I went to a concert last Saturday, and *pterodactyl screeching* is the only fitting reaction I could give to encapsulate my emotions. I am beside myself with a motley of feelings that I never want to forget, so I decided to document my thoughts in a blog entry! That aside, I hope that if people out there are preparing to attend their first concerts, this post can provide insights for you guys to be able to live out your fullest First Concert Experience™ 😉

The concert I went to was the Manila leg of Mayday Parade's tour for the 10th anniversary of A Lesson In Romantics (their first album). This wasn't really the first concert I've ever attended— I've seen a couple of groups live (like when I saw Hillsong last year lol). Though the thing is, in all these events I'm either with a parent or with my church friends. This Mayday Parade concert is the first one I've attended unchaperoned, so I'd like to technically consider this experience my real initiation into the concert scene LOLOLOL.

First things first, hunting down a friend to accompany me was harder than I thought it'd be. When I caught wind of Mayday Parade's tour, I was quick to let all my potential concert mates know about it! Unfortunately, I do not know a lot of people with the same taste in music as I, so my search was quickly over when all responded negative.

Still, that is not enough to thwart my plans lol. Concert mate or no, I was determined to see Mayday Parade, so I got a VIP standing ticket for 3000 pesos (that's around $60 or £45) which— by the way— is a bargain considering how concerts are way too pricy in the Philippines (´Д` )

Alright, now allow me to fast forward a few months, to the day of the concert ✨ This'll be my first piece of advice to future concert attendees: come early. Like, really early. The details from the poster said that doors to the event will open at 6 pm, so I decided to come three hours earlier in hopes of getting dibs on the best spots in the venue. I was wayy off lol. When I got there (and confident that I'm early too, mind you), the line was already so long. I had no points of reference to size up how long the line really is, but trust me— it was already doing zig-zags, so I'm almost definitely positive that if anything, that's a lot of people.

The three hours on the line may be one of the longest waits I remember experiencing in my life. When I was doing my own research on concert-going tips, many blogs mentioned talking to the people in line with you, and I really think that if you could strike up a conversation with them then that'd be pretty swell. Except, I wasn't able to do that because I'm a socially awkward twat. The girls in front of me were obviously close friends talking about their personal business, so I found it difficult to break the ice. Behind me was this lovey giggly couple, and I definitely did not want to do any third wheeling LOL. So in the end, I resigned to using my mobile data and hit up my friends online as I loitered for three hours. Moral of the anecdote: definitely bring a charger or power bank for some extra juice.

At around 6 pm, we were finally allowed to enter the concert hall. My heart was pounding a mile a minute at this point 💖 This is when you'll be glad you went early— since my ticket was for VIP Standing, there aren't any reserved seats so you gotta reach the front first and stake out your desired position LOLOLOLOL. My waiting definitely paid off, since I was able to stand on the front lines of the barricades 😁 (that sounded like a war narrative for a second. Whoops)

A couple more hours of waiting ensued, and at this point the hype cannot be contained. When the sound-tech men came onstage to do their job, the crowd was howling. And they weren't even the actual band yet lol. Though when the house lights suddenly went out, it was literally pandemonium in there: hysterical fans all pushing, jumping, and fist pumping towards the air. You can feel the excitement buzz through everyone, then finally the spotlight goes on with the music and you see the band members on stage and UGH. You can feel the night finally truly begin.

Let me tell you something— once you've experienced screaming singing along to songs as the artist/band performs live onstage, it's hard going back to just muttering lyrics under your breath on your daily commutes. The wild crowd surrounding you aren't strangers anymore; they're your kin. When these people seem to be screaming the lyrics with as much love for the music as you, concerts really feel like homes for kindred souls.

It's one of the best feelings in the world. Physically, I was uncomfortable— everyone's a little sweaty and packed wayy too closely to each other, my feet hurt, and my voice was starting to get real hoarse because of my scream-singing. But inside, I knew I wanted to be here with the hundreds (potentially thousands) of people who gathered here because of an appreciation for a band's meaningful songs. I felt like I belonged there, and that was an amazing sensation.

One thing I noticed is that there were a lot of people taking videos of the performance, and I really want to address this somehow. Nothing wrong with recording concert performances per se (as long as it's allowed of course), but I would heavily advise anyone and everyone to not record the whole performance because it won't be fun. After all, you paid good money to see them live! I really think that the selling point of concerts is the experience 😊 And besides, half the time I am willing to bet that phone recordings of concerts are shaky and low quality anyway.

In retrospect, I really did have a fun time; in fact, more than I expected I would! At first, I really did think that going alone wouldn't be so fun because I have no one to fangirl with, but when you think about it, you'll be in a room full of fellow enthusiasts who share your love for a certain artist. And everyone is there in the concert to have a good time, so why shouldn't you? Thus, I also want to extend this piece of advice: don't be afraid to venture concerts by yourself! Yeah, I think safety is the main concern when doing this, but when you're pretty sure that the area is secure and well-guarded, I think you'll be fine. You'll be surprised by the great memories you'll form, even if your concert experience was sans friend ✨ What matters is that you have the time of your life with like-minded people ❤️

I could literally go on and on about this, but I think I'll cut this blog entry here lol. Point is, I had a great concert experience, and if you've been thinking of attending one then here's your call to action. Get that concert ticket. Take in the experience— feel the blasting music, the tightly packed crowd, and the beating of your heart as you let the drums, guitars, basses, and vocals wash over you and take you to a faraway land (at least, until the concert ends).

