It’s been your lifelong goal to collect the entire discography of your favorite boy band or girl group. You buy every version of whatever album, single, or EP they release, and you make sure you get all the other “perks” that come with them (stickers, posters, member’s cards, and of course, those “hi-touch” passes).
Every time they drop a new music video on YouTube or release a new single on Spotify, you spend hours binge-watching or streaming it to make sure it’s up on the charts and trending pages. As the absolute “stan,” you find great pleasure whenever you see those view counts continue rising.
Does this sound like you?
All of these are just part of a much bigger fandom life. You can never call yourself the world’s number one Army, Blink, or VIP if you’ve never been to at least one of the group’s concerts (if you’re a minor, you’re excused). You’ve been admiring their concert setup you often see on their DVDs, and you know you have to see it in real life — whether it will be held in Idaho or a nearby state.
If you’re losing sleep hours monitoring those view counts and making sure your Spotify is looping their latest single properly, imagine how stressful it is to try to get tickets to your favorite group’s shows. It can be frustrating to see them drop their tour dates and realize your town is not one of the stops. So, what’s a good fan got to do? Of course, you will still try to go to the concert by booking a ticket to the nearest tour stop.
So, you got your tickets. Now what?
Getting one of those easily sold-out tickets is just half the battle. Now you need to book your flights (or maybe ask someone to drive hours for you) and hotel accommodations, as well as create a plan on how you’re going to spend the hours before the concert (should you line up for merch early?). If you don’t want to line up for hours, you can choose to explore the unfamiliar city before the doors open for the much-awaited concert.
All good things come to an end, including concerts.
Think about it, all those weeks and even months of planning will probably end in two hours. Still, it will be worth the effort. You will see your favorite group of artists in the flesh. But when the adrenaline has faded, you may be left feeling lonely and confused — a probable case of PCD or post-concert depression.
It’s a tough feeling, and it may take a while, but you’ll get over it. You’ll get through many stages before you reach “acceptance.” You’ll go through all those photos and videos you took of those very special two hours and deal with friends constantly nagging you about the best night of your life. No matter how long it takes, it’ll pass, and you’ll likely see yourself purchasing another one of those tickets once again. After all, that’s what it’s like to be a fan these days.
