Preparing for your dream concert (our Harry Styles: Live on Tour Manila experience)

This blog is made up of two parts -- the preparation before the concert, and our photos and videos of the concert. Preparing for this show was eventful and we wanted to share the experience as well as some of our tips with you! 

If you've tried it, yay! Then you understand what we feel. 👊 If you haven't yet, we guarantee you it's something that you'll want to remember forever. We want to help you make the most out of it, so we've listed down some of the things we've learned from when we saw Harry Styles: Live in Manila a few weeks ago. 

When we're big fans of the artist, yes, we want to be as close as possible. No questions asked, that's what you'll immediately want to go for. However, there are factors you need to consider when selecting your seat. 

1. YOUR BUDGET - This is the first and most important thing. Don't pour all your savings into one concert, no matter how tempting it is. If you're a student or a young professional, you may consult with your parents/guardians first. You wouldn't want to enjoy the concert only to cry over your budget and expenses the next day. Spend money responsibly!

2. THE CONCERT VENUE - Is it an indoor venue? Or is it an outdoor venue? Is the stage elevated? Will it be held an at arena? Or will the grounds be flat? Think of the possible scenarios when you're already at the concert venue and how it might affect your experience. 

2. YOUR HEIGHT - If you're not too blessed in the height department, a standing section may not be too easy for you. The front sections are usually pits or free standing areas, so you'll have to stand on your tippy toes. 

3. YOUR HEALTH - Again, think about what might happen on the day of the concert. If you tend to feel claustrophobic or you're having trouble breathing in very confined and packed spaces, a pit/free standing area might not be good for you. On the other hand, if you picked a seated ticket, you'll have somewhere to sit while waiting for the show to start, or even during the concert when you get tired of standing up. 

Another thing to consider along this is if you got a free standing or a free seating section, you might have to line up on the day of the concert just to get good seats. Free standing/free seating means a first come first served basis, so that's another thing to consider. 

4. THE ARTIST/S - Are you seeing just a solo artist or a band? Back when we saw One Direction, the side of the stage you go close to wasn't much of a problem because there were four members -- they'd have to switch positions and they might pass by the side close to you. However, for solo artists (such as Harry this time), you'll have to consider where he's likely to spend most time at so that's where you'll also aim to go. 

Since Harry has a second stage, it's also not an issue to be sat by the back because you'll see him closely as well! And this actually happened! The people at the Lower Box area got to see him rather closely when he performed at the second stage. 

5. YOUR FRIENDS' SEATS - If you're going with friends, it's important to discuss all of these with them! Don't go rushing into buying tickets without talking to your friends first. If you bought your tickets without coordinating with your friends, you might have regrets at the end. But if you're watching alone, this shouldn't be a problem. And take note: there's nothing wrong with going to a concert alone! You'll even get to make new friends there. 

The Platinum area of Harry Styles' Manila show had limited tickets and the area was packed. We do not have asthma, nor do we have difficulty breathing in packed places but during the concert, the people at the back of the Platinum area were pushing to the front. We got pushed around even before the show started, and there was nothing you could do to stop it.

When the show began, it got worse. Our hair got pulled (my ponytail fell to the ground around 5 seconds after Harry appeared onstage lol) and people would use your shoulders to rest their elbows while taking videos and photos of the stage. It was really stressful and exhausting. All around you you'd smell sweat because most of the people around you have been lining up for hours as well. 

According to other fans, this is also the case in other pit/free standing concerts. This can be something to keep in mind when purchasing your tickets. Still, this experience let us see Harry Styles very closely for majority of the show so it was worth it in the end. Will we go buy pit tickets again if given the chance? That's something to consider! 😉

This is what we did! During the ticket selling, we were unable to get the tickets we wanted. 😭 We were hoping to get Platinum tickets but we ended up with Upper Box tickets instead. We know - that's a lot better than having no tickets at all. Those Upper Box tickets were still tickets to see Harry Styles. However, we didn't want to stop there. 

What did we do? We kept scouring the internet for resellers! You can find fans who are selling their tickets due to personal reasons, or those who are selling their extra tickets. Here are some of the things you need to remember when looking and negotiating with resellers!

Stay away from scalpers! You're already probably familiar with this term, but in case you're not, scalpers are the people who are selling the tickets at very high and unreasonably-priced tickets. Some fans turn into scalpers when they double or triple the price of the ticket, which is all sorts of wrong.

We understand that desperate times call for desperate measures, but buying from these people make you an accomplice to them making businesses out of our favourite artists. Also, think of the difference between the face value of the ticket versus the price they're selling it for. 

