What do y'all do for concerts any tips?
What I do is I research the set list on setlist.com. this makes the show it's way better knowing exactly what the bands are going to play.
Ear plugs are a must have.
I will try my best to buy tickets in person, tonight I avoided a 17 dollar fee. While waiting in line to buy my ticket the person in front of me bought his ticket from a 3rd party website and was counterfeit.......
Ive found if you try walking down the sides or near the walls you can sneak towards the front easier sometimes.
Merch, check Amazon first because the $40 shirt is $20 there.
I recommend not using amazon for merch, the band won't see a penny of it. Instead if you don't want to pay the inflated prices at the venue, use the bands webstore or bandcamp.
Bands pay venues a merchandise fee to sell items, why the price is so inflated. The curmudgeon in me is a cheap bastard, I don't wanna feel like a custy.
You need to take care of you, try to make sure it's official merch if you care about the band though.
Personally I also don't mind supporting the venue if we're talking about independent locations and not stadiums. I want them to have enough staff for drinks, security and hygiene so that they can stay in business. Metal is a niche to begin with so supporting your local venues is part of supporting the scene, for me. I recognise it's easy to say for me since I can do so without any financial pain, but I really feel it's important to keep that perspective in mind as well.