What to Do Between Gