What concertgoers are doing to fill the gap between gigs
5 min read
Live music can be incredible, and seeing your favourite acts live can sometimes be a spiritual experience. We all wish we could go to a life-altering concert every night, but unfortunately, that’s not likely to happen, as touring musicians tend to only spend at most a couple of nights in any given city, and festivals only happen annually. So, what do music fans do in the meantime?
Building the hype
Picture this – you’ve just bought tickets to see your favourite band at an iconic venue such as Brixton’s 02 Academy. You can’t wait, but the days are standing still; it feels like it’s taking years to get to the day of the gig. Building hype for the event is a great way to continue to build on this excitement, although it may not necessarily make the time go faster. Here are a few ways to hype yourself up for the day:
Reading online reviews for the band’s latest albums can give you a good sense of what other people are thinking about them, and it could also give you a good idea of what songs they would be likely to play live. Also, reading reviews of their recent performances could build your personal hype, as you can tell if they are likely to play your favourite songs and what the general vibe is going to be like at the concert.
Watching their previous performances is a personal favourite pastime for me. For most midsize to large bands, you can usually find full sets available on YouTube. This can be a great way to learn what to expect from a concert of theirs, what songs they are likely to play and what kind of antics they may get up to on stage. It’s an ideal way to exponentially build the hype.
Getting yourself involved in online communities is a great way to immerse yourself in the band’s culture; it can also be great if you’re venturing to a gig alone, as you may be able to make friends through these communities. With the power and range of the internet, most musical acts will have some kind of community you can find online.
The world of video gaming
Playing video games can be a great way to scratch the itch, so to speak; there are seemingly infinite options out there for all kinds of people with different preferences. We have a few recommendations to effectively fill those gaps between gigs.
Online casinos can be great for this, as they can be engaging and exciting, and offer a wide variety of different themes and games to choose from. If you are looking for the best fast withdrawal casino in UK, this is a great resource to check through, as it details several online casinos with in-depth reviews from trusted professionals on each of them.
A good Guitar Hero game could be great for the limbo period between concerts, as it can make you feel like a rock star taking centre stage. With countless different games to choose from, there will certainly be one that appeals to you, and if not, there is an expansive modding community online constantly creating custom tracks; there’s certainly enough here to keep you interested until your next concert.
The evolution of virtual reality has introduced a lot of new gaming experiences for people to play. This format lends itself very well to the rhythm game format, with big hitters like Beat Saber making their mark and proving themselves to be a mainstay within the space. This kind of immersion is sure to keep you entertained while counting down the days until your next gig.
Physical collections
Something a lot of concertgoers do in their spare time to further immerse themselves in the music culture is building physical collections of CDs or vinyl. This, of course, can get rather expensive if you’re constantly buying new, but one of the beauties of this hobby is the thrill of digging through piles of records at a second-hand shop for hours, to eventually find one you were looking for, sold for dirt cheap.
Having a collection of all of your favourite records can also be a way to decorate a room; album art is just that – art – and having some hanging on the walls of your office or living room is a great way to inject a bit of your personality into your living space.
Practice an instrument
One of the most exciting things about seeing a jaw-dropping gig, at least for me, is the idea that it could be me on stage playing my heart out to thousands of people. The only way to do this is to practice a craft in order to keep getting better. So, next time you’re potentially waiting for the next gig, try picking up an instrument, or work on your song writing ability.
Immerse yourself in real-life communities
No matter where you are, there will be a community of some size that shares the same interests as you. Get involved with these people, whether that be for social nights to just converse with one another about your hobby, or open mic nights, where you could discover your next favourite artist. Being a part of a like-minded community is bound to open up more opportunities for you to enjoy more live music.
Conclusion
There are many things that concert goers can do in order to fill those seemingly endless gaps in between gigs, whether that be developing your musical instrument skills, interacting with local or online communities or building the hype for the next big concert, and what we’ve discussed here should get you started.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.