What is Post-Concert Depression?:
For concertgoers, there's a period of time that individuals experience after the concert, show, or performance called Post-Concert Depression. It is a period of time when the individual feels depressed or low in emotion because they are forced to go back to reality.
There are usually nine stages of this period of time, which include euphoria, reflection, realization, back to reality, feeling outcasted, stalking, lack of impulse control, acceptance, and living. Individuals may experience these stages abruptly after the concert and for a long period of time afterward. It varies from person to person and is based on how one viewed the experience too as a good time or bad night out.
My Experiences of Having Post-Concert Depression Chronic Illness Edition):
(Inspired by the link above)
Euphoria:
Euphoria is described as a feeling of intense excitement or happiness. I've felt euphoria multiple times at concerts. My most recent experience was when I saw GUNNAR at a small concert venue in the city and got to stand in the front row. I remember the floor shaking and my whole body vibrating from the music and band playing at the bar. It was so loud in the small bar that I had to take out my hearing aids and check my heart rate multiple times. As a person with invisible disabilities, I know that it is not easy to stand for a long period of time, especially in the front row anywhere. I am happy and grateful that my dad took me to the venue, that I got to stand in the front row at his concert, and experience euphoria for the first time. I will remember that moment forever since I might not get a chance to stand in front of a stage again. Euphoria is a great feeling but it doesn't last forever.
You can check out GUNNAR's latest album, "Best Mistake" here: https://gunnar.lnk.to/BestMistakeAlbum
2. Reflection
Everyone experiences the reflection stage differently. Some people may talk excessively to their friends about how great the concert was or even to their parents and others might write long posts about their experience on social media. It really just depends on one's experience as a concertgoer. For me, the reflection period of post-concert depression starts with checking my blood sugar as soon as the show is over. Usually, my glucose reading is above 200 right after I get out of a concert. When my glucose reading is above 170, I am usually thirsty, tired, and can't concentrate. With that being said, my reflection period starts with treating my blood sugar. Sometimes it's low when I get home from a concert. For example, the GUNNAR concert was two hours away from my home. And when I got home my glucose reading was 72. Yikes! Not good. I was eager to post about my first time getting front row at a concert and meeting the musician in person but first I had to focus on my body. I drank a box of fruit juice to raise my blood sugar and of course, I had to wait 15 minutes for the sugar and carbs to kick in. Then, by the time my blood sugar went up to 100, I had a migraine, which meant that it was time for bed. Reflection posts would be written out and posted another day.
3. Realization
The realization period is exactly what it sounds like. It's realizing that the concert is over and never going to happen again. It is realizing that the only physical memories that you have from those moments of euphoria are in pictures, videos, and posts on social media. I can remember a time when I realized that I was back in MY reality after a great concert as vividly as possible. In March 2022, I went with my dad to see Olivia Rodrigo's SOUR tour. It was a concert that was hard to get tickets for, specially reserved seats since I can't stand in the pit. Not only was it hard to get the tickets but it was also something that I deserved. Before I bought the tickets I was stuck in my college dorm room completing my last finals before graduation, and little did I know that the university was shoving students out ASAP because of COVID. I deserved those tickets and worked hard for them over the last 4 and a half years of college. Anyways, on the night of the show as soon as the concert ended, my dad shoved me in a taxi on the street of D.C. wearing my extra large SOUR shirt and checking to see how I was feeling. That was one moment when I realized that everything I had worked for and even going to a concert with a parent instead of a friend was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I realize that I am extremely lucky that I got to see Olivia perform but my reality isn't as great as being at a concert with thousands of people that understand the lyrics I sing along to in the car.
4. Back To Reality
Ah. Returning to everyday life. Probably one of the hardest parts of post-concert depression in my opinion. Everyday life for me looks different than for other individuals. My life is full of doctor's appointments where they say that I am absolutely healthy but just need a check-up, lots of making and taking dozens of medications each week, and dealing with toxic parents who have lost a child in the last decade. The most recent scenario involving post-concert depression and my chronic illnesses hasn't happened yet. In fact, it is going to happen this month. I have 5 appointments already scheduled for various reasons that are not concert related in March. And in addition to going to those appointments, I have planned to go see Joshua Bassett and Maya Hawke live in concert. I can already imagine how exhausted and depressed I'll feel after this month. While the concerts are an escape from the appointments, they are also just temporary events that only happen for 3 hours max.
