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This year has already marked an all-time high for the number of concerts I have attended. Arena shows, intimate venues and even a music festival. The important common denominator there? My choice to sit down for much of the entertainment. What began as a social experiment ended as an important revelation.
I know you’re thinking – ‘Caroline, what are you doing? Are you really going to use your hard-earned money to sit down at a concert?’ The answer is absolutely. I feel as though I have unlocked a secret to the universe. It took me two decades to uncover this truth, and I won’t let the public wait any longer. In a quest to make this world a little bit better, I’d like to break down my reasonings with all of you and extend to you an invitation to be a member of Sit Nation.
You Don’t Get Tired
Maybe you’re slaving away behind a desk all day. Maybe you wake up early in the morning to get stuff done before you head into a long day of work. Or, if you’re a regular PGP reader, maybe you’re a little too familiar with the standing desk. Whatever it is, you work hard. You have things that you need to do. You’re rushing around, expending energy in your professional life. Why extend that into your personal life when you can be maxin’ and relaxin’?
After days this long, you can be burnt out before you even roll up to the venue. Caffeine is helpful, but that’s not going to kick in right away. Not to mention, some of these concerts go on for way longer than anybody could possibly want them to last. I recently attended a show with five (5) openers, and we didn’t even get back to our car until at least six hours after the first guy started. Look me in the figurative eyes and tell me you want to stand when it’s 6:30 p.m. and sunny at an open amphitheater for some random person you’ve never heard of. You don’t. Sit back and enjoy the music.
You Maintain Personal Space
This one applies more to general admission shows, so I guess the point here is – unless this is the only possible way you can see someone you love – stop going to GA concerts. At the end of the day, when I close my eyes and prepare to go to sleep, I lie awake at night terrorized by the thought of being sardined in between hundreds of people.
There’s always somebody who passes out and somebody else who spills beer all over themselves and everybody around them. Not to mention the inevitability of other people’s sweat everywhere. People want to be close to the action, and they’re going way too hard in order to do it. My heart has been hardened, and I have grown to resent standing at shows because everybody gets way too close to me. The personal space that a designated seat provides is truly an oasis.
You Don’t Embarrass Yourself
Imagine a middle-aged father, oddly swaying from side to side as he sings along to the Allman Brothers while he lights the grill. Throw that dad at a concert, and you have me. A girl in her early twenties who, for some reason, has no rhythm or musical talent whatsoever. I don’t dance, I just kind of flop around. I’m not ashamed to break out those moves. In fact, they’re a genuine reflection of how much fun I’m having. But you can still have fun without dancing, and I simply recognize that there is a time and a place for mine. In a crowd surrounded by kids who are way cooler than I have ever been is neither the time nor the place.
Sitting at concerts brings you only the best kind of attention – genuine human connection. If you’re wondering if the artist onstage is looking at you, you can rest assured knowing that they are. You can tell your squad it was love at first sight while, in reality, you know deep in your heart that it’s because he’s probably wondering why the hell there’s somebody sitting down at his show.
Somebody tell G-Eazy I’m still awaiting his marriage proposal..
My favorite concert venues are theaters with balcony seating. I’ll show up early and get the front row so I can sit the entire time with one of the best views in the house.
RIP Gregg Allman.