If you meet someone doing this, stay away from them or tell the organizers about them. MMI Live responds to concerns and complaints regarding these kinds of scammers. 

If you don't act quickly, somebody else will snag the ticket. This happened to us because there's a huge demand for tickets to Harry's show. Tickets can get snagged in a matter of minutes so if you see someone tweet or post about their tickets, message them as soon as you can so you can secure it immediately. What's better is if you get the tickets ASAP so you'll have them in your hands! 

We suggest bookmarking the pages so you can just refresh easily. For Harry's show, we bookmarked the tag #HarryStylesMNL on Twitter and the search results for 'harry styles' on Carousell, since that's where you can see the sellers putting the tickets up for grabs.

Yes, you'll message them first online or through text messages, that's how you usually talk to resellers. But when they tell you you have to deposit the money and they'll send you the ticket through a courier, that's a red flag! You don't know them well enough to trust them to send you the ticket. And even if you do trust them and they're not lying, what if the ticket comes in late? Don't ever ever say yes to this kind of transaction!

When you're meeting the seller, make sure it's done at a public place. When we sold our old tickets and got our upgrade for One Direction's On The Road Again Manila show, we met the buyer and the seller at malls. It went very smoothly and the seller even helped us change the ticket into the access card at the SM Tickets counter. The exchange took less than three minutes but it's always better to be safe than sorry. A mall is one of the best places to meet up with people you don't know since there's lots of people. We also advise you to ask a trusted friend or relative to go with you just in case.

There's a high percentage that the ticket you're looking for is on Viagogo. And this could be very tempting especially when the concert date is only a few months or weeks away, but you can't really trust these since the transactions are done online. They are also not affiliated with the official ticketing companies in the Philippines, so better safe than sorry. Trust them only when you are 100% sure they are affiliated with the ticket sellers!

We are not questioning the legitimacy of these websites because we've never actually tried them, but you never know. We are from the Philippines while these websites are based in the States. It may have worked for some, but it doesn't mean it'll work for everyone. 

(This option has no assurance of happening, but you never know! And you won't lose anything if you try!)

Even though we were on the lookout for around eight months, we weren't able to find a reseller. We saw some, but they were only selling one ticket and we didn't want to buy seats/locations that weren't together. But then one day in March, a fan tweeted that they were able to get tickets from SM Tickets, the official ticket seller for the show!

That was very surprising to us because the show was already sold out. So how did that happen? We're still not sure up to this day, but there were probably transactions that got cancelled which is why there were suddenly slots. Still, that introduced us to another plan -- we were going to try our hand at SM Tickets' website.

We immediately checked the website but it said there weren't any available tickets. Still, we didn't want to give up. That then brought about a continuous refresh of the page. Sounds silly but it's exactly what we did! One day, we kept refreshing the page for around 6 hours nonstop and we actually got tickets! 😭 Sounds fake, but it's exactly what happened.

There were probably other people who were on the site as well because only one ticket showed up (for us, at least). And then we kept refreshing again the next day - which probably took around 5 hours this time - and then we got another Platinum ticket! It's probably not the constant refresh that did it, but rather, we didn't want to risk it in case a ticket was made available which is why we didn't leave the site.

So that's something you have to do! Even if it's sold out, check the website every now and then since there might be tickets. But if the show wasn't sold out yet, the official website should be your first option!

Online transactions are done with the help of a credit/debit card but if you don't have one, you can download PayMaya! That's a virtual debit card you can load up, and it comes in the form of a Visa or Mastercard. (This is not a paid ad. 😜) 

One of the things about being a One Direction or a Harry Styles fan is this -- if you want good spots in a free standing or a pit section, you need to line up early. You don't just have to line up an hour before the show because that would be too late already -- you might as well just chill before they let people in because lining up late would mean you'll be at the back. 

Now, okay, that isn't so bad, right? You're in the front-est section anyway, so you'll still see him closely. But when you're a pretty loyal fan (like we are! ha!), you'll want to be as close as possible. Just ask any solid fan. They'll tell you the same thing. 😉

The night before the concert, we dropped by MOA Arena to see if there were already people lining up. And sure enough, there were people already. There were around 10-15 people at 1AM by the side of the arena. It was tempting to join in but we needed sleep and rest, so we left to get our much needed recharging for the next day.

Here's some of the most important things you need to make sure of! This isn't in one proper order only, but these are all the things you need to make sure you've got covered!

We came back to line up at 8AM during the concert day. When we arrived, there were already around 50 people in line. As much as we wanted to be one of the first people in line, we knew that rest and sleep is important since it would be a long day. 

