Come as you are! (but make sure to fit in.)

WRITTEN BY ASHLEY TANHA

ILLUSTRATION BY ALANA YU

I love going to concerts. The whole plan of it. Getting excited to buy the tickets, planning who you are going with, freaking out over what you are going to wear, counting down the days, and then finally seeing the artist. It’s such an adrenaline rush that I wouldn’t mind reliving the feeling over and over again.

However, out of everything, what I love most is the outfit choice. Do I want to correlate with my friend? Maybe do a solo act? How much do I want to stick with the theme? The whole process of it is exciting and so much fun. My friend and I always express our excitement through our outfits by asking questions like, “What do you think the theme will be?” and “What do you think people will wear?” With this thought process, I always wonder how people coordinate themes in terms of outfits. It seems like everyone is telepathic and has a similar understanding, yet at the same time tries to outdo each other.

“It’s literally ‘Dress to Impress’ in real life,” Jaime Rodriguez, an avid concert-goer and junior here at Long Beach State, said. He uses the famous Roblox game as an analogy to explain the reality of the outfit-choosing experience that goes into a concert. Within the game, a theme is generated and you have about four minutes to create a look that best supports it. Then, it is announced to the judges and you wait to get your ratings. It’s similar to the real life concert experience, where thousands of fans get ready to generate the best outfits to showcase at the concert.

TikTok and Instagram are also used to display the looks put together by fans, allowing the rest of the world to comment on it. A recent concert that has showcased this “themed” phenomenon is the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, where fans dressed up from an era of their choosing. I’ve seen girls go full out, with some wearing prom dresses, which was a fun sight. Fans use these opportunities to showcase their fashion creativity and express their personalities and connections to the artists they are seeing. Even though concert attendees go with a specific theme in mind, I’ve noticed that they also add their own spark to the trend. At a Billie Eilish show, for example, since she is known for street clothing, fans will wear simple jorts or baggy pants and a crop top, but in contrast, make their hair look very feminine and cool.

Remembering back to when I was 11, I remember people just caring about being in the moment and freaking out about how close they were to the artist in a show. It feels like worlds apart from today since the media has been at play. People now care about how they dress and look, as well as the number of likes they receive due to their outfits alone. With this being said, I can’t say that I’m not a victim of this aspect of concert culture. Just like in the game, Dress to Impress, I always try to stay on theme when I go to a concert as it makes me feel more put together and included in the experience.

Sticking with the themes helps me out with artists that I’ve never seen live before, like Conan Gray. I had no idea of what to expect going in, so I relied on ideas and suggestions online of what to wear to his concert. To help my dilemma, I used TikTok to my advantage and started researching on what to wear and I noticed girls wearing cowboy hats. I’m not sure what the significance of that was, but my friend and I went out and bought ourselves a cowboy hat. It was later addressed that fans throw these hats to him as a sign of appreciation for his music and a thank you for coming to their city. Even though I didn’t have the chance to do that, I still received so many compliments on the hat, more than I did on the outfit itself; which helped me feel like I actually belonged in that setting.

Similar to my experience, people across the world use TikTok as a way to find information, as it has become a crucial platform for fans to share their predictions and outfit ideas for concerts. One memory of this was at Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS Tour. Before the United States tour dates were announced, fans became detectives and tried to pinpoint what the theme might be based on the album cover alone. This not only brings fans together by sparking huge discussions about what to expect, but also helps build excitement about the concert. Later on, Rodrigo debuted a more grunge look by wearing fishnets and tight bodysuits. So to incorporate this look, fans did the same. They dressed up in purple (symbolic of the album cover), platform boots, and black tops. Some poked fun by wearing a glittery skirt paired with an “I love me” t-shirt.

Seeing countless videos about “What I wore to my Billie Eilish concert” has set an unspoken expectation of having to show up to a concert in “uniform;” a set of clothing that best fits the theme. For those who want to take an easier route, many people end up wearing merch for their concerts, like I did with the Kendrick Lamar concert.

Concerts have evolved from simply coming together as one to enjoying music in a social event where people express their understanding and love for artists through their clothing. This has brought thousands of music enthusiasts together by allowing communication on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to be used as fashion inspiration for the next concert goer. Over time, this experience has been linked to the famous “Dress to Impress” Roblox game, illustrating how concerts have turned into reallife fashion shows with prizes for best outfits, which just like the game, is to receive compliments and likes.

Concerts are not only a place to have fun and build memories with your friends and family but also to exhibit your identity and foster a sense of belonging within the artist’s community. By dressing grunge to match Olivia, alt to match Arctic Monkeys, and street wear to match Billie Eilish, fans used concerts as a place for expression, which is a pretty cool thing to be a part of.