Confessions of a Concert Junkie

I have an addiction to waiting for the curtain to drop, dancing until my feet hurt, and the aftermath ear ringing.  I have an addiction to singing along with 50-50,000 other people, dodging the tall guy in the crowd, and being doused in confetti. My name is Alexis and I have an addiction to concerts.

It's summertime, the best time of the year for concert junkies. With the seemingly endless supply of musical acts flooding the city, it's possible to go to a show each and every night.  Let it be the NXNE festival last week, Jazzfest this upcoming week (click here for shows), or the many other festivals and tours; there's definitely a show for everyone this summer in Toronto. I have been known to check out my fair share of bands, and I mostly owe that to my concert gaurdian angel Mark :) After meeting this man some 7 years ago, I have seen countless shows in various venues around the city.  He is also the reason I can justify spending the extra cash for good seats (after experiencing a show up close, you can't go back to the nose bleeds).

I've been asked in the past how I manage to snag such good seats to some high profile shows.  Here are a few tips I've learned throughout the years:

1. Learn about presales: Presales are usually through online fanclubs or ticket sites like Livenation.  Get on as many lists as you can for the acts you really want to see.  If all else fails, email a local radio DJ and beg for the presale password.  Trust me, this can actually work.

2.Go on the ticketmaster (or other ticket vendor's) website 5 min before and continually reload the page until the seats go on sale.  Although tedious, this usually helps to snag some of the best available seats at the on sale time.

3. If you dont get the tickets you want at the presale or general on sale, TRY TRY AGAIN! Venues often release blocks of tickets closer to the date of the show, so keep checking back! They do this to thwart scalpers (my mortal enemies) from snapping up all the good seats.

4. If I've learned anything from my concert guru Mark, its that tweeting and getting involved with the artist's team matters.  If an artist's twitter account offers free pit tickets to a lucky winner, TWEET THEM! I've actually seen this work multiple times, and it takes 10 seconds to do.

My most recent indulgence in my concert addction was last night at Taylor Swift's RED tour. One of the most popular tours of the summer for sure; the songstress sold out two back to back shows of 45,000+ people at the SkyDome this past weekend (I refuse to call it Rogers Centre). In true concert gaurdian angel fashion, Mark secured us PIT tickets to see Miss Swift when additional tickets were released last Friday.

Taylor during RED showing off her guitar skills

Balancing during Treacherous

Miss Swift put on the show of the summer (in my opinion) last night. Insane choreography, endless costume changes, pyro galore, and most importantly, a fully LIVE performance during which she sounded spectacular.   There's nothing worse then seeing a lip synched show (unless its Britney, because really, what did you expect), so experiencing Swift singing all of her hits perfectly was a treat.  She's received criticism in the past from critics with regards to her live shows, but WOW has she shut them up now.  Not only was her vocal performance flawless, she also came across very genuine and greatful; interacting with the crowd frequently throughout the show.  Swift appeared to be enjoying herself as much as the crowd was which really added to the joy of the show. Overall, if you ever have the chance to go see her live, even if you are not the biggest fan, just go.  She will win you over, one bedazzled outfit at a time.

Out of focus dance break

 The rest of my summer concert line-up is TBD...any suggestions?