If you are attending your first concert or your 20th, Amplify has a list of tips to help you with the entire process, from sales to show for this concert season.

Buying tickets. The first step. With a world of different reseller sites, it can be difficult to navigate the concert tickets you are after, successfully. Here are Amplify’s tips:

• Make sure you are using the official sites, to avoid ticket scalpers and bots.  Ticketmaster/AXS, LiveNation, the specific venue website, Dice or the artists’ page are all reliable, official websites to use when buying the concert tickets. Dice is unique for also getting tickets to music club nights and artist signings.

• Having multiple devices open when buying the ticket. Although this is not always necessary, for a bigger artist, it can help when the demand is high.

• No purchase necessary presales. This was seen for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for the UK leg, and can be an easier alternative to getting tickets. If a presale requires purchase of an album for example, look to the bottom for a no purchase necessary link as you will be able to sign up that way. Although it is not the most common way of hosting presales, it is important to note.

• Lastly, waiting to get tickets at a later point. There is usually many tickets left before the actual concert takes place, either added tickets on the day, people reselling or getting off a waitlist and sometimes the box office. A reliable resale site, that allows sellers to go through verification, is Twickets. If you are going through resale in another form, be sure to use PayPal Goods and Services, to allow a refund if need be. Radio shows and venues also can often hold competitions to win tickets to a certain show, so be sure to look out for that.

Once you have that all exciting concert ticket, there is a few essentials that I recommend you take with you. Here is our ‘concert essentials’ :

• A portable charger – nowadays, your phone usually stores your cards and concert ticket, as well as the filming of shows taking up battery life. Therefore, it is important to keep your battery up, especially for after the show. I recommend the iWalk as it is small and you can plug it straight into your phone without any extra leads.

• Hair ties/scrunchie/claw clip – venues, usually smaller ones, can get hot very quickly, so these are incredibly handy.

• Loop earplugs. This is the main recommendation for concert-optimized earplugs to still feel the incredible atmosphere of live music, but with more protection for your hearing as it softens the surrounding sound.

• Your own water bottle caps. The venues usually only allow you take in water bottles without the cap when purchasing, so taking your own that you can use when inside the venue is very handy.

• Lastly, keep cash on you as well as a form of ID. Sometimes, you can get through food and drink or merch queues faster by being able to use cash as well. So, you do not miss a thing! ID is also important to bring with you as it often has to be checked alongside your tickets.

The next step is the travel. Whether you are attending multiple shows or going to your local venue, here is your guide to making this easier and cheaper for you:

• Travel apps that we recommend: Trainline, Skyscanner, Uber, Lyft. Be sure to book your tickets in advance, especially for trains, to get the cheapest price.

• For London concerts, tubes run until late, so be sure to take advantage of this and the amount of public transport offered within the city.

• Make use of your connections. If you know anyone who works in hotels or for transport, see if you can get a possible discount or any perks from that.

• As a fan, we also meet a lot of friends through music that can live all over the world which is extremely beautiful. If you are going to an out of city concert, staying with them is always a fun and free option. Or share a hotel/Airbnb with whoever you are attending the show with, you would be surprised of how cheap it can be and without worries of getting back so late.

• Carpool! Whether it is to the venue or to accommodation, it can be a lot cheaper. You can also blast that artists’ music to prepare.

Now it is time for your highly anticipated concert. As the day of the show can be overwhelming, here are a few pointers to make sure you have an incredible night:

• Eat and drink beforehand. This may seem like an obvious pointer for most people but you can forget whilst you are queuing or travelling. It is important to be fuelled beforehand to prevent yourself from getting ill.

• On the same topic, if you are deciding to queue for a longer period, be sure to take extra layers. Even if the show is during summer, temperatures can be below freezing in the early hours of the morning so be prepared and be safe. Again, this will prevent you from getting ill.

• I highly recommend getting there after doors! Although everyone has their preference of where they would want to be, being at the back of the concert for your gigs, has been more fun in experience. You have a lot of space (it is surprising how much room there really is), to dance around and be comfortable. Even in big venues, I find there is still an amazing view towards the back, perfect for your filming needs. This tip also sometimes can help you beat the queues. I also recommend getting there after doors if you have seated tickets as you are guaranteed those seats no matter what, so it will save any kind of rush.

• If you are wanting barricade to see your favourite artist front row, we recommend trying to find vip/early entry tickets. You can often get soundchecks from that artist and extra perks, plus being guaranteed entry first, even if you are there later.

• Check venue policies on queuing/camping. There are stricter rules, especially from small venues on this because of safety reasons. So, be sure to check beforehand to ensure a smooth experience if you are choosing to queue for longer.

• Clear storage/offload unwanted apps. To make sure you get your favourite song recorded forever, be sure to check your storage as you will want to remember this night.
• We would also suggest to keep an eye on the opener of the concert you are attending, and get to know their music. The artist usually chooses the opener based on their own music taste and it is important we show them some love. You may even find your new favourite artist.

Lastly and the most important tip of all is to have fun! It is an experience you will never forget, so make sure to live in the moment and soak up every second with your friends. Live music is very special, so I hope this guide helps you make the most out of it. If you have any other tips for new concert-goers, let Amplify know in the comments or over on our Instagram (@amplifyblog__).