For those of you who have been following my concert experiences page you will notice I have been going to a lot of concerts, and I mean a lot, even for me. While pre-pandemic my normal agenda was go to 2-3 concerts a month, I decided in the spirit of 'making up for lost time' I would start going to concert Weekly, and for the last 2+ months I have been keeping to that. Now that the rest of NYC is opening up I might start going a little less, but I do plan to continue going to concerts as frequently as I want, there is only one rule:
Never wear the same outfit twice.
What I love about going to all these concerts is the feeling that each one is new. That something is always changing: the time of year, the people I am with, the place, and even how I dress. If you scroll through all of the posts you might notice something: I never go to the exact same stage place. I have on occasion, gone to the same venue (such as The Turk's Inn and the Rockwood), but I went to different stages or to the rooftop giving each concert a different feel. There is nothing that sucks the energy from you than feeling like you have already done this before.
That's why starting out right: with the proper outfit is so important. I dont have a concert shirt, I dont have concert shoes. But I do have the clothes to put together an outfit that goes well with the sound. Sometimes that means matching my white shorts with a specific graphic T and my red kicks, while the next concert is jeans, mono-color crew style t-shirt + collared shirt (buttoned) and brown Aldos, and the one after I go back to the White shorts, but substitute the shoes and graphic T + add a flannel. It isnt re-inventing the wheel each time, but If I cant find something that is in some way unique for the concert, then generally that means either the band is uninspired, or I am, either way, maybe I shouldn't be going.
You might ask with what frequency do you allow yourself to go to the same stage at the same venue?
Well for that I will use the word I have said a couple times in this post already: seasonally. I think going to the same place any more than once per season is too much. Now given the laundry list of concerts I want to go see that does leave me with a dilemma where I both need to not only decide on seeing a band at a particular place, but I must decide whether I want to use that venue's energy for that band. This can be a problem when there are two bands playing Elsewhere's Rooftop that you want to see or if there are several close together shows at Baby's Alright. In short, to have the best times requires strategy, and if you dont have strategy you wont be having any fun!
if you dont have strategy you wont be having any fun!
And then the final part is the people. While I often go to concerts alone, I would say about 50% of the time I am in the accompaniment of another(s). By doing this I again create a mixed vibe where I sometimes draw energy from myself or draw energy from those around me. Of course I have to be thoughtful in this undertaking including consider the venue's space, the number of people to bring, and whether my friends or dates will be particular to the kind of music and concert. Yet I have managed, over the past months especially, to match the concert with the right people, whether that's inviting my parents to watch a Phil Robinson Livestream or taking my friend who swears she saw Sum-41 live to an Emo show, or a girl who just moved here from Texas to see the Hipster show of a lifetime at the Turk's Inn rooftop, ensuring that I dont fill the ranks of the Lonely Concert Boys (a future article) too frequently.
Life is short, there is not enough time to be doing the same thing twice, certainly not when it comes to watching music live. If the experience hasn't changed between concerts, then neither have you. And while perhaps I can can't quite claim to be "Mr Never Wear the Same Thing" as Wale brazenly declared, but I can claim to be "Mr only wears an outfit they have only worn once that season."