Guide to Summer Concerts, Part I

We have a lot of advice about summer concerts. So much, in fact, that we plan to bring you a whole series of posts about this very important national issue.

For music lovers, summer is a time to exchange the dank, sweaty interiors of clubs for fresh air, sunshine, and the occasional thunderstorm while catching your favorite bands playing outdoors. But whether you’re driving down the road to your county fair or taking a trip cross country for a three-day music festival, spending anywhere from several hours to several days out in the elements has its own set of challenges. For maximum enjoyment, keep the following things in mind this summer:

Arrive early
There’re few things worse than driving 300 miles to a Radiohead concert, then having to spend two hours cruising around town looking for a parking spot. Very few towns and cities adequately prepare for the hordes of band-t-shirted, screaming fans that descend on their humble bergs during the summer, and it’s better to spend a couple hours lounging around on the grass or looking for the frozen banana stand than suffering the impatience of your carpool. Our suggestion: If you have the option, find somewhere far away to park and then take the bus or train.

Remember, the sun is your closest friend and worst enemy
When you’re in the middle of 30,000 people in a field with no shade, basking in the sun can quickly change to withering in it. Your mom will remind you to wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water, but we’d also suggest bringing an umbrella. Bonus: the umbrella will also protect against unexpected hailstorms.

Be prepared for Mud People
Before the rain starts they look just like you or me, but as soon as water makes contact with dirt they become primitive, barefoot mudslingers. Bring a change of clothes.

Bring your own toilet paper
Obviously more of a concern for all-day or weekend-long festivals. There’s rarely enough TP to last until sundown, and you can usually count on most of it being stolen by toilet paper-hoarding sociopaths. Investing in a roll or two of your own will seem like the best 47 cents you ever spent.

Pace yourself
Just an hour-long Los Campesinos! concert can be exhausting, so unless you’ve been training for marathons for the last several months, trying to keep that up for a whole day could be fatal. Whether you have to take a nap or just sit down for a bit, you’ll need your energy when the Flaming Lips start rolling over you in a giant bubble.