I went to a concert last Saturday, and *pterodactyl screeching* is the only fitting reaction I could give to encapsulate my emotions. I am beside myself with a motley of feelings that I never want to forget, so I decided to document my thoughts in a blog entry! That aside, I hope that if people out there are preparing to attend their first concerts, this post can provide insights for you guys to be able to live out your fullest First Concert Experience™ 😉

The concert I went to was the Manila leg of Mayday Parade's tour for the 10th anniversary of A Lesson In Romantics (their first album). This wasn't really the first concert I've ever attended— I've seen a couple of groups live (like when I saw Hillsong last year lol). Though the thing is, in all these events I'm either with a parent or with my church friends. This Mayday Parade concert is the first one I've attended unchaperoned, so I'd like to technically consider this experience my real initiation into the concert scene LOLOLOL.

First things first, hunting down a friend to accompany me was harder than I thought it'd be. When I caught wind of Mayday Parade's tour, I was quick to let all my potential concert mates know about it! Unfortunately, I do not know a lot of people with the same taste in music as I, so my search was quickly over when all responded negative.

Still, that is not enough to thwart my plans lol. Concert mate or no, I was determined to see Mayday Parade, so I got a VIP standing ticket for 3000 pesos (that's around $60 or £45) which— by the way— is a bargain considering how concerts are way too pricy in the Philippines (´Д` )

Alright, now allow me to fast forward a few months, to the day of the concert ✨ This'll be my first piece of advice to future concert attendees: come early. Like, really early. The details from the poster said that doors to the event will open at 6 pm, so I decided to come three hours earlier in hopes of getting dibs on the best spots in the venue. I was wayy off lol. When I got there (and confident that I'm early too, mind you), the line was already so long. I had no points of reference to size up how long the line really is, but trust me— it was already doing zig-zags, so I'm almost definitely positive that if anything, that's a lot of people.

The three hours on the line may be one of the longest waits I remember experiencing in my life. When I was doing my own research on concert-going tips, many blogs mentioned talking to the people in line with you, and I really think that if you could strike up a conversation with them then that'd be pretty swell. Except, I wasn't able to do that because I'm a socially awkward twat. The girls in front of me were obviously close friends talking about their personal business, so I found it difficult to break the ice. Behind me was this lovey giggly couple, and I definitely did not want to do any third wheeling LOL. So in the end, I resigned to using my mobile data and hit up my friends online as I loitered for three hours. Moral of the anecdote: definitely bring a charger or power bank for some extra juice.

At around 6 pm, we were finally allowed to enter the concert hall. My heart was pounding a mile a minute at this point 💖 This is when you'll be glad you went early— since my ticket was for VIP Standing, there aren't any reserved seats so you gotta reach the front first and stake out your desired position LOLOLOLOL. My waiting definitely paid off, since I was able to stand on the front lines of the barricades 😁 (that sounded like a war narrative for a second. Whoops)

A couple more hours of waiting ensued, and at this point the hype cannot be contained. When the sound-tech men came onstage to do their job, the crowd was howling. And they weren't even the actual band yet lol. Though when the house lights suddenly went out, it was literally pandemonium in there: hysterical fans all pushing, jumping, and fist pumping towards the air. You can feel the excitement buzz through everyone, then finally the spotlight goes on with the music and you see the band members on stage and UGH. You can feel the night finally truly begin.

Let me tell you something— once you've experienced screaming singing along to songs as the artist/band performs live onstage, it's hard going back to just muttering lyrics under your breath on your daily commutes. The wild crowd surrounding you aren't strangers anymore; they're your kin. When these people seem to be screaming the lyrics with as much love for the music as you, concerts really feel like homes for kindred souls.

It's one of the best feelings in the world. Physically, I was uncomfortable— everyone's a little sweaty and packed wayy too closely to each other, my feet hurt, and my voice was starting to get real hoarse because of my scream-singing. But inside, I knew I wanted to be here with the hundreds (potentially thousands) of people who gathered here because of an appreciation for a band's meaningful songs. I felt like I belonged there, and that was an amazing sensation.

One thing I noticed is that there were a lot of people taking videos of the performance, and I really want to address this somehow. Nothing wrong with recording concert performances per se (as long as it's allowed of course), but I would heavily advise anyone and everyone to not record the whole performance because it won't be fun. After all, you paid good money to see them live! I really think that the selling point of concerts is the experience 😊 And besides, half the time I am willing to bet that phone recordings of concerts are shaky and low quality anyway.

In retrospect, I really did have a fun time; in fact, more than I expected I would! At first, I really did think that going alone wouldn't be so fun because I have no one to fangirl with, but when you think about it, you'll be in a room full of fellow enthusiasts who share your love for a certain artist. And everyone is there in the concert to have a good time, so why shouldn't you? Thus, I also want to extend this piece of advice: don't be afraid to venture concerts by yourself! Yeah, I think safety is the main concern when doing this, but when you're pretty sure that the area is secure and well-guarded, I think you'll be fine. You'll be surprised by the great memories you'll form, even if your concert experience was sans friend ✨ What matters is that you have the time of your life with like-minded people ❤️

I could literally go on and on about this, but I think I'll cut this blog entry here lol. Point is, I had a great concert experience, and if you've been thinking of attending one then here's your call to action. Get that concert ticket. Take in the experience— feel the blasting music, the tightly packed crowd, and the beating of your heart as you let the drums, guitars, basses, and vocals wash over you and take you to a faraway land (at least, until the concert ends).