Thereโs a quote doing the rounds that might just be one of the finest pieces of financial advice ever delivered to a rock fan:
โDonโt be afraid to spend money on live music and beers with friends. Be afraid of growing old and realising the only place you ever went was work.โ
And franklyโฆ YES MUN. ๐ค๐ฅ
Forget motivational posters about climbing mountains and staring dramatically across lakes. Give us a sticky venue floor, an overpriced pint, ringing ears and somebody shouting โONE MORE SONG!โ at a band that has already played three encores.
Because life isnโt supposed to be nothing more than work, sleep, bills, repeat.
Sometimes youโve got to buy the bloody gig ticket. ๐๏ธ
๐ธ You Can Earn More Money โ You Canโt Replay Saturday Night
We all have responsibilities.
There are bills to pay, shopping to buy, cars that suddenly decide they need ยฃ400 worth of repairs approximately twelve minutes after payday, and energy companies apparently attempting to finance their own private space programmes.
Being sensible matters.
But so does actually living.
That ยฃ30, ยฃ50 or ยฃ100 you spent going to see your favourite band might disappear from your bank account, but what replaces it can stay with you for decades.
The opening riff.
The lights going down.
That roar when the band walks onto the stage.
Your mate spilling half his pint because the song youโve both been waiting for suddenly starts.
The stranger next to you screaming every lyric.
The completely unnecessary purchase of a tour T-shirt that costs roughly the same as a small family hatchback.
Those are memories.
And memories donโt appear on your bank statement.
๐บ Beers With Friends Are Part Of The Soundtrack
Some of the greatest gig nights arenโt just about what happens onstage.
Theyโre about everything surrounding it.
Meeting your mates beforehand.
Finding a pub near the venue.
Arguing about what songs the band will play.
Someone confidently predicting the opener and getting it spectacularly wrong.
Then thereโs the post-gig analysis.
โThat guitar solo!โ
โThat drummer was absolutely mental!โ
โDid you SEE that pit?!โ
โHow much did you pay for that pint?!โ
And inevitably:
โRight thenโฆ whoโs playing next month?โ
Thatโs the magic.
Live music brings people together in a way few other things can.
For a couple of hours, nobody cares what you do for a living, what car you drive or whether youโve remembered to put the bins out.
Youโre just another sweaty lunatic singing the chorus. ๐ค
๐ฅ Festivals Take This Philosophy To Another Level
Then weโve got festivals.
Ahhh, festivals.
Places where normal financial logic packs its bags and disappears completely.
You arrive with carefully prepared spending money and approximately six hours later youโre standing in a field holding a ยฃ9 burger, a festival T-shirt, another band shirt, some merchandise you absolutely didnโt need and a pint youโve somehow paid premium mortgage rates for.
And youโre delighted about it.
Because somewhere behind you a guitar is roaring through a massive PA system and youโre surrounded by thousands of people having exactly the same brilliant weekend.
Rain?
Mud?
Wind?
Tent trying to achieve flight?
Doesnโt matter.
RIFFS ARE HAPPENING.
Only in Britain could thousands of people stand ankle-deep in mud while drinking lager in waterproof ponchos and collectively decide:
โThis is bloody brilliant.โ ๐๐ค
๐ค Support Your Local Venues Too
Thereโs another important side to spending money on live music.
That ticket isnโt simply buying you an eveningโs entertainment.
Itโs helping keep the entire live music ecosystem alive.
Independent venues need audiences.
Local bands need people through the doors.
Promoters need tickets sold.
Touring musicians need merch shifted.
Sound engineers, lighting crews, photographers, security teams, bar staff, stage crews and countless others depend on gigs continuing to happen.
So when you spend ยฃ10 or ยฃ15 seeing an unsigned band in a little venue, youโre doing more than buying admission.
Youโre helping ensure thereโs somewhere for tomorrowโs bands to develop.
Every enormous rock band once played somewhere tiny.
There was a point when Metallica werenโt filling stadiums.
Iron Maiden werenโt flying around the world in their own aircraft.
Foo Fighters werenโt headlining festivals.
Those careers were built gig by gig, venue by venue and fan by fan.
So go see the support band.
Go see the local band.
Go inside early instead of spending another hour in the pub.
You might discover your next favourite artist. ๐ธ๐ฅ
๐ค Nobody Remembers The Tuesday They Stayed Late At Work
Obviously weโre not suggesting anyone should stop paying the electricity bill because Judas Priest announced another tour.
Although weโd understand the temptation.
Weโre talking about balance.
Work matters.
Careers matter.
Saving money matters.
But your life matters too.
Nobody reaches their later years thinking:
โI really wish Iโd spent more Thursday evenings answering emails.โ
But plenty of people remember concerts from twenty, thirty or forty years ago.
They remember exactly where they were standing.
Who they went with.
What song opened the show.
What shirt they bought.
How loud it was.
Sometimes they even remember the price of the ticket โ usually followed by:
โYOU WOULDNโT GET IN THE CAR PARK FOR THAT NOW!โ ๐
Music attaches itself to moments.
Thatโs why hearing one song can instantly transport you back years.
Suddenly youโre 18 again, standing at the barrier with your mates and believing tomorrow morning doesnโt exist.
Thatโs priceless.
๐ค Buy The Ticket
So hereโs your unofficial Riff Report permission slip.
See the band.
Go to the festival.
Meet your mates.
Buy the pint.
Wear the ridiculous band shirt.
Get soaked in a Welsh field.
Sing until your voice disappears.
Take the photo.
Support the little venue.
Watch the unknown opening band.
Stay for the encore.
And every once in a while, buy that ticket youโve been staring at for three days while telling yourself:
โI really shouldnโtโฆโ
Because one day that ticket wonโt be sitting in your email inbox.
Itโll be a story.
โI saw them on that tour.โ
โI was there that night.โ
โMe and the boys went to that festival.โ
โRemember when they played THAT song?โ
Those are the things weโll talk about when weโre old.
Not spreadsheets.
Not meetings.
Not that email marked URGENT that turned out to be absolutely nothing.
๐บ๐ธ The Riff Report Saysโฆ
Spend responsibly, obviously.
Look after yourself.
Pay your bills.
Feed the cat.
Maybe donโt remortgage the house because your favourite band announced seventeen coloured vinyl variants.
But donโt become so obsessed with saving for tomorrow that you forget to enjoy today.
Money comes and goes.
Bands retire.
Venues close.
Tours finish.
People move away.
And unfortunately, none of us gets unlimited Saturdays.
So when youโve got the opportunity to make another brilliant memory with your matesโฆ
BUY THE TICKET. SEE THE BAND. DRINK THE PINT. MAKE THE MEMORY. ๐ค๐บ๐ฅ
Because growing older is inevitable.
Growing older with a lifetime of ridiculous gig stories?
Now thatโs a proper job.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies. ๐๐ค
What gig, festival or completely irresponsible musical adventure gave you memories worth every penny? Tell us โ we want the stories!
