[Downsizing Zeal] Buying Concert Souvenirs

Most bands sell merchandise at their shows. For years, if I even vaguely enjoyed a band, I would buy a CD, sticker, or shirt to support the arts. Minimalizing one’s lifestyle might imply advocating for the opposite. Fewer of my pesos do pollinate the pockets of performers, however, purchasing with purpose should always be the way to go. If you can answer yes to “will I still listen to this in ten years?,” buy away!

WANNA CONSIDER HOW SOME SOUVENIRS ARE BUY YOU MORE OPTIONS THAN OTHERS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Sober Living] Day of Clutch-ening

The day before I sobered up is one I’ll always remember, not so much sequentially, but more cerebrally than that. I was working at the thrift store at the time, directionless, unmotivated, blaming others for the problems I wasn’t addressing, and just squandering my life. It was a difficult job. When I wasn’t jumping into moldy trailers or being lambasted for working “slowly,” I was trash-compacting high-quality goods. Then… maybe a glimpse into something greater…

WANNA CONSIDER HOW IT ONLY TAKES ONE FUNDAMENTALLY POSITIVE EVENT TO CAUSE CHANGE? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Career/Confidence] Týr (2018)

Týr might never become as popular as Metallica or Slayer. Not even Amon Amarth – arguably the most popular band among any of the ‘underground metal scenes’ – is likely to sell generic merchandise at your local supermarket. Should that be their (and our) measure of success? Týr is the biggest band from the Faroese Islands. That’s something! What if you’re similarly successful in your career? That’s also something! Let’s not compare our careers to The Beatles.

Týr Rating: ★★★★☆ [4/5]
Openers Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5]
WANNA READ A NOT-QUITE-REVIEW ABOUT WHERE WE SHOULD PLACE OUR FOCUS IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY ASSESS OUR SUCCESS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Concert Review] Sabroso Taco Festival (2018)

A “taco festival” with only one vendor dedicated to tacos? Excelling in gluttony should be a priority for Sabroso Taco Festival, like noteworthy food festival Bite of Seattle, if they intend to overtake retiring punk rock festival Warped Tour. If music festivals are declining in ticket sales in the United States, new and remaining festivals need more diverse content enticing wider audiences that might otherwise only be moderately interested in music. Sabroso is nearly there.

Music Rating: ★★★☆☆ [“2.8″/5]
Non-Music Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5]
Tacos/Food Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ [1/5]
Overall Rating: ★★★☆☆ [“2.2″/5]
WANNA READ A REVIEW OF THIS MUSIC FESTIVAL, GLEANING IDEAS ON HOW YOU CAN BETTER YOUR OWN PROJECTS BY FOCUSING ON DIVERSIFYING AND IMPROVING CONTENT? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Applied Self-Confidence] Up On Stage

While there’s something to be said for playing life safely, when the opportunity strikes, jump up on life’s stage! Get outside your comfort zone! Even for just a minute. The experience will probably be uncomfortable, you might need to push through fatigue, or embarrass yourself. You might step in spilled beer, get bumped into harmlessly, or get your picture taken. You also might not get the best shot. That’s still better than no shot whatsoever!

WANNA READ SOME MUSINGS ON SELF-CONFIDENCE THAT ARE TAKING THE PLACE OF A FORMAL CONCERT REVIEW? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Applied Psychology] Sabaton Concert Review (2018)

Life is a rollercoaster, with the occasional isolating feeling that what you’re going through is unique to the history of humanity. While no one has been through your exact life’s experiences, there have been many brave individuals that have braved through circumstances far worse. When I listen to Sabaton or see them live (4th time now!), their lyrics detailing historic battles remind me to press forward, and their music inspires me to address life’s stresses!

WANNA READ THIS EXPERIMENTAL CONCERT REVIEW WITH AN APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY ANGLE? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[CONCERT REVIEW] DAIKAIJU’S DOUBLE FIST ATTACK! (2017!!)

Seeing instrumental surf rock band Daikaiju is like stepping into a monster movie. Their fully interactive “attacks” on a venue, ripe for a 360-degree virtual reality music video, invite their audiences to participate in antics like hoisting their drum kit in the air during a performance. These antics would mean nothing if their music suffered to only temporarily ignite the audience’s interest. Fortunately, their antics serve as accurate visual footnotes to their energetic live performances!

WANNA SEE PREMIUM ACTION HEROES DISPLAY VALOR BY CONQUERING MEDIOCRITY? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[21 Concert Reviews] 2nd Fall 2017 Review Compilation

Attending concerts is therapeutic for me. When all goes well, I’m permanently motivated! Even when I must invent a new rating variable to express my contempt toward a performance, it’s usually worth the inconvenience of leaving my comfort zone to hang out with old friends, meet new acquaintances, or encounter interesting side stories. Seeing a leashed dog at a show was weird and that it wasn’t obviously a service or therapy dog was weirder still…


Not concert décor…

Average Rating: ★★☆☆☆ [2/5] [54 of 105 possible stars, 51%]
Adjusted Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5]
[@]: Photo, thoughts
WANNA CATCH THIS LATEST BATCH OF 21 BAND REVIEWS? OR SEE THE POOR DOG AT THE END? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[Concert Reviews] 1st Fall 2017 Review Compilation

This review compilation format is working out better than I thought! Considering the sheer volume of photos I take at concerts (366 photos, totalling 1.02GB), it’s easy just to upload my favorite photos from each band to TwitterInstagram has a terrible, mobile-only upload format, so I infrequently post there. It’s just too bad I took too many gambles on shows with only a few actually being worth attending. Guess you gotta give everything a go…


More swag décor

Average Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5] [58 of 105 possible stars]
Adjusted Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5]
[@]: Tweeted photo, thoughts
WANNA SEE MY MICRO REVIEWS OF THIS RECENT BATCH OF CONCERTS? KEEP ON READING!

[Concert Reviews] Summer 2017 Review Compilation

Just as my writing focus shifted away from thrifting, I’ve lost some interest in long-form nonfiction narration under the guise of concert reviews. They’ll still happen occasionally. Over the past month, I’ve written little more than thinking up an introduction to a hypothetical Metallica review: “Without exaggeration, I’ve listened to Symphony and Metallica while writing over 50% of the material I’ve uploaded here. Did they disappoint?” So let’s briefly cover this backlogged batch of 5 concert reviews.


Swag booth décor

Average Rating: ★★★☆☆ [3/5] [53 stars out of a 100 possible star rating]
Adjusted Rating: ★★★★☆ [4/5] [some excellence]
WANNA CHECK OUT THIS SET OF CONCERT REVIEW EXPERIMENTS? KEEP ON READING!