Concerts: A Timeline

Pre-Concert

You’re excited, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Are you sure you have legitimate tickets? What if somehow you got sold a double and when you get there, they won’t let you in? Oh God, are you sure you’re even ready to go? Mostly you’re just nervous about having everything. Your cell phone? Charger? Wallet with merch money? All the Could-Go-Wrongs and Might-Happens are in full force, and the nerves are overriding the crazy waves of euphoria you should be feeling right now. It means so much to you that there’s all this pressure to be the perfect night, and you can’t help but worry that that only means you’ll ruin it.

Right-Before

You’ve gotten inside. You’re tickets aren’t fake. You’ve made it to your seat/the pit. This is not a drill. This is not a drill. This is not a drill.

Concert

The lights dim. The crowd is silent for a split-second before they realize what’s happening and their screams become deafening. Your heart is pounding faster and faster. And as the curtain rises, so do you. Your energy level is higher than ever, and you can’t seem to stop moving some part of your body.  You’re probably screaming louder than you ever have before, and you can still barely hear yourself over the crowds.

If this is a band you’ve waited pretty much your entire life to see, maybe you have goosebumps and tears in your eyes. Because this is real. The people you’ve only dreamed about are in front of you right now, singing to you. This is not a drill.

After an hour of screaming so much your lungs are about to burst and your throat is on fire, and you don’t care. In fact, the burning only inspires you to sing louder, because you can’t hear yourself, and you’re not sure if that’s from the hearing loss or vocal strain.

And you still don’t care.

Post-Concert

The adrenaline isn’t gone. You’re pumped, excited, talking louder in a hoarse voice you really should be whispering with, but you can’t hear yourself at anything less than a shout. You chug three water bottles, that you overpaid for, in a row. All you can think about is what just happened, and you feel this weird bond with strangers you’ve never even said a word to. Like it or not, you’re all connected by this night and it’s almost weird how easy it is to make friends with the people around you.
Parking is hell, and the bonds are broken the minute someone leans on their horn in the parking garage. But that’s okay, you still have the videos.

Tags : Bands, Concerts, Live Music, music, Music Musings, shows