Mammoth Blog

It's your first concert. You can feel the excitement in the air. You are filled with anticipation and the expectation of a great night. You thought everything through, and you have your camera, sharpie, and you attempted to dress like you belong there. But how do you stay safe?

There are some really easy tips you can follow to ensure that what should be one of the best experiences of your life doesn't end in the ER.

- Back or Front: Humans have a tendency to gravitate toward the middle of crowds. Instinctively, it feels the safest. At a concert, it's the worst place to be. The very back and the space literally on the rail/against the stage are the safest places to be. (When you get more experienced, the middle is the most fun.)

- Make friends: The people around you are your allies. I can't tell you how many times someone standing near me, who barely knew me, saved my rear end.

- Watch security: Crowd surfing is dangerous even to those who don't crowd surf. Take it from someone who has taken a hiking boot to the face. The security guards tend to point or approach the area where they assume the crowd surfer will end up. Paying attention to them is a great heads up on what's coming.

- Take money: You may actually need to buy water to avoid passing out. I recommend taking a bottle into the pit with you. If it gets rough, the band will hand out bottles of water, and if it's so rough that they're doing it, you're probably going to be so thirsty that you don't care how many people have had a drink before you. The likelihood of you catching a cold from the girl beside you who keeps sneezing is high.

- Don't drink: Okay, so I know that a lot of people want to drink at concerts. I know that a lot of people do. Don't. Not only can alcohol dehydrate you, but it has the capability of putting you off balance which can be dangerous in rougher concerts, and it has the capability of making you look like a jerk. Wait until the show's over and go to a bar.

- The More You Know: Knowing what kind of concert you're going to is also a good idea. Obviously, you're a lot safer at Dashboard Confessional than Under?ath. Don't let that fool you though. I've seen Red Jumpsuit Apparatus pits that were worse than As I Lay Dying.

- Plug it: If you still want to listen to music when you're 80, wearing ear plugs is a must. I know that it seems and feels lame, but it's not. Now, if you pull your earplugs out of a fanny pack, that's a different story.

So you've got your safety information. Now, some general tips to make your experience better? I think so.

- Bandana-rama: Bandanas are widely acceptable gear. They're ok at hardcore concerts, hip-hop concerts, pop-rock concerts, country concerts, and pretty much any other style of music you can think of. They can be extremely useful as well. You can wipe sweat off your face or use it if you do happen to get injured to stop the bleeding.

- Sharpie and/or Camera: Autographs and pictures with your favorite artists are always cool to have.

- Money honey: T-shirts and stickers and CDs, oh my! Oh, and most venues charge extra at the door if you're under 21. source>>>