I went to my second concert this past Thursday to see Kali Uchis at the Stubb’s venue at Austin. It was an amazing, yet reckless experience.To those who still have yet to attend your first concert, this list of things to expect is for you.
1. Bring water bottles:
I can’t stress this enough. You will get dehydrated pretty fast, whether it is because you waited in line 5 hours before doors open or because you’ll be singing your lungs out. Some venues don’t allow beverages past the doors, so just chug that bottle before walking in, but make sure to go once or twice to the restroom prior.
2. You will get shoved and crammed
This is expected at every concert. Once the opening act is finished and the anticipation starts building up of when the artist comes on stage, that’s your cue to prepare for the shoving and screaming. There is no legitimate way of avoiding this issue- maybe buying VIP tickets to be seated at the balcony will actually save you from this mess, but it won’t be a concert if you don’t experience a messy crowd. Also, don’t expect to be in the same spot throughout the whole concert, because towards the end you’ll be in a completely different place.
3. Phones, phones, phones
I was standing pretty close to the front stage than what I expected. I waited in line three hours before doors opened and the amount of people already in line was not what I expected. There were less than what I imagined, which was a really good thing! I counted six heads from the stage to where I was standing. In this semi-close proximity, you will expect a handful of phones shoved in your face. Since I (unfortunately) am 5’ 2”, I could barely catch a glimpse of the beautiful angel that is Kali. It sucks people can’t enjoy the now without filming it, but that is the millennial generation.
4. Let the artist speak!
It angered me that between performances, Kali was trying to explain what her next song was about without having a few fans yelling “we love you Kali!” or as one yelled in these exact words “men ain’t shit! We have so much to live for!” I wanted to yell so bad “let her speak!” but that would be hypocritical of me.
5. Incomplete performances
It’s different for every artist but I was surprised when Kali only performed her songs up until the chorus and moved on to the next song. My first concert was Cuco’s and he actually performed all his songs completely. People say this is for times sake and the fact that concerts are draining for the artist as well. I understand that point of view but me and other attendees couldn’t help but feel, well… incomplete.
6. Don’t forget to check out/buy the merch!
This tip makes me sad every time I remember that night because I brought my wallet just to buy Kali’s merch only for me to forget to actually buy it when the concert ended. I just automatically went straight for the exit, and that’s cause I actually saw people waiting in line at a booth, but I just assumed it was for alcohol.
If you have already been to a concert, then I hope you can relate to this article. And maybe you have a tip that I didn’t mention, make sure to let me know!