One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go to country concerts. The sunburn and sweat is all part of the experience, and drunkenly dancing to upbeat country songs makes it a pretty memorable experience. Let me tell you why:

Tailgating

What’s better than bringing a grill, some games, snacks, and drinks to share with friends before the doors open? Parking lot party, anyone?

Group Shots and Shotguns

Nothing brings a group of people together better than that final shot or shotgun before heading into the concert...especially when it’s a group of competitive people. Last one to finish buys the next round inside.

Cowboy Hats

Nothing makes me feel more Western than wearing a cheap, poorly fitted cowboy hat and I have no shame in it. Plus, they make for cute Instagram pictures. I don’t do boots, though. Those things make my feet sweat too much, and damn, they’re heavy.

Dancing

Nothing’s more fun than having a few drinks, letting your hair down, and dancing/jumping around and making a fool of yourself in front of a bunch cut-off wearing country folk. I don’t know a darn thing about line dancing, but I sure pretend to when I’m at an outdoor concert and people start to line dance. Mostly, I look dumb, but I’m having a great time doing it.

Crying

I don’t cry a lot during songs, but some country songs just make me weep like a baby. Cute, romantic songs make me happy to have my boyfriend’s hand to hold, and life-lesson songs often make me realize that life’s short and I’m usually complaining for no reason.

Screaming Lyrics Until You Lose Your Voice

There’s just something cathartic about yelling about exes and whiskey until you’re hoarse; it makes it even better if you dance around and drink whiskey while you do it.

Post-Concert Party

If you don’t hav to drive home, it’s great to enjoy some drinks in the parking lot while you’re waiting for traffic to die down. Just don’t eat the pizza that you brought and left in the sun, because the cheese is going to be gross and make you sick (trust me. Learn from my mistakes.)

Post-Concert Shower

Most country concerts during the summer are outside, so you get pretty sweaty and even dirty, so nothing is more relaxing than coming home and showering all of the sweat and dirt off. And trust me, I never sleep as well as I do after a country concert.

Some of my closest friendships have bloomed from attending country concerts with these people, because nothing bonds people like crying over country lyrics and holding hands and dancing around. There’s never a dull moment during concerts, and I look forward to them all year.