Recently I attended Bryan Adams concert in Bangalore which was my first live rock concert and it was an awesome experience. At the same time I realized that there are certain do’s n don’ts that if we follow will make the experience perfect! Of course even those change depending on what kind of concert you are attending, but I am just trying to generalize a bit and try and give some advice that will make it a musical affair that its meant to be.
REACH WELL IN TIME:
Rock concerts don’t have any seating available, so if you want to be closer to the stage, you need to come and stand in the queue at least more than an hour before the scheduled time. The gates will open on time, though you can expect the concert to start 2 hrs late. If you are going for a classical concert, especially in closed auditorium, your seating will be fixed, but please make sure you reach on time. Lot of artists are very finicky about late comers breaking their concentration. You may not even be allowed to enter. The last thing you want is not able to watch it after paying a bomb!
WEAR COMFY CLOTHES
You want to look like a rock star, which is GREAT! But if you are going for an open air concert, you really don’t want to freeze yourself to death. So carry a jacket or sweater that you can tie around your waist and wear it when you need it. For women, if you think the crowd is getting too rowdy, good to have something to cover yourself a bit. Style ki style bhi ho aur comfort bhi. If you are going for classical music a touch of Indian makes you feel like a part of the crowd.
COMFY SHOES
If you are going for an open air rock concert, trust me, you are going to be on your feet for anywhere between 5 to 7 hours! You really don’t want to have legs hurting and back killing you by wearing your stilettos and men don’t want to ruin their expensive leather shoes by having people step over them because they can’t differentiate between ground and your foot! Wear flats or a pair of sneakers, which will let your feet rest properly on the ground and not get you bed ridden thanx to a broken back and swollen feet!
EAT WELL BEFORE YOU GO:
The chances are that you will get nothing more than chips or soggy sandwiches at the venue that too atrociously priced! Plus the crowd to reach the stall and get food could lead to stampede the way animals do to hunt in a jungle. So have a nice heavy and if possible late lunch so that you don’t get famished by the end of it. It also means extra energy to scream your heart out!
DON’T CARRY BAGS / VALUABLE STUFF
If you are traveling by car, just leave your bags and purses back in the car because its difficult to take care of it when you have hundreds of people pushing, pulling and jumping including yourself! The chances that you lose valuable stuff like camera etc because you really cant control a mob. If you are coming on a two wheeler, just dump it in your boot or don’t carry anything! Jeans pockets hold your money and phone easily.
CELL PHONE ETIQUETTES
If you are a rock concert, the noise is already so high, it won’t really make a difference. But someone right next to you could be bothered, so avoid it. At a classical concert, its an absolute no-no! Since apart from the artists playing there will silence around and a ringtone however nice or low it may be is just not acceptable. If possible, just turn off the cell phone and enjoy the bliss.
After all this basic stuff, you are all set to have a time of your life! Just give in to the music around you. Let the soft music get you into the groove and let the rock music pulsate through you.
And guess what guy? I MET Bryan Adams! Got an autograph and photograph too! I just loved to be close to the speakers and feel the beats move me to their rhythm.
Rock on people…