I am firmly planted in my belief that everyone should see at least one concert during their lifetime. I do not, however, take any responsibility for the amount of money you will spend on going to concerts from there on out.
1) The drive
Whether it's 15 minutes down the road or two hours to the venue, the drive is something to look forward to. Odds are you'll have a friend with you, so pump up the tunes that you'll be listening to during the concert so you will be able to accurately compare how the singer sounds in real life versus on the radio. It's a very important comparison to be able to make.
2) The hype
The feeling that runs through the crowd every time someone comes across the stage, even if it's a stage hand who needed to place a bottle of water beside the drum kit, is unbelievable. The excitement is actually palpable in the crowd, so by the time the band takes the stage, it's been bubbling up in you for a while, which is only magnified by the people around you feeling the same way.
3) The opening acts
Some of the opening acts I've seen have become some of my favorites. I've had dinner with them, taken tons of pictures with them, gotten in to acoustic jam sessions, free signed posters, etc. They are some of the most giving people you'll ever meet since they're trying to get their names out there.
4) The bass
Far and away this is my favorite feeling on the face of the planet. The feeling of the bass running all the way from your head to your toes. It's kind of like the feeling of driving with your radio all the way up and your windows down, except multiplied by about a hundred. It's that good.
5) The singing
Getting completely lost in one of your favorite songs along with tons of other strangers singing at the tops of their lungs is one of the most incredible things in the world. One of my favorite quotes comes from Dave Grohl. "That's one of the great things about music. You can sing a song to 85,000 people and they’ll sing it back for 85,000 different reasons.” Each person has their own reason they connect to the song and their own reason for singing it.
6) The quiet
There's something so amazing about hundreds of people getting quiet in order to hear a soft slow song. Some of my favorite concert moments have been when it's just the singer and their guitar (Ed Sheeran).
7) The moment
If you've been to a concert, you know the one. The moment you swear you make eye contact with one of your favorite human beings on the face of the planet. Sure, they COULD have been looking at anyone within a four foot radius of you, but that definitely isn't the case. They were only looking at you.
8) The merch
You know that favorite old band tee that you've had forever that you've cut the sleeves off of? The one that you probably should have thrown out a while ago because if one more piece of lint falls out of it, you may be on the verge of a terrible wardrobe malfunction? No? Me neither.
9) The food
You don't want to pay for the food at the venue because hello. Merch. Instead, you'd rather take your chances on whatever is open after the concert is over. This may mean you end up at the sketchiest McDonalds this side of Atlanta. Or, you may end up having a jam session at Denny's with the band. Yeah, that happens.
10) The deafness
Heaven forbid you talk in a normal volume after the show, because no one is going to be able to hear you. After listening to music at two times volume that your grandparents would fuss at you for, you are definitely going to experience at least slight hearing loss for a little while afterwards. It'll fade.
11) The pictures
Everyone now has a smart phone, so obviously there are going to be pictures. I know I have an entire folder of photos on my computer just from concerts that I've been to. Some of them are way too blurry and no one else would know who they are, but I could tell you just from the lighting scheme that was used.
