What to wear to a concert

I have legit had this post drafted since November!!! 2018 seemed to be the year that all of my favorites chose to tour, so I ended up seeing 3 concerts at the end of last year, plus one more last week. Many people post ideas on what to wear to concerts, but I'm going one step further to show you four actual outfits (plus one bonus) that worked for me. It's not just rhetorical, it's for real! Oh, but before we start, I will forewarn you that many of the pieces I wore are old and no longer available, but I figured this post would still help give you visual inspiration in hopes that you have similar pieces to work with already in your closet. OK, let's get started. 

Earrings: Nickel and Suede large cut out (current colors here) | Top: Express (current camo options here, current off the shoulder tops here) | Bag: Teddi Joelle | Bottoms: American Eagle | Sneakers: Converse

First up is Ed Sheeran! I had tickets to see him over a year ago but they ended up canceling the concert because there were protests downtown and they didn't have officers to spare to work security for the show. They refunded our money and I wasn't positive if I was going to buy tickets to his stadium tour, but I'm glad I did! It was outside at our baseball stadium in September, so still pretty warm which meant I really didn't want to wear jeans. Sweating while wearing jeans is much like Ross in Friends wearing leather pants. I was going to do leggings, but I wanted to wear my belt bag that hooks directly to your belt loops. 

Seeing Ed Sheeran at Busch Stadium

My knit jeggings from American Eagle were perfect. I've explained before that if I'm sweaty, I actually prefer to be in a legging over bare legged because I hate the feeling of my inner thighs sticking to each other. I have stank face thinking of it. The knit keeps me dry, but the super stretch keeps me comfy. There were talks of rain, so I packed some disposable ponchos in my belt bag and made sure I had comfy, closed-toe shoes. Camo plus off the shoulder helped me feel sassy, and my faux-fancy-side-do kept the sweaty hair out of my face. Definitely two thumbs up for this outfit!

Ed Sheeran Concert Review: 

Wowee! He definitely surpassed my expectations! I knew he was awesome live as he opened for Taylor Swift when I saw her a few years ago, but he was even better this time. It was just him - a one man show and he completely left the crowd fully engaged and entertained. If I remember correctly, we were in the 11th row on the floor and I was worried I wouldn't see with tall people in front of me, but it all worked out. I'm not sure I would want to have floor seats though sitting any further back.

Earrings: Nickel and Suede large cut out (current colors here) | Tunic: Charming Charlie | Bag: Teddi Joelle | Leggings: Spanx | Sandals: Sam Edelman

Next up is Taylor Swift. Big hair, lace, off the shoulder, faux leather moto leggings, leopard sandals - I wanted to be a bit extra for Taylor because why not?! I planned to simply wear what I wore to the office straight to the concert, but I was completely thrown off because there was a bag size limitation. My belt bag (which I'm wearing with it's detachable belt in this photo) was just a bit bigger than the size limit, and I didn't want to chance being rejected at security. I ended up changing after work before the concert.

Earrings: Nickel and Suede large cut out (current colors here) | Top: Express (current off the shoulder tops here) | Wristlet: Coach | Bottoms: American Eagle Sneakers: Adidas

Sooooo, this is basically the same outfit I wore to see Ed Sheeran with just a different bag and my Adidas instead of Converse. I was at a loss for what to wear to be honest as I had my heart set on the previous outfit. Since we were limited to a super tiny bag, I wanted to make sure I had actual pockets for more storage capacity, which is why I ditched the leggings. This little wristlet is super old and it's the only thing I had that fit the size limit. Of course, they were totally not strict with the size. I think they let anyone in so long as it wasn't an obnoxiously large bag, but I'd say the majority of everyone had bigger bags than me. I would have been happier with my belt bag because it was really annoying to dance and jump around with the wristlet flailing on my arm. I would have also loved to have been more extra with my outfit, but overall was happy with what I ended up with.

Seeing Taylor Swift at the Americas Center with Jenna

Taylor Swift Concert Review:

Well, I'm definitely in the camp that Taylor can do no wrong. I just really adore her and there was a point in the show where I started happy crying. Yep, I'm that fan. This is the 4th time I have seen her now and I will say that she really focuses on her newest album with each of her tours. I'm almost positive she sang every song on her newest album, and if she omitted any, it was only one or two. She did still sing a handful of her old songs, but certainly 75% of the concert was her new stuff. This is way different than, let's say, Garth Brooks who when I saw him only sang a couple of his newest stuff but sang ALL of his old stuff. Just a heads up so you know what to expect from her in the future!

Jacket: Evereve | Sequin Tank: Marshall's | Bag: Teddi Joelle | Bottoms: American Eagle | Booties: Vince Camuto "Tipper"

Next up is the outfit I wore to see Justin Timberlake in Chicago!! Camo, sequins, and tough boots. Perfect. This was in October, so it was cool, but not cold. The concert was indoors at the United Center. These booties have seen a few concerts! You can see them in the outfits I wore to see Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks in these posts here and here, respectively, and then I wore them another time to see Justin a few years ago, which you can see here. (Man, this post has made me realize how many concerts I've been to since I started blogging!!!) They're my booties of choice because of the tough details and comfort of the flat heel! 

