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13 Things to Know about Concerts

2014-07-04 · list · Hank · 3:59 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Pop culture (also: Personal life) · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: on location

On tour, Hank shares concert know-how collected from his audiences, from earplugs to mosh pits, and argues the most important advice is the one a Portland crowd shouted: don't worry about looking cool.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Hank's first day off in about four weeks; he finally slept

  • ★ Hank says today is his first day off in about four weeks; after being repeatedly kept from a full night's sleep, he finally slept. (playful) — 00:00:06

00:00:24 — On tour with a rock band; Hank always feels anxious at shows; coolness hides concert dos and don'ts; he asked audiences for concert knowledge

  • ★★ Hank is on tour with a rock and roll band, which he finds really weird. — 00:00:24
  • ★★ Hank says he has never not felt anxious before a show, whether performing or watching. — 00:00:24
  • ★★★ Hank says concerts carry a lot of cultural knowledge and feel like a thing cool people do; part of coolness seems to be hiding the dos and don'ts from 'normal people', which he hates. (hedged) — 00:00:37
  • ★★ Hank has been asking his tour audiences what concert knowledge should be shared with the world, and passes on what he collected. — 00:01:01

00:01:14 — Crowd-sourced concert tips 1-12: earplugs, going alone, phone charge, layers, merch, dancing, arriving early, schedules, shoes, encores, strangers, mosh pits, safety

  • ★★ Tips 1-4: bring earplugs since shows can be dangerously loud; you can go alone and have an amazing time; keep your phone charged; hydrate and bring layers. — 00:01:14
  • ★★ Tips 5-7: buy merch on the way in; dance, clap and sing because the audience affects the stage; to be at the front, arrive early - pushing past people who did is rude. — 00:01:34
  • ★★ Tip 8: shows have no fixed schedule; generally doors open about an hour before the show and the main act plays two-plus hours after doors; expect to leave at least three hours after doors. (hedged) — 00:01:55
  • ★★ Tips 9-11: wear comfortable shoes; ask and you'll probably get an encore; talk to strangers, who share your taste in music, are usually nice and probably as uncomfortable as you. — 00:02:20
  • ★★ Hank says mosh pits are surprisingly safe and stage diving surprisingly dangerous; leave the mosh pit area if you don't want in, and secure shoes, glasses and loose items if you do. — 00:02:38
  • ★★ Tip 12: if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, tell the people around you or the venue staff and they will help. — 00:02:53

00:02:59 — Tip 13 from the Portland show: don't worry about looking cool; concerts are about shared excitement; thanks to audiences

  • ★★ Tip 13 was shouted at Hank's Portland show; unable to hear it, he had the people around the shouter repeat it, and dozens shouted 'Don't worry about looking cool!' — 00:02:59
  • ★★ Hank wishes he could start every day with people shouting it; we can't get it through our thick skulls, so we have to keep repeating it to each other. — 00:03:15

  • ★★★ Hank calls 'don't worry about looking cool' the most important concert advice: it's about being excited about something together with other people who are also excited. (hedged) — 00:03:33

    “It's not about looking cool; it's about being excited about something together with other people”

  • ★ Hank thanks everyone coming out to the shows; being part of that for people has been amazingly fantastic. — 00:03:48

00:03:56 — Sign-off

In the description and comments

  • ★ The description adds tips: make sure you're going to a safe part of town with a stable plan for getting home, and meeting performers after the show is usually pretty easy. — video description
  • ★ Meeting performers is usually easy, Hank adds, but they often have to move their own equipment and be out of the venue by a set time, so fans should understand if they can't hang out. — video description
  • ★ Hank asks viewers to list any other concert advice in the comments. — video description
  • ★★ Hank says there are still tickets for a few of the tour's shows for anyone who wants to come. — video description

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Mentioned

Central: concert

Also: Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers · moshing · Portland, Oregon · stage diving · Tour Because Awesome

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