My first punk rock gig was in my sophomore year of high school. My brother was in college at the time and he bought a ticket for me and my friend. We made travel arrangements for the weekend and were very excited for the concert which included Less Than Jake and New Found Glory. While my brother gave me helpful advice, I left the concert losing some money, sprained my ankle, and had several bruises to top it all off. In the hope that all will work out for others, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve learned after attending countless punk rock concerts.

First, you want to be as prepared as possible, especially in what you wear and bring. Since punk rock concerts are often crowded, you’ll want to pack as little as possible. So men won’t want to bring their wallet and women won’t want to bring their purse. I say this because those things can easily get lost in the crowd (especially if you want to “crowd surf”). But the main thing you’ll want to bring is the ticket, cash, and an ID (if you’re a minor or want to buy alcohol). Everything else can easily be left in your car, but be sure to put the items you bring in your front pockets to ensure they don’t get stolen or fall out. However, if the venue allows photography, you may want to consider bringing your camera, but remember that this can be a problem if you get pushed in front and you don’t want it to get damaged.

In preparation, what should you use? This is really up to you, but I would personally suggest wearing pants instead of shorts, and shoes instead of sandals. If you plan to get to the front, you’ll want pants as they’ll kick you around a bit and you’ll need extra protection. Also, if you think sandals will be fine, imagine hundreds of people stepping on your toes. Also, it is not a good idea to wear a sweatshirt or wear a long-sleeved shirt. As you will soon discover, the places will be very hot and you will have nowhere to put your extra clothes. Unless, of course, the venue is outdoors in cooler weather, then it would be a good idea.

Now that you’re all set to go, the fun can begin. But there are a few things you might want to know before you go too crazy. First of all, you need to think about where you would like to position yourself for the concert. If you want to stay in the back, just make sure you’re behind “the hole” as it’s something where people enjoy throwing each other off in a big circle. It can certainly be painful if someone accidentally hits you, so be careful!

But if you’re like most people, you came to see one of your favorite bands and damn, you’re going to be in front! One thing to remember though is that there are opening bands so you may want to wait to position yourself when the band you want to see shows up as the crowd may already be packed and you’ll be sold out by the time your band shows up. present. play. Although fighting your way to the front might make people a bit angry as you go along, just try to be nice about it and use the words “excuse me” so people don’t start pushing you for bumping into them.

While you may want to run to the front to see “your band” during a change of scenery, you might also consider waiting a song or two before moving to the front. This is because everyone has the same idea of ​​running to the front during a change of scenery and holding hands with people who are waiting for more than half an hour can sometimes seem like an eternity. Also, this way all the pushing and craziness seems to calm down a bit and you can easily get in.

Finally, two aspects of a concert that may be the most worrisome are two things called “crowd surfing” and “the moat.” If you’re heading to the front of a large group, make sure you’re aware that people will undoubtedly crowd, as elbows, head and feet can hit you unexpectedly. Also, make sure you have earrings to remove before you go to the front. My brother had a friend who had his earring stolen when a girl’s purse ripped it off while he was navigating crowds. It’s not good, huh. So that’s another thing to think about.

As far as the pit goes, if you want to be different from people who just meet, dance madly, and mostly guys prove their masculinity, this might be for you. But for most, it isn’t. Usually this forms in the middle, behind the first line of people. Even if you’re not a part of it, make sure you stay a couple of feet away so people don’t run into you. From experience, I suggest going stage right or stage left to avoid these intense people.

In general, I encourage everyone to attend concerts and support the music you love. I hope by reading this you can maximize your fun and also be as safe as possible.