It's that time of the year where artists release new music and their summer tour dates. Now that I'm older, concerts are a huge deal to me. There is nothing better than getting to see your favorite artist perform live, right in front of you. However, before you even get to the concert venue, you have to buy your ticket. With all the summer tour dates dropping, here are the nine stages in the ticket buying process so you know what you're getting yourself into.
Planning
Your favorite artist finally releases their tour dates. You eagerly scan the list for your state and hope they are coming to your city. With the sight of the familiar initials of your residence, you pull up your calendar and check the date to find a blank space. Excitement and happiness overwhelm you, and you can't hold back from telling everybody the news and your big plans.
Preparation
Now that you have established that your fav is coming to your area, it's time to plan for buying tickets. It's a competitive world on there, and you are battling against countless other fans. The night before they go on sale, you set your alarm early enough so you can prepare to make a purchase. Tickets typically go on sale at 10 a.m., so you make sure your wifi is connected, your credit card is out, and your fingers are ready to click away.
Nervousness
It's the day of the release, and your stomach is in knots over the possibility that the tickets will sell out before you can even see them. This kicks in after you wake up and only heightens as you watch the time slowly approaching 10 a.m. Now all you have to do is patiently wait.
Focus
It's finally 10am and you're in full focus mode. Your eyes are glued to the computer, and your attention stays there waiting for the all the available tickets to load.
Stress
From loading screens to ticket prices to seats, everything is stressing you out. There is no time to think about any of these important components, you just have to act fast. This is also where you try to get a specific seat and while securing your ticket, someone else swoops in. Panic immediately sets in, and at this point, every seat seems to be taken.
Hope
Even though all your efforts have failed, you keep refreshing the page hoping you can get a ticket for the area you want to sit in. You are clicking through multiple options and it keeps referring you to different seats. At this point, your standards have dropped, and you'll go for anything that becomes available.
Anxiety
After countless clicks, your computer screen finally changes and asks you about parking options. You also notice a timer at the right-hand corner quickly ticking down from five minutes. Somehow you got tickets and can't even complain about where they are because these are the only ones you could get. Anxiety from the countdown overwhelms your entire being, and all you can do is act fast and enter in all your payment information.
Realization
You are about to press 'place order' when what you're doing finally hits you. The realization that you are actually going to see your favorite artist sinks in right before you spend all your money.
Excitement
You click one last time and the iconic Ticketmaster phrase, "Get Ready for Goosebumps," appears at the top your screen. All your planning, preparation, and stress has paid off. While you wait for the day to arrive, you need to find the perfect outfit and plan out the entire day. Yes, the concert is 100 days away, but that means you only have to wait 100 more days until you see your fav perform live.
I wish you all the best of luck in securing tickets to see your favorite artists/bands this summer!
