My friends who occasionally attend concerts don't understand the stress of what actually goes into planning a concert. If it's your favorite band, you're going to want to get to the venue early so you can line up and get a seat, you have to plan your outfit, where you're going to eat, go to the bathroom and everything else that comes with planning something like this.
I have planned quite a few (and I have more coming up this year) all-day-event concerts for my friends and me, and let me tell you, it's a huge sigh of relief when everything goes to plan and you are finally at the barricade seeing your favorite artist.
But, before you can even think to begin about planning the day of the concert, you have to start from square one, which is the tour announcement, which can bring more anxiety than planning the day itself. So, my friends who don't regularly go to concerts like I do, here are 13 stages of concert-going.
1. Stage one: the initial tour announcement panic
Your favorite artist has just announced a tour that is coming to your city or one near you! The first reaction you have is panic because you have to stop what you're doing to text all your friends and tell them to clear their schedules for the day (or weekend if you're traveling).
2. Stage two: excitement
Now that you've found out your friends can and want to go to the concert with you, you can begin to feel excited and small details about the day can start being planned!
3. Stage three: panic about the sale times
That small wave of excitement you felt soon passes when you see the sale times. Nothing is worse than ticket sales starting while you're at work. Hopefully, though, you are apart of a fan club or know of a few ticket presales happening so you can score tickets to the show.
4. Stage four: anxiousness while awaiting on-sale times
Those last few minutes awaiting the start of the sale can be the worst. I am apart of All Time Low's fan club, the Hustler Club, and we like to call the presale the "Hustler Olympics" where you rush to buy your tickets and then head back to the fan club page to sign up for a meet and greet and pray that you win so you don't have to pay.
5. Stage five: the wave of relief after buying tickets
Okay, the tickets are bought and you can finally breathe, or so you thought.
6. Stage six: that weird mix of anger, sadness and panic while waiting to find out meet and greet info
If you're going to see your favorite artist, you have to meet them, right?!! The Hustler Club has a "perk" where so many people per tour date for the show are awarded a meet and greet, and if you are not awarded one, you can still buy one, but you can also purchase meet and greets for friends and family who are not apart of the fan club. It's nice knowing that you can still meet the band either way, but those weeks or months waiting to find out if you qualify for a "perk" can bring so many emotions.
7. Stage seven: that happy dance you do when you get a meet and greet
Whether you get a free one or you bought one, you're in! You're going to meet your favorite artist and a huge worry weight has been lifted off of your shoulders!
8. Stage eight: the stress of planning the day or weekend
Now that tickets and meet and greets have been bought, the next step in your concert planning adventure is the actual planning part. The group chat may be spammed with texts and screenshots of places to eat, stay, etc, and there is the planning of where to eat, where to use the bathroom while waiting outside all day, and most importantly, what hotel to stay at if you are traveling.
9. Stage nine: that cloud nine feeling because the day has arrived
Everything went perfectly, the meet and greet was amazing, you got to get a photo with your favorite artist, could the day get any better? The answer to that is yes - just wait for the actual concert.
10. Stage 10: the feeling of peace during the actual concert
Being at a concert allows you to let go of all outside problems for awhile and enjoy your favorite music with your best friends. It's your happy place!
11. Stage 11: the post-concert depression
This may actually be the saddest stage of them all. You spent weeks or even months planning this day and now it's all over. At least you'll have your pictures and videos to look back on.
12. Stage 12: the Instagram videos
Now that you're slowly getting over your post-concert depression, it's time to upload those videos to your Instagram so people can see how much fun you had.
Stage 13: searching for your next show
Now that it's over, it's time to start planning your next one. Once a concert-goer, always a concert-goer!
So, my friends, I hope you have a better understanding of what I go through each concert!