You can listen to Maya Hawke's album "Moss", here: https://mayahawke.lnk.to/moss and
Joshua Bassett's album "Sad Songs in a Hotel Room" is here: https://joshuatbassett.lnk.to/ssiahr
5. Feeling Outcasted
There are many ways to feel outcasted after an event or concert. One way is by looking at social media comments and likes. Social media is an online experience where people will read what you write or post and then click on it and scroll to the next post. As a Gen-Z concertgoer, I like to post my concert memories on my social media. I like to keep the good memories on my feed and timelines, in order for me to have something to look back on when I need a reminder that I should be grateful for all the experiences I have.
Although, as an individual with chronic illnesses, I often times feel outcasted all the time in person after concerts. I see people in restaurants and with their friends and family in malls and other locations talking about 'that time we did this together and we want to do it again at a different concert...'. I want to be like them but unfortunately, I can't because of how much energy and time at an event my body can handle. My mind gets filled up with thoughts like, "how many times will I be able to stand in the pit or the front row of a concert?' and "why do I have to sit in special disability-reserved seating where I can't catch confetti-like other girls after the concert?'
6. Stalking (or networking)
Stalking as a fan girl is not as creepy as it sounds. Often, fans are searching for the band members names that played at a concert to see what other shows they are playing at, or if there's another concert coming up that they want to go to, or even to chat with people that they met at the concert. It's a way of reliving old memories and also networking and communicating. This act of 'stalking' or searching on social media might even help an individual find their new concert-going buddy. In 2019, I went on Why Don't We's 8 Letters tour with my friend. At the time, I didn't realize that the band had a whole community attached to them including their band, security guard, siblings, and parents. After the concert, I quickly searched on Twitter and Instagram for all of the band's team's social media posts. I even started following the venue location on Twitter. In a way, it does seems stalkerish but it also helped me make online friends and realize that there were 'Limelights' (WDW fans) that were also chronically ill. The people that I saw at the concert venue were only a portion of the fans. But stalking and searching online helped me find out that I wasn't alone in having a WDW concert post-depression.
7. Lack of Impulse Control
Many fans can relate to this stage of post-concert depression along with the other nine stages. As concert and event goers we are always looking for the next show to go to or the next show to see our concert buddy at. In a way, it is longing and wanting to feel that euphoria again that only lasts a few hours. But it is also a way to escape from reality whether that is a full-time job or a chronic illness routine. From my perspective, I have a lack of impulse control when it comes to looking at LiveNation, TicketMaster, BandsInTown, and Spotify for concerts to go to. I really want to go see Taylor Swift's Eras tour and I know that there is a high demand for tickets. So just like any other swiftie desperate to go, I search on every ticket resale website for tickets at night instead of taking care of my insulin pump beeping or the medicine I have to take at night. That being said, I'd rather search for and buy concert tickets than change my insulin pump every three days. I not only love to go to concerts as a way to ignore my medical situation but also use them as something positive in my life to look forward to. Doctor's appointments and work are not positive events at all.
8. Acceptance
Acceptance. Not the same as denial but similar in a way. It's accepting that the budget to get to and buy a ticket for the next concert is too expensive and far away. It's also realizing that maybe you will get a chance to stand in the pit of a venue again or maybe not. Accepting the situation you are in is tough. I know from being a fangirl located in a city where there aren't many concert venues that I'm just going to have to deal with the fact that it is too much money and trouble to go to the next city to go to a concert for 3 hours and come back. The travel time and planning take a toll on my physical and mental health since I am the individual buying the tickets, planning the trip, and finding out where the venue is and how to get there. My parents aren't doing any of the buying or planning for me anymore since I am an adult and can make my own money. And since I can't drive, I have to plan the commute beforehand and just pray that I get to the venue safely and on time. Oftentimes, I stay up late or stare at my computer excessively for long periods of time, causing migraines to occur in my head. It's not a pleasant symptom of a mitochondrial disease but it's what I do to plan even if I have to accept that it's too hard to get to the venue without a car.
9. Living.
Ugh. Living is what fans who aren't at concerts are doing right now. They are looking back at concert memories from either a few months ago or years ago and remembering the good times they had during those few hours of the show. Living is what I am currently doing right now. I'm trying to accept the fact that I have to look for a job and send out resumes and cover letters while taking care of my mental and physical health. My next concert is an event that I am looking forward to because it's an escape from this reality called living. I am just trying to live and enjoy the music on my phone or laptop until I can go to another concert.
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