How long does it take to get close to the stage?
It’s hard to even give an approximate answer to that question. You have to assess the popularity of a particular artist, as well as the size and enthusiasm of the fundome.
In some cases, the most devoted fans line up from the very morning or even spend the night outside the building. If you follow an artist’s career or at least remotely imagine his target audience, such crowds are easily predictable. Groups of performers on social networks are very helpful in estimating the scale of the disaster: there you can always find a discussion of the planned time of arrival, and closer to the concert people start posting pictures of the queue at the entrance, which can be used to calculate whether to leave the house now or you can still get a little stuck on the Internet.
It is also worth remembering the element of luck: a good place in the queue does not guarantee you a good place in the hall. A good life jack for concert queues: Make more music friends and one day they can be in the right place at the right time and call you thirty people ahead.
When you joyfully run into the hall and choose a place, remember (or better study in advance) how the musicians usually stand on stage. Let’s say that if your favourite keyboard player prefers to be on the right side of the stage, it makes sense for you to try to find a spot on the right.
Will I only be able to come in once? Or did I go in, go out, go back in?
The reentry to the concerts is, in most cases, paid for. The exception is festivals where you wear a special bracelet on your wrist after checking your ticket. Somewhere at the entrance you will be stamped on your wrist, which will allow you to leave the hall in peace and return, but everything is individual.
Which songs will be performed?
As a rule, within one tour setlists at different concerts do not differ much from each other, so to get an approximate idea of the program of the evening you will only need to look at a couple of setlists from previous performances. Setlists of many musicians can be found at Setlist.fm. The site is good not only by its simplicity and promptness, but also by various interesting chips: you can study statistics on songs, albums and performers and read comments to performed songs (for example, that such a song was performed for the first time since 2005, and in such a song the soloist forgot the words).
What is Merch?
Murch is a fan paraphernalia, i.e. t-shirts, badges, posters and any other things with a picture of the band, for which musicians and their managers have enough fantasy. Before concerts, merchandise is often sold in a special pavilion inside the building. If you want to buy something with a picture of your favorite artist and have the necessary funds (and march is usually not cheap), do not drag until after the concert: it is not the fact that the pavilion will still work.
In fact, it is much easier to go to the online store of the artist, usually present on his site and working around the clock.
What is funk?
Funka (fan zone) – an enclosed space, which is usually closest to the stage. Places in the fan zone are only standing, so do not pay attention if your ticket suddenly found a row and a place, and on the diagram of the hall it is not displayed. Even at concerts sometimes there is a so-called dancer, going immediately after the fan-zone.
We have collected the main pros and cons of typical concert venues zones in a special navigator. However, do not forget that it is better to clarify this question for the specific hall in which the concert will be held.
What is a slam?
Slam is an aggressive human mess in front of a stage where all sorts of jerks, kicks and jumps occur. On the one hand, slam is considered a positive reaction of the audience to the music, and some people really love this action. However, it is a very dangerous phenomenon, fraught with serious injuries. This is especially true for people who are not used to this method of collective expression of approval. Sometimes a slam is accompanied by staging (this is, simply put, when a musician dives into a crowd).
Is it always a slam in the funk?
It’s not always. If you are going to listen to metal, grunge, punk and other heavy genres at your first concert, be sober about your physical training and stay out of the heat (it’s usually the front rows in the center). In other cases, there may not be any slam.
It’s difficult, but it’s important to try to assess the adequacy of the people around you. Some people over a mile away can see that they will start to riot from the very first chords. And there is a softened version of slam, when participants follow a certain ethics: do not seek to cause real harm to others and help the fallen to rise.
If you suddenly feel that you’re weakening and the chaos around you isn’t even thinking about calming down, try to get out of the epicenter, step aside and come to your senses.
How do you get dressed?
Ideal is comfortable clothes without outstanding details and accessories. In the dark in a raging crowd, it’s unlikely that anyone will appreciate your outfit, so don’t wear your best and newest clothes (they may get smoky, dirty or even torn).
Avoid large earrings, shawls and scarves, all kinds of studs, high heels and open shoes. It’s hot at concerts even in the cold season, so don’t overdo the heat. Comfortable shoes are very important, even if you do not plan to stand in line for hours for the perfect place. Fragile and valuable items are better left at home or at least more securely hidden. Long hair should be collected to make life easier for yourself and the people around you.
Most of these tips are relevant to the fan and dance area. If you have seats, you can afford a little more.
When will the concert end?
Find out the start time and add at least three, if not four hours. The concert itself is unlikely to last that long (usually 90-120 minutes depending on the setlist), but please note that concerts rarely start on time. In addition, many concerts have a warm-up time (i.e. a lesser known band performing in front of the main performer) that lasts just under an hour.
After major concerts there is a danger of getting stuck in the exit or wardrobe. This is especially true for stadiums from which people are released in portions, by sector.
P.S. We hope that our small collection of life jacks did not leave you impressed, as if the concert is a kind of exam, where all the problems and difficulties that we mentioned will certainly occur. In fact, concerts are one of the best inventions of mankind, and there is little you can compare to the positive energy you get from a live performance of your favorite band. You don’t know the names of like-minded people around you and it’s unlikely you’ll ever see them again, but the magical moment when thousands of voices merge into one joyful choir and touched musicians smile happily is worth a lot. Getting on a concert needle is easy, but the investment in the experience is the best.