This past Thursday our Student Entertainment Board locked down EDM DJ Marshmello. He performed in our student unions ballroom and oh my gosh….was it out of this world. This was my first “rave¿,” I have never been to a concert that isn’t country so I was so hyped. I had no idea how to prepare for this evening, but thanks to some rave slave sissys in my house (LOL), they helped me out. I danced the night away and felt like I took a shower but ya know it’s ok, totally worth it. So, I’m here to inform my fellow rookies on how to prepare.

1. You have to have some stellar kandi. Kandi is bead jewelry you make that can have sayings and things like that on them and then at the concert you swap them with people, this is calling Pluring. I also just learned that PLUR means Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect- that’s pretty dope. I think this is just super cool in general too because it reminds me of when you were in like middle school and had those silly band animal bracelets and everyone would swap theirs around and you'd get a cool story about how you got each one.
2. You have to have a killer outfit. This is where I struggled because I’ve never been to a rave or music festival or anything like that before. So the first thing that came to my mind was, do I have to buy furry boots? The answer my friends is no, no you do not have to buy furry boots. I decided to go with something more simple- a marshmello shirt that I’ll cut.
3. Don't snapchat the whole thing. I am personally guilty of this, I love sharing everything with everyone but I see how it can get so obnoxious watching a five-minute snap story. It also takes away from the experience, just enjoy the moment.
4. There is no such thing as personal space. I had not only my sweat but other people's disgusting heat radiating onto me. I am not a fan of crowded places, and I'm also pretty sure I broke my toe because someone was jumping on it. But hey, that's part of the experience.
5. Mosh pits are very real and very scary. Everyone there is there to enjoy the music and have a good time so don't be that person that starts pushing everyone around because nobody wants to be friends with that person.

Although this wasn't actually a legit "rave," it was a still a whole new experience for me. I went in blind and not knowing what to expect, I was scared and excited. I believe I've learned some valuable life lessons from this concert. I learned that deodorant is very important, stay away from creepy people who try to dance with you, everyone just wants to have fun and dance.