Justin Timberlake Concert Review:

I'm honestly not sure how many times I have seen Justin in concert, I would have to write it down! But! I will say that I loved this tour. The husband bought me tickets for my birthday and we sat in what I consider the "sweet spot" of the concert. A section or two away from the stage but just off the floor. His stage spans the entire floor, front to back, so we were in the perfect spot to see him regardless of what stage or ramp he happened to be on. This show was definitely more of him just singing and dancing vs. crazy theatrics that I felt his last tour had. Yes, there were still plenty of special effects and things to keep you entertained, but it was more in line with what you would expect from a "Man of the Woods" themed concert. 

I hear mixed reviews about his music. Some people prefer his old stuff, some people prefer his new stuff. I feel like each of his albums has been a little different, and while he can also do no wrong for me, there were things I preferred on this album over the other and vice versa. Some of my favorite Justin songs are on the last album like Mirrors, Drink You Away,  and Not a Bad Thing, but I LOVE Man of the Woods, Filthy, and Sauce of this album.

The husband went with me to his 20/20 tour and preferred that one over this one, but that really doesn't surprise me because I'm sure he appreciated all those tricks and theatrics more than I just appreciate seeing Justin on its own! I liked the concert so much that after the concert, when we were sitting at the bar having a post-show cocktail, I bought tickets to see him again in St. Louis a couple of months later in December. Welp, much like me, Justin struggled with vocal chord issues so his December show was postponed until the end of March. I saw that show last week!

Earrings: Nickel and Suede | Top: American Eagle | Jeans: American Eagle | Flats: Halogen

First, my outfit. It was in the high 50s, low 60s this day, but it was raining off and on. I knew that we would be waiting in line to get in a couple of hours before the show (more on that later), so I wanted to be able to function without a jacket. Yes, I have a full arm exposed, but this ended up being perfect for the weather. I always do flat shoes for concerts, and my typical triple-buckle booties didn't look right with this top. None of my other booties looked right either, so I was glad that I randomly had these flats, which seriously may be the only flats I have left in my closet. They were perfectly comfortable standing from 4:30pm to 11pm. Not pictured is the same Teddi Joelle belt bag I wore in the other concerts above.

OK, so onto the concert!! I managed to find General Admission floor tickets for much less than the husband had paid for our seats off the floor. General admission can be so hit or miss! I definitely worried that I wouldn't be able to see since I'm so short. I called the box office before the concert to find out how soon we could get there for general admission. She told me that doors opened at 6pm, the concert was at 7:30pm, and that I should line up at a specific entrance. I saw that Kilee also had General Admission floor tickets when she saw him in Kansas City, and her videos came out very good. But she's also taller than me. I went ahead and asked her how early she showed up, and she told me they got there at 7:30pm. Hmm. We decided to leave my house no later than 4:15pm, putting us there around 4:30pm.

Seeing Justin Timberlake at the Enterprise Center

We arrived before 4:30 and there were only 72 people in front of us in line (they gave us wristbands that were numbered.) I definitely expected more people to be lined up so I was relieved that it wasn't crazy. At 6pm, they led us down to the floor in a single-file line, in numerical order. Once we got down to the floor, we could basically choose where we wanted to stand. There were VIP sections that we couldn't go into, but there were still PLENTY of other places to stand. 72 people in a big stadium floor - it was pretty empty!

The good thing about already seeing him in Chicago is that I had an idea of where I wanted to stand. I also talked to another fellow fan who has seen him a couple of times, also with floor tickets, also short, to get her input as well. We decided to park ourselves at the left side of the stage in front of the ramp between the front stage and the center stage, just as it started to turn the corner and ramp down. There was a railing a little bit farther than my arm's length to the stage. SAY WHAT??! I had no idea we were going to be in touching distance of him. I was so hyper focused at just being able to SEE that I didn't even think touching him was a possibility! When we saw how close we were, suddenly our excitement level skyrocketed.

Justin Timberlake at the Enterprise Center

I've found at concerts that I have way more luck taking video and then going back later and taking screenshots of those videos for still photos. I've taken so many still photos at concerns but they come out blurry (because the subject is constantly moving) or completely washed out from the light. Justin opened with "Filthy" and about halfway through the song, he departed from the front stage and started making his way down the ramp. HE LEGIT STOPPED AND KNEELED DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. All I could think of was "OMG, am I seriously going to be the first hand he touches at this concert???!" He glanced quickly over me and caught eyes with Stephanie who I was with. We both died!! When he walked away, we hugged each other screaming and the people around us patted us on the shoulders as if we won some prestigious award. The photo above is a screenshot from that moment and there's no way I would have been able to catch that had I been in still=photo-mode. Holy freaking crap!!!!!! Can you feel my excitement???

That moment when Justin Timberlake touched me

He does a pretty good job of moving around and not staying in any one spot or with any one group of fans too long. He was obviously walking back and forth in front of us a lot, we were directly in his path of travel. But he only stopped maybe 3-4 times? Totally not complaining, I will cherish those few times! Especially that one time about mid-way during the concert during Cry Me a River when he stopped and touched my hand!! Naturally I had to post a screenshot of that moment as well. Look at that sweat. Look at that grip. Holy hell it was amazing. This will be the fourth time I've had actual contact with him. He touched my right hand in Grand Rapids, MI back in 2002 and then I touched his left Adidas shell toe and right knee as he walked on a bar in front of me in 2007. (It wasn't an aggressive touch on my part, BTW, I certainly didn't want him to fall and hurt himself.)

Anyway, it was amazing. My friend, Stephanie, had not seen him in concert before ever, and he is her "it" celebrity, so needless to say, she has been floating ever since the concert! We will forever be talking about this!

And now I've hijacked my concert post with how much I love Justin, so I guess it's time for me to go!!

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