It's tempting to line up so you'd be at the very front especially because your tickets aren't reserved seating. (If they're reserved seating, you wouldn't have to line up!) But for free standing, since you have to line up, you'd be tempted to go as early as you want. Sure, you could bring probably some mats and sleep or rest on the ground, but this isn't advisable especially if you have health issues. It's still better to get proper sleep and line up early the day of the concert. 

Eat and drink water when lining up, during lining up, before the concert, during the concert, and after the concert! Remember, it can get very hot in Manila. Just because the venue is air-conditioned doesn't mean you won't get dehydrated. 

It could get very packed inside air-conditioned venues so you need to bring water with you. However, you might prefer to buy bottles of water near the area rather than bringing containers with you. In venues like MOA Arena, you are not allowed to bring water containers inside. You don't have to worry because there are food stalls inside.

If you'll be lining up, it's best to bring food with you so you won't have to go through the hassle of looking for food when you get hungry. Remedy your hunger or thirst as soon as you feel it! Your health is still the priority. You might have lined up for 24 hours and you're at the very front but what happens when you pass out due to exhaustion? Who gets to enjoy the show? Not you! 😖Take care of yourself because when you're fit and well, that's when you'll enjoy the show the most!

Before the concert, you should already have a game plan with your friends. Where will you meet? Where will you eat? What do you need to bring? What if you lose sight of them during the concert? If you're at the free standing area, which side will you go? 

If you're lining up, it's also recommended to bring a friend with you. It will be super difficult if you went alone. What if you had to pee? Or you ran out of food and water? Sure, you can ask the person in front of you or behind you to watch your space, but it's still best if you have someone with you. Through this, you also won't get bored because you'll have someone to chat with.

But if you're going to the concert alone, make sure you also have a friend you can contact when something goes wrong. You can write down a trusted relative's or friend's number on a piece of paper to keep in your pocket in case your phone runs out of battery.

Let's be real - this is probably one of the first things you've planned. Maybe even as soon as you've gotten your tickets! 😛 Here are some pointers you to take note of when considering your outfit and your makeup!

• Wear something you'll be comfortable in! It's too tempting to go all out and look your best, but make sure it's something you're comfortable in. Your favourite shirt and shorts could be the perfect outfit - you won't feel too hot or too cold even inside the air-conditioned venue since it could get packed!
• Don't wear too much makeup if you're lining up outside! Your face will surely melt within an hour or two, not unless you've invested in good products for outdoors! It would be great to put on a full face of makeup if you're not lining up, or if the line would be in an air-conditioned room. But if it's not, better to make it as simple as possible. You can apply/reapply in the toilet inside the concert area.
• Don't bring a big bag! If you do, you'll have to leave this at the baggage counter outside the venue. Concert organizers are getting strict so make sure to bring only what's important!
  

And speaking of important, we've recently made a list of the most important things to bring with you. CHECK THEM OUT BY CLICKING HERE. 

In the previous concerts we've attended, the one thing we regret the most is not buying tour merchandise. This can get pretty tempting when you love the artist, but we didn't get merch before because it's too expensive. Since this tour is a special one, we set aside some of our money to buy souvenirs - the official tour merchandise!

The merch stand was located beside the entrance, at the roofed area between MOA Arena and MOA's Skating Rink. It was very organized compared to the other concerts we've been to, since they only allowed five people in at a time. In our previous experiences, you had to fight with other fans to get the attention of the cashiers so they'd attend to you. Thankfully, we didn't have trouble purchasing our stuff. 

Our favourite stuff would be the Harry tour shirts, hoodies, and the awesome programme which was a polaroid book filled with photos of Harry and his band. They were a little pricey, but then again you'd expect that from every concert. If you want a special keepsake from the concert, then we suggest saving up for the tour merch before the concert day. We chose the shirt and the hoodie because those are stuff we'll definitely be able to use the most. 

They allowed credit card purchases for Harry's show but there are concerts where you can only purchase through cash. So before heading towards the merch stand, it's still best to have cash ready for purchase.

Nothing ever happens the way we plan for them, and this is just one of those instances. You might have tons of expectations about the concert, but it won't always go this way. But what you have to remember is to have fun and make the most out of it. This is one of the days you'll want to remember forever, so make it one of the best days ever!

True, you'll still get frustrations, so you'll need an awful lot amount of patience. The people and the set up can at times be annoying, but in the end, it's the artist and the music you came for.

This post was exceptionally long and if you've reached this point, then yay! 🎉 Thanks for staying with us!We hope even one of the tips above helped you out. And we're sure you've got others of your own, so feel free to share them with us!

Our highlights from Harry's show will be in another post and we'll be sure to link them here when it's up!