If I had worked up the nerve to go to concerts alone in the past I would have saved myself and others a lot of money. I have considered going alone to several concerts before. Sometimes people in my life can’t afford it, or they aren’t willing to pay as much as I am for a ticket, or they simply are not a fan of the artist I want to see. This either ends with me not going to the concert at all, or buying two tickets and bribing someone to come with me.
Continue reading“Maybe the way to overthrow the patriarchy is to listen to boy bands.”
I recently read a post on the social journalism platform Medium called “The Social Implications of Dissing “Boy Bands”” written by Heidi Samuelson. This post struck a personal chord with me. Samuelson writes about how boy bands are perceived by society and the implications those perceptions have on fans, specifically teenage girls, and on the band members themselves. Growing up, music, fandom, and boy bands were a big part of my life and helped me get through high school. Boy bands played a huge role in jumpstarting my concert obsession, and still play a role in my concert-going today. However, as Samuelson writes about, I experienced a lot of people who thought my interests were stupid or silly.
Continue readingThe 21st Century Debate of Filming at Concerts
Something that continues to be an issue in the concert world is whether or not people should be able to take videos during a show. There has been pushback from artists about this, including rapper Childish Gambino, pop singer Adele, and folk rock band The Lumineers. Some artists say it is distracting and they don’t like seeing a sea of phones in the audience when they’re performing. It can also be annoying to fans in the audience if their view is being blocked by someone else’s phone or camera. There are several artists who have taken measures to ban recording from their concerts. Some have employed the technology Yondr, which provides a case that attendees lock their phone in before entering the venue and can only remove it with an unlocking base located outside.
Continue readingConcert Clothes
Something that I might spend too much time trying to figure out is what I want to wear to a concert. It may seem silly because during the concert no one will be able to see your clothes, but it matters to me. To some people, it’s not important. But if you are like me and would stand too long in front of your closet, thinking, “What should I wear to this concert?” the short answer is, whatever you want. Of course there’s a long answer, too. Here are some of my recommendations when it comes to concert attire.
Continue readingThe First Step: Buying Tickets
To state the obvious, before going to a concert you have to buy tickets. Depending on the performer, this can be a very stressful step. The primary website for buying concert tickets is Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster merged with the concert promoter Live Nation, and depending on the concert and/or venue, you may be redirected to Live Nation to purchase your tickets. VIP Nation is also a company under Live Nation. That is the place to buy any VIP packages or premium tickets being offered for a tour.
Continue readingWho Am I?
Welcome to Backstage Pass! As you may already know from my About Me, I’m Victoria and one of my favorite hobbies is going to concerts. It is not a cheap hobby to have, but it is an addicting one. I was first bit by the concert bug in 2010 when I was 12 years old and went to see Justin Bieber perform at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. (My actual first concert was the American Idol tour in 2006 but I don’t really count that because I can’t remember much from it.)
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