"It was incredible!! "
How I did it:
This is less of a how I did it and more of a run-through of the entire night to be honest, sorry!
A lot of my friends had been to gigs before, and they knew I wanted to go to one so they just suggested that we should all go to see Four Year Strong. Before I knew it, I'd got permission, we'd got our group together, the tickets were ordered and we were ready to go! I listened to as many of the songs as I could since I didn't know them that well before; I just knew they were good, and very soon I was hooked. The same goes for when the support bands were announced, especially Don Broco! A Loss For Words are very good too.
I knew it would be a very sweaty experience, haha, so I didn't wear many layers when we went. I just put on a t-shirt and some not-too-tight jeans with my converse and kept everything in my pockets. I felt really ill before we got there, just from nerves because I knew it would be rough. Still, when we got in, it was really epic!!
We were one row away from the very front at the start!
First of all, Don Broco came on, and like I said, they were really incredible. They put on a great show, started quite a few mosh pits, and the lead singer got in the audience for one of them! My friend managed to hug him (read: jump on him, haha) before he got back on stage, and because she was clinging to him all I could reach was his back :')
After that there was quite a long wait before A Loss For Words came on, but it was definitely worth it. They were so good! They really got the crowd moving and the adrenaline going; we were all really starting to get fully into the mood by that point.
Finally, after another wait, the lights went down and Four Year Strong came on! The whole crowd turned into a mosh pit and I got separated from my friends, but I didn't mind, it was so amazing! Every song that went by, I managed to jump and push my way further through the crowd until I found my friends again, and after that point it only got better. It was an incredible feeling, everyone shouting the lyrics and jumping at the same time!
It all seemed to end too quickly, but we waited around a while and the people tidying up the stage gave one of my friends Don Broco's setlist, which had been taped to the floor. When we went outside, we bought some merch; I got a Four Year Strong t-shirt and a Don Broco vest top. It took us a while to notice, but eventually we realised that Don Broco were actually right there in the room with us! We went and had a chat to the singer first, and he hi-fived me for it being my first gig, and because his was the first band I'd ever seen. He was so lovely to talk to! After that, the guitarist hugged us all, we had a quick chat with the bassist, and generally had a great time with them for a little while. Honestly, they were all such lovely people! I got my ticket signed by the guitarist and bassist, but I forgot to ask the singer :( I'll definitely be going to another of their gigs though!
We then went to wait outside, and we were standing around when someone shouted "if you want to meet Four Year Strong, they're around the corner!" Needless to say, we all sprinted off and sure enough, one of the guitarist and vocalists was there! One of my friends touched his beard, she was so proud! He signed my ticket but didn't have time to chat. He seemed so nice though!
Overall, it was just a really wonderful night, definitely one of the best of my life, and I'd gladly do it again anytime.
Lessons & tips:
- Make sure you go with friends, and if possible, ones who have been to gigs before so that they're experienced
- You might want to take a thin-ish hoodie so that you're not freezing cold in the queue like I was! So that you don't lose it, when you get inside you should tie it through the loops for a belt on your jeans.
- If you have sensitive hearing, or you're not used to loud noises, you might want to consider wearing ear plugs. I'm still a bit deaf and I've got ringing in my ears over 24 hours later!
- If you're seeing a rock band, you should be wary of mosh pits, and try to keep out of the way if you're not comfortable with them.
- If you arrive a bit late, walk around the side of the crowd and cut in around the middle so you can get to the front as quickly as possible!
- Be prepared for being squished up against a load of sweaty strangers. You've just got to expect it really!
- Be ready to push and shove, and to be pushed and shoved!
- Watch out overhead! Even if there's a no crowd-surfing rule, people are going to do it! I got kicked in the head so many times :')
- Just enjoy it! Live in the moment, jump around and listen to the music! It's one of the most amazing experiences ever.
Resources: I think we got our tickets from
http://www.aloud.com/; it's a very trustworthy website. Other than that, just look out for bands you like online and in magazines to see when they're touring!
Jan 27, 03:31PM PST
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