Know The Four Types Of People In Standing Room: The “I’m sorry my friends are up there” Budger, The “I actually lost my friends #halp” Wanderer, The “stick their ground at all costs” Concert Goer, and what I dub “The Noodle." The Noodle slips and slides around standing room without a care in the word and is just enjoying the show around them. We all aspire to be this noodle; however, few can actually achieve this concert persona. So, be prepared for these types of people and know that there’s a fifth type of person in standing room: you.
Stay Hydrated: This tip sounds stupid and seemingly obvious, but you’d be surprised how much you sweat out when stuck in a packed crowd and bouncing up and down to music for multiple hours. Also, you’d be surprised at how many people have to get hauled out of the concert for dehydration or heat stroke and end up missing all the fun … you do not want to be this person. Drink up that H2O and enjoy the show.
Plan Your Schedule Ahead Of Time: If your music festival has multiple stages, you need to plan who’s going where so your group is not so much of a hot mess that when you get there you all of a sudden end up rapping to Childish Gambino by yourself because your friends wanted to see Flosstradamus. (I may or may not have learned this from personal experience.)
90/10 Rule: When attending a concert, I recommend you stick to the 90/10 Rule when it comes to electronics. This means spend 90 percent of the concert enjoying yourself and everything that is happening around you, and spend no more than 10 percent sharing this enjoyment with the world via Snapchat and taking videos you won’t be able to make the words out from when you show your friends the next day. Trust me, no one wants to see your 120 second MyStory of what’s certain to be shaky camera work and crappy sound.
What To Pack
Cleansing Things: Hand sanitizer or hand wipes are a must for music festivals, seeing as the venue seems to run out of these things within hours of the first day. What festivals also seem to run out of rather quickly is toilet paper. However weird it may be, bring paper towels, tissues, or something of the sort, because the last thing you want to realize while already sitting in a god-awful port-o-potty is that there is no toilet paper.
Ponchos: Concert weather is much like Karen’s weather predictions in "Mean Girls": by the time you realize what’s happening, there’s a 30 percent chance that it’s already raining. For situations such as these, enter the unsung heroes of outdoor concerts: ponchos. Cheap and available in all sorts of colors, ponchos are your saving grace for staying warm and moderately dry during outdoor concerts. Plus, who doesn’t love a good poncho pic?
Sunglasses: Dirt, smoke, and God knows what else flies around at concerts, and you don’t want that flying all up in your eyes, so sunglasses are a music festival must-have. Let’s also note that for concerts during the day, or around sunset when the sun is blinding you from seeing the actual show, sunglasses will save your life and allow you to actually see the artist you paid to see.
Practical Footwear: However basic it sounds, Converse or other sneakers are undoubtedly the way to go when it comes to music festival footwear. Unless you are one of those people who stand in the far back of concerts (honestly, why are you even there?), then your feet are destined to be stomped upon. Those sandals or whatever trendy footwear you were planning on wearing will get lost before you know it, and you’ll proceed to step on God knows what, so take my advice that it’s better to wear comfy shoes than to lose your Steve Madden sandals mid-set.
Trendy Backpack or Fanny Pack: If you don’t want all your concert must-haves to get jacked, I recommend bringing bags that are both lightweight and easy to stay close to your body. For gals, this means a trendy backpack or my personal fave, a fanny pack. The fanny pack makes whatever you need close to you and provides easy access to your camera or phone for snapping music festival memories. As for the boys, please, for the love of all that is good, DO NOT bring that drawstring backpack you got at college orientation or as a freebie at the state fair. Although practical, these are not what you call “appealing to look at.” Stick to one of those Camelbak water bottle/backpack combos and be the hero of those dehydrated girls in the crowd instead of repelling them with your heinous accessory choices.
