Tips, tricks and thought pieces on what makes the ultimate gig and how to recreate the best experience time and time again

The anticipation, the supporting acts, the pulse of the music resonating through your chest through to trying to bag a set list from security who are handing them out to stragglers next to the stage. The obligatory tour t-shirt and the shared memories that will never be forgotten… seeing our favourite acts live is an experience incomparable to any other and it’s a culmination of tiny factors that make one gig more memorable than another. In this post we look at whats makes a great gig and how to recreate the best live music experiences every time.

Bagging the tickets….

Before you can enjoy the gig you first need to bag the tickets, and unfortunately sometimes this can be the hardest part so here’s our favourite tips for landing those all important tickets.

1. Where possible with favorite bands who tend to be on the bigger side Pre-order the latest album – often times this comes with priority options to purchase gig tickets. We have done this over and over with bands like Nothing but Thieves, Royal Blood and Thirty Seconds to Mars and as a bonus often times you may get signed albums!
2. It may sound obvious but follow your favorite bands on all the socials and when tours are announced mark the date that tickets go on sale in your calendar, be prepared to hunker down on the phone until you can secure those all important tickets.
3. Be prepared to travel. As we west walians know all too well, often times our most coveted gigs are rarely happening close by, and the more flexible we can be on location the greater the chance of bagging tickets to our favorite bands. In fact it can be really fun to see these as opportunities to explore locations you have not visited before and make a mini break of it…. we actually did this recently when we saw Royal Blood in the Hammersmith Apollo we made this a two night break and teamed it with a spot of shopping on London Oxford Street (I had never been) and exploring for hidden gem eateries in the london boroughs, we even found this amazing hidden gem vegan restaurant where we ended up being seated next to and chatting away to two of our favorite Bridgerton actresses!
4. Don’t dismiss the locals! Okay so maybe you can’t get tickets to your favorite big bands but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the magic of live music. In fact sometimes the very best gigs are those on the more intimate side.

What makes a great gig?

Atmosphere: that intangible energy of a good time can be a difficult to recreate, often it’s either there or it’s not, but there are a few ways in which to thoughtfully give yourself the best chance of creating a feel good buz in the lead up to your next gig.

• Choose your companions carefully.… this one can be harder done than suggested but if you can get together a group of pals with a similar love of the band or if you and your partner are synced in music tastes it goes a long way in terms of setting yourself up for a great gig. Even better if you need to travel, to travel together, sing along to favorite tracks, get matching t-shirts or prepare signs for yourselfs in the crowd.
• Food before the gig, this is an easy one with big impact when it comes to creating that all important atmosphere and was one of Marty’s top suggestions…. don’t just head to the venue if you can help it, meet for a bite to eat and maybe a drink or two beforehand, big venues often have cool places to eat close by which will likely be filled with fellow gig goers adding to the fun of the night where you can meet new people and have an immediate conversation starter.
• Make a trip of it… as already mentioned above, especially if you have had to travel, make a mini break of it. Get a hotel for the night and check out what else is going on in the location . Go on the hunt for cute independant eateries or pubs, collect fun facts about the town or city and ask locals at the gig what fun things they would recommend you do the next day.

Express yourself

Gigs can be a great space to to take advantage of all that positive energy and anonymity to experiment with bolder styles or versions of yourself you would otherwise feel less comfortable sharing. Planning your outfit in the run up can be a great way to amp up the anticipation of the gig too, why not seek out inspiration and plan outfit options with friends. If you have been hankering a desire to be bolder why not use your next gig as an opportunity to finally give a new look a try, or even try out a new name for the night and be the confidant conversation starter you always dreamed of being, heck you can even put on a accent if you like! The point being that gigs are generally a great, accepting space to express yourself so have fun with it.

A note on etiquette

In all the excitement it can be easy to forget that everyone at gigs has come for the same great experience and that’s part of what makes things so much fun. Yes you will likely get covered in beer as people squeeze past after going to the bar. Yes your shoes will likely be sticking to the floor. Yes the tall guy in front may block your view but this is all par the course. What doesn’t need to be par the course though is these few considerations to help make gigs entirely epic experiences for everyone:

1. Smoking / Vaping: hopefully it goes without saying that smoking in a crowd whether indoor or outdoors is not cool! While it’s often thought that vaping is “safe” it’s also often not a pleasant experience for those close by….. if the thought of a few hours without that nicotine hit sounds too much is it worth wearing a patch or chewing nicotine gum for a few hours to save being the crowd pariah?
2. Hats: I know, I know this is a controversial one but hear me out…. there is nothing to be done about tall people, nor the size of someones head, bouffant or even the size of some sticky out ears but hats will make you no new friends if your blocking the view for others. Now I know we have only just talked about gigs being a great place to express your style but why not also use them as a great place to embrace a hatless head 🙂
3. Phones: another controversial topic that often bothers a lot of people… a lot of bands have spoken out about this subject and its impacts on the live music experience. Personally i choose to enjoy the moment over capturing the whole performance but that doesnt mean i don’t love a selfie to capture the moment either.
4. Security / Bouncers: don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if you need it…. don’t suffer in silence when security are there to help. Nourdays bands are conscious of their audiences experience, they want their events to be safe and high vibe!

Ride the high!

The band have finished, your on cloud nine, flying high on good vibes. The venue are sweeping up mountains of plastic cups and the stragglers are queuing for merch or filtering through the doors to get home….. the gig might be over but how can we ride the high for as long as possible.

Why not try to collect t-shirts from every gig and keep them in the hopes of building a vintage collection or wear them regularly as reminders.

Using pictures from gigs and cover art to decorate your space can act as reminders of great times on a daily basis and one of our favorite reminders is a framed display of all our printed tickets. With gigs moving towards digital tickets more and more our original printed tickets feel all the more special.

Of course the the best way to keep the memories fresh is to reminisce with friends about your favorite gigs but be careful not to stay planted in memories of the past and instead use this to plan for a fun filled future of gigs, experiences and shared memories for years to come! Happy gigging!