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How to Concert Successfully: A Guide to Concert Etiquette

How to Concert

We here at 4E are constantly trying out fun activities that take us off campus and a good concert is no exception. For those of you who frequent concerts or music festival venues, you can probably relate to me on this one. For those of you who do not, please listen up because there are some rules to follow when going to see your fave band live.

Drink responsibly: Do not be that person that drinks way too much and is spastically trying to navigate the floor. You will spill your $7 beer on someone (Seven dollars wasted!) and they will most likely get very angry. If you are 21 and over and do decide to drink, please pace yourself. You do not want to be that person that distracts everyone from the beautiful people up on stage.

Don’t be this guy. You will not look this adorable.

This is not a photo shoot: If you didn’t post about it on all social media sites, did it really happen? The answer is yes. It’s okay to take a few quality pics or to add a video for your Snapchat story to alert your friends that you got this close to whoever, but do not have your phone out the entire time. I want to be able to see the stage, not my favorite guitarist on your tiny IPhone screen.

Limit the PDA: Do not be that couple that is having an intense dance floor make-out sesh instead of listening to the music. You came to hear the genius lyricism of an artist, not to publicly suck each other’s faces off.

Mastering the art of crowd surfing: Usually only done at large music festivals, crowd surfing is a move where timing is everything. So let’s imagine this situation: The show is packed and you are covered in everyone else’s sweat, but you don’t care. The guy in front of you gets lifted up by his friends and is floating throughout the crowd, like royalty. He looks like he is having the best time of his life and he probably is, so you decide that you’re next. Be cautious because you don’t want to be that person who falls flat on their a**. The key is to make sure there are some strong-looking guys around you and that the crowd is energetic. You really don’t want to mess this one up.

Don’t wander: Have you ever been to a concert and been shoved by that huge guy pushing his way to the front, then 15 minutes later being pushed by him again because he’s just not feeling the set? Well, maybe you haven’t, but being shoved around in an already over-capacitated space is no bueno. Don’t be that person who constantly walks around in order to get the best spot. Please, just relax, chill and enjoy the show.

Well there you have it, your guide on the do’s and don’ts of concert-going. To you concert professionals reading this, I’m sure you feel my pain and to you amateurs, take note and enjoy!

Gifs: giphy.com, tumblr.com; Photo: dismissedblog.com

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Surviving Senior Week (If You Aren’t Actually a Senior)

SENIOR WEEK

So, you’re still here.

Finals are over. Most of your friends have moved out. Your room is a shadow of its former self, your Pulp Fiction/Animal House/Bob Marley posters and big-screen TV packed away in a Corp Storage box somewhere.

It’s Senior Week, the aptly named period at the end of the year when the soon-to-graduate class gets campus mostly to itself, with no classes to worry about and a plethora of university-sponsored activities to enjoy.

But whether you’re trying to make some extra cash at an on-campus job or helping a club finish its end-of-year projects, you’re just one of many underclassmen sticking around for the week. With classes done and club commitments pretty relaxed in most cases, chances are you’ve got a ton of free time and next to no idea what to do with it.

Don’t be too jealous of the seniors: Just because you don’t get a keg party at Leo’s or a black-tie ball at Union Station doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome week. Follow a few simple rules and you’ll find yourself wondering why everyone doesn’t stay late:

FIND A HOUSE
If you’re here for a club or work, chances are you know a few co-workers still on campus. Find one that has a townhouse, or at least a big apartment.

This serves two purposes:

1. With Leo’s closed until summer school starts, this week provides a prime opportunity to work on your culinary skills. Cooking is much more fun with a bunch of friends in a house than it is in your common room.
2. It’s not fun (or legal) to fit 25 people and a keg in a Southwest Quad dorm room.

Even if you aren’t into big parties, it’s important to have a home base for people to convene at nights, whether it’s for a potluck dinner or a movie showing (The Georgetown Retaliation, anyone?) University townhouses are best, but a Henle or Village B will work in a pinch.

PACK YOUR STUFF
Seriously, do it. No matter how many times you tell your friends that you’re better at packing when you’re drunk anyway, frantically attempting to shove all your belongings into a suitcase at 4 a.m. the morning of your flight is really, really not fun. Try to pack some of your belongings every day, so by the end of the week all that’s left is this week’s laundry.

When you inevitably figure out that you can’t fit all your clothes and other accumulated crap into two suitcases and a backpack, be sure to donate your unwanted possessions to a move-out drive rather than the dumpster.

BREAKING THE BUBBLE, PART 1
This is where we’d normally tell you to go see a Washington Nationals game. Unfortunately, D.C.’s boys of summer are on a West Coast road swing until NEXT WEDNESDAY. While Nats games are a blast, we don’t recommend flying to San Diego this week to see one.

Seriously, though, there’s nothing like a baseball game on a warm summer night. A river taxi runs from the Georgetown Waterfront to Nationals Park most nights, so it’s easy to avoid the overstuffed Green Line. If you stay late in future years, be sure to catch at least one game.

BREAKING THE BUBBLE, PART 2
“Get out of the Georgetown bubble!” is one of the most repeated and least followed pieces of advice most Hoyas will encounter during the school year. It’s understandable, really — we all know D.C. has a lot to offer beyond the front gates, but we’re too tied up with homework, extracurricular commitments and friends to take advantage of it during the year.

Well, you’re in luck. Use your time this week in between work and partying (trust us, there’s time) to get out in the city.

-If by some absurd confluence of events you haven’t already walked to the monuments with your friends, do that. Seriously, they’re awesome.
-Rent a paddleboat or canoe and go out on the Potomac. We do not endorse the legally questionable practice known as “cabrewing” — in which participants bring beer to drink on the river — but its existence should be noted.
-Take the Blue Line to Alexandria’s Old Town district, where you can hang out with some beer and wings while watching Revolutionary War re-enactors march up and down the street, or check out the awe-inspiring George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
-Go visit a Smithsonian (they’re free) or the Newseum (not free, but 100 percent worth the price of admission).

If you’re not feeling especially adventurous, use your newfound free time to go out for a nice dinner with friends right here in Georgetown. Taj of India, Bangkok Joe’s and Thunder Burger are just a few of the spots you may have missed if you didn’t make it past Wisconsin Ave. this year.

GO TO LAU
*ducks to avoid barrage of textbook projectiles* KIDDING! I WAS KIDDING!

All jokes aside, enjoy your Senior Week, Hoyas!

Photo: Alexander Brown/The Hoya

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Reimagining Georgetown, One Idea at a Time

Georgetown is all about traditions. It’s about hearing Bill Clinton speak in Gaston Hall, then coming back the next day to see your roommate’s a cappella group perform. It’s about John Carroll’s lap, GUSA campaigns, and your first Chicken Madness. On a campus with so many longstanding traditions, though, there’s always room for a great new idea.

The Reimagine Georgetown Grant gives you the opportunity to bring your own great idea to life. You can win up to $10,000 to fund a project that improves the undergraduate student experience. Sponsored by the Corp, GUASFCU and The Hoya, Reimagine looks to improve the undergraduate experience at Georgetown by supporting creative student initiatives.

In the past, Reimagine has given grants to projects like the Georgetown Farmer’s Market, Breaking the Bubble, Student Workshops at Georgetown and more. We can’t wait to see what other ideas are out there!

Interested in applying? The deadline is October 28th, and you can find the application here. Starting tonight, Reimagine Georgetown will be hosting open houses where you can come ask questions and talk to us about your ideas. Just look for our table in either Uncommon Grounds or Midnight Mug.

Important dates:

Wednesday, October 10 – Open House, Uncommon Grounds 9-11 pm

Wednesday, October 17 – Open House, Midnight Mug 9-11 pm

Wednesday, October 24 – Open House, Midnight Mug 9-11 pm

Friday, October 28 – Applications due by 11:59 pm

Have questions? Want them answered now? Email [email protected]