The Concert Junkie’s Survival Guide for the Off-Season

The final encore ends. House lights turn on. You exit the chilly air to ringing ears and a merchandise bag in hand, and by the time you reach the parking lot, already heading home, it starts to settle in that this experience is over until next spring. There is an actual “off-season” feeling for the concert enthusiast. The absence of any performances lined up for the future means that the unique vibe created by live performances has become something to be remembered and not experienced again in the immediate sense. However, within the context of music culture, this very aspect tends to make listeners appreciate more the experience of recording sessions, online performances, and even waiting for that next big thing to happen in the live environment.

Step One: Don’t Let the Buzz Fully Die

The “post-concert high” is probably the most predictable feeling fans will have when experiencing live music. We all know that we need to try to recapture this immediate gratification right away. Turn on the video from last night’s concert while driving home tonight. Listen to your new favorite band’s previous tour setlists over and over again. Watch the bootlegs from every angle until 2 am. Yes, do it. This is definitely NOT the time to be conservative or restrained. There is absolutely no reason why extending an already incredible live performance with additional media (be it videos, audio recordings, interviews, etc.) should be considered a poor man’s alternative to attending another live event during the “off-season.” The fan has many options available now, including: setlist.FM, 

YouTube’s vast array of unofficial concert archives (and official ones, too), and finally, the official streaming outlet(s) for the artists themselves; there are countless ways to keep your excitement alive for weeks after a show by giving these other media outlets some attention instead of just viewing them as inferior alternatives. You can also use your time during the off-season by checking out what are in our opinion the best real money online casino for us players. A lot of fans find that this type of entertainment gives them an opportunity to relive some of their favorite experiences with an added element of excitement from the chance of winning at the casino. This will allow you to make the most of your off-season and give you something else to look forward to.

Filling the Calendar: What Actually Works

The best way to deal with the off-season is to replace what you miss about the concerts instead of wallowing in the silence. There could be many methods to try and replace those feelings of anticipation, of sharing the moment socially, and of satisfying oneself with the fact of being actively engaged by seeking some way to recapture all that energy in other forms. Music fan culture would have us doing just that in finding local gigs, live albums, and fresh acts during the quieter times of the year. So here’s what concert aficionados claim they do before their next gig comes along:

• Album Listening Sessions: Listen to an album in its entirety; No fast forwarding. Best listened to with headphones. No distractions. This is very similar to paying close attention to your favorite performer on stage.
• Concert Film/Documentary Nights: Watch concert films/documentaries such as the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, the Stop Making Sense remake, Talking Heads Live At Pompeii, etc. Turn it into a full ritual: dim lighting, good sound, and a cold stash ready from a dedicated beverage fridge so you don’t have to pause mid-set.
• Small Venue Shows: While there may be fewer large festivals/concert tours during the off-season, many small venues continue to host events. Tickets are much less expensive than those sold by arenas. Many times, the smaller setting provides a connection with the performers and/or audience members that larger settings cannot provide.
• Filling Gaps In Your Evening With Online Entertainment: Spend time playing trending games, sweepstakes-style games/casinos online, join an online gaming session/community platform to fill time, and make sure your evening does not feel empty without having to plan and prepare for a night out.
• Plan The Next Run Of Shows: Set up tour announcements for upcoming concerts, research which festival(s) you want to attend, and map out your travel plans for the next concert you will need to take a flight for.

The Off-Season Entertainment Mix

The Planning Phase Is Its Own Pleasure

One often under-appreciated advantage of the off-season is that this is when people typically do their best planning. The excitement for tickets during the height of anticipation, with no prior research done, usually results in tickets being purchased for an incorrect seat location or missing the opening act you would have loved. It is during the quietest months of the year that you will be able to plan your entire concert-going calendar. 

Creating a list of shows you want to attend (your “gig wishlist”), sending yourself reminders on concerts going on sale via the venue’s website (or ticket vendor), researching different venues at cities you are thinking about traveling to, digging as much as possible into information about supporting bands that were announced months before the actual concert date – all of these tasks fall under the category of the non-glamourous yet vital base of a successful live music year. People who enjoy attending concerts and accomplish some level of organization while doing so report having more enjoyable experiences (both from a standpoint of quality/quantity of seating options and fewer missed opportunities) than those who purchase tickets based solely on impulse.

Permit Yourself to Miss It

When everything else fails, whether it comes to streaming, documentaries, or just going through music sites, there is no better substitute for actually sharing the space during a performance of music. Within the live music culture, there is a certain immediacy to this experience that even a recording cannot fully capture. The time when the concerts are not taking place may be felt as an absence, a temporary lack of something truly precious. 

Healthy handling of such a period requires coming to terms with one’s feelings of loss, deriving pleasure from another format of musical engagement, and letting anticipation grow gradually. Smaller concerts, reliving one’s previous experiences, or even exploring different musicians can be very beneficial at this stage. And then, once the time for another season comes, such a long break usually makes the joy of live music even greater than before.