Concerts aren’t fun unless you commit to the bit. I say this as a self-proclaimed live music veteran. If you zone back into the reality of the venue, you realize that you’ve been alternating the foot you’re placing weight on every 15 minutes because your feet ache, and the leather jacket you’re wearing to look particularly hip leaves you both sticky with sweat and unguarded against blaring air conditioning. You secretly want to go home—11:00 pm is much too late for your budding geriatric lifestyle. As such, even shows with the most engaging of artists require a strategy to maximize your concert-going experience. Here are my tips, grounded in last week’s Last Dinosaurs concert at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club.
Step 1: Don’t show up early
As recently as last year, I believed it was my godforsaken duty to be within arm’s length of the stage at any concert I so happened to attend. I would line up for hours in despicable weather conditions if it meant Maggie Rogers might, just might, make eye contact with me. Sometimes this means making friends in line with two college sophomores who drove from their Pennsylvania arts school to see the show, and far more often it means that you’re sick of standing before you make it inside.
Instead, get to know the area. The 9:30 Club is one of DC’s most iconic concert venues, having once hosted darlings of the city’s punk and go-go scenes. It’s situated within the Shaw neighborhood, a hotspot of Black culture and history. If you’re early, don’t let yourself waste time standing in line behind the other 20-something hipsters in Blundstones yearning for a view of Australia’s finest indie band. Go for a walk. Take in the sounds of the city. Have a bowl of ramen at Haikan if you so desire. Learn to embrace the view from the back of the venue—and hey, it’s great people-watching.
Step 2: Pretend you care about the opener. You might learn you actually do.
It is your moral duty, as a concertgoer, to ensure that the opener feels welcome on the stage. Sure, I’ve never heard of Jasper Bones and I was shocked to realize that I had several Tipling Rock songs lollygagging among my 3500 liked songs. Regardless, their time and effort are valued and a part of ensuring a cohesive sound throughout the evening.
For an audience prepared for an evening of alt-rock songs, Jasper Bones’ set, played alone on acoustic guitar, felt particularly melancholy. However, his lyrics, alternating between English and Spanish, tell artfully crafted stories of love and loneliness. He even fulfilled my forever plea to small openers—to play a cover. After strumming gracefully through “Amor De Mis Sueños,” Jasper added a crooning rendition of Frank Ocean’s “Self Control.” There is nothing yuppies love more than Frank Ocean, except maybe waving their phone flashlight around to Frank Ocean. It’s corny, but do it anyway.
Tipling Rock, on the contrary, fills in the gap between yacht rock and 2010s indie. There’s a chance you know their hit song “Staring,” but even if you don’t, you’ll catch yourself toe-tapping along with their feel-good grooves and catchy choruses. The Boston-based band ensures a combination of comedy and chaos—and they’re having fun doing it.
Shazam the songs if you so need—I know Siri sure as hell won’t tell me. But if you engage with the openers, you might end up with the next hip song to tell your friends that you discovered oh, so long ago.
Step 3: If you can’t sing, dance. If you can’t dance, try anyway.
If live music is not an invitation to let loose, I don’t know what is. There’s nowhere else, other than perhaps your car in an empty parking lot, where you have full permission to sing badly, loudly, and with a sea of people you’ll likely never see again. Feel the beat with others. Live deeply in the moment.
Last Dinosaurs made it easy to do so, never relenting in terms of energy throughout their 18-song set. They draw most heavily from their 2018 album Yumeno Garden and 2024 album KYORU, alternating between songs fronted by brothers Sean and Lachlan Caskey. While songs like the yearning, reminiscent “Italo Disco” called the crowd to sing every word, newer, unfamiliar songs left even longtime fans vaguely quiet. In this case, jump! Clap along with bassist Michael Sloane’s funkiest solos. Commit to having fun and you’ll immerse yourself in the music the same as if you’d been keeping up with the band from their very first release.
And if you’re not particularly immersed in Last Dinosaurs’ universe, they make it easy to remain engaged. The stage, which prominently features the Japanese characters for “Last Dinosaurs” flashes blue and yellow to reflect the album cover of each individual song. Note your favorites and save them for later. Live in the now instead.
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