and you’re just dying to see them live? Or is this artist someone you listen to every once in a while and just feel like they would put on a good show? The answer will give you a good idea of how big your budget should be. If this is for favorite artist of all time see if you can set a higher budget and get more immersive tickets. If they are lower on your listing then maybe set a lower budget. The average concert ticket costs around $119, but some shows will cost a lot lower or a lot higher. It all depends on the artist’s popularity. 

Knowing when and where to buy your ticket can make a world of difference in your price range. Music fans will tell you, if you are dedicated, you’ll want to try to get on the artist’s presale list. Depending on the artist, that’s a lot easier said than done. If you’re able to get on the presale list this, usually, makes everything a lot easier. As long as it is not one of the world’s biggest artists, like Taylor Swift. Getting on the presale list can make things a bit more affordable. This also allows you to have more possible seating options. But, if you aren’t able to get on the presale list, you can try to get tickets on the day of release. This will be a little bit more hectic since it’s an open sale and anyone has access, but this will still be some of the cheapest tickets you will see. The closer to the show the more expensive tickets will become. Especially, if it’s a bigger artist. Looking on resale listing sites like Seat Geek and Stub Hub will be a lot more expensive than the prices you see during presale or the first sale. That’s due to the low amount of pricing restrictions for third-party resale tickets. But, if this is your first time buying tickets from these websites, you can usually get a discount code. If you want to be a little risky, you can wait until the last minute. Even waiting until the day of the show. This is usually when you can find the tickets at their cheapest. But it’s also the riskiest. 

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2) Picking The Perfect Outfit.  

    A good outfit is key to feeling good and confident. Some people view going to a concert to be a big going-out event. They will choose to dress up for the occasion. They will theme their outfit around the aesthetic of the artist they’re seeing. So if it’s a rock concert you will see people dressed more alternatively with a lot more black/grey outfits. If it’s a pop show you’ll see fans in more colorful and shiny clothes. It’s all about making yourself feel confident but still comfortable. A concert will consist of a lot of walking and even more standing. Comfortable shoes are always key. Ladies leave the heels at home. I promise you no one is looking at your shoes. 

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3) Get to know the openers

    This is a step that a of people will skip over. Getting to know a new artist is a lot of the fun of going to a concert and seeing the opener. The opener is usually a smaller artist who has a very similar sound to the main act. Knowing some of the songs of the opener makes their act a little bit less uncomfortable for you and the artist. Sometimes the crowd is clueless about the artist and their music. So getting to know their music can sometimes give you a new favorite artist. 

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4) Getting to know the setlist 

    The artist is performing somewhat of the same set every night. As you get closer to the show, as long as you aren’t the first show of the tour, you might be able to find the setlist online. This means that if you feel like you want to know what you’re going to hear live you can find the setlist on websites like setlist. fm. Depending on the level of an artist, if it’s an artist with a younger crowd (under 25), you can usually find the setlist on Spotify in playlist form. This way you dont have to go back and forth looking for the specific songs in order. 

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5)Getting to know the venue

As time has gone on, the rules on what you can and can’t take to a concert are becoming more and more restrictive. Take some time maybe a week before the show to look up the venue and their rules. This will usually tell you what bags you can bring. If you can bring any outside food or water. Their camera policies. Most importantly when they open the doors. It covers general info that you will need to know to be able to enter the venue. Sometimes it will also give you guidelines on where to park. Some venues don’t always have specific parking. So, this is when you start looking at the rules or the surrounding parking. Maybe try looking at online booking for parking to secure a spot so you dont have to worry about it later.

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6) When To Arrive

    The timing of what you do during the day of the concert is all up to you and your dedication. Some people will get up super early in the morning and camp outside of the venue to be the first people inside. Other than VIPs if they show has any. This is super common for general admission shows. The earlier you arrive at the show the better of a view you can get. But, if you aren’t comfortable camping out, it’s most definitely not a requirement.  If it’s a general admission show getting to the venue usually 30 minutes to an hour before the doors open is a good rule of thumb to not be in back. If it’s a regular, seated, show getting there when doors open is always the best bet. If you have to travel, take your travel time into account. Make sure you leave home with enough time to spare for any issues with parking and waiting in those awful long lines. 

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7) Merch

    Some people feel the need to collect artist merchandise as a little token of remembrance of the show. Depending on the venue’s guidelines venues will have merch sold inside and possibly outside of the venue. The merchandise typically consists of a few different t-shirts, sweatshirts, a poster, a hat or two, signed collector’s items, and sometimes the artist’s physical music like CDs or vinyl. Depending on your seats and how much merch you think you will buy determine if it is a good idea to get merch before or after a show. If it’s an assigned seated concert, feel free to get merch before the show. That way you can buy as much as you want, and you dont have to deal with carrying it during the show. If it’s a general admissions show you should weigh the pros and cons of getting merch after the show. If you think you’re only gonna get a T-shirt and nothing else. Sure, buy merch before the show. Worst comes to worst you can put the shirt or sweatshirt on so you dont have to hold it. But, if you think you’re going to buy the whole merch booth you might want to hold off until after the show. Especially if you want a poster or physical music. These are the types of items you dont want to carry all night and you don’t wanna break them. But, if you do wait until after the show keep in mind that they might run out of specific sizes or the exact style or item you want.

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8) Concert Etiquette

    No one wants to be the annoying smelly guy stepping on everyone’s toes. At a concert, you have to be very aware of your surroundings. No one wants to be on top of each other. No one wants to hear you from across the room. Please, have fun and have a great time. But make sure that you try not to get into other people’s personal space. Dont jump around and get on people’s toes. Move if someone asks you, politely, to let them through. Don’t be the prick yelling at people that you paid so much money to be here. Or that you’re better than other people because you think you are their number one fan. You are all there for the same purpose. We get it! You like this artist, so do we. That is why we are here. Now shut up and please buy deodorant. There’s always a handful of obnoxious people like that, but at the same time, there are always more people who are super nice and want to talk about their love for music and this artist. They might be looking to make a few friends along the way. Try talking to the people around you. You might end up meeting your new best friend. 

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9) Post Concert 

    Shows over! … Now what? Well, a few things are always a good post-concert go-to. If it’s a smaller show and this is your all-time favorite artist. You might have the chance to meet them. If you go around to the side of the venue where the tour buses are. Depending on their tour schedules the artist should be out anywhere from an hour to 2 or 3 hours after the concert. But, hey, some people think it’s worth it. If that’s not your cup of tea, but you are still not ready to call it a night. Try to find a local bar or restaurant have some fun with your new friends and share your favorite moments of the night. But if you tuckered out of excitement and are ready to call it a night, it’s okay to head back home. 

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10) HAVE FUN

    Planning can be a lot. It can get overwhelming. Dont forget to have fun! This is all about having a once-in-a-lifetime experience with your friends and your favorite artist. So, don’t get caught up in the details, and remember to HAVE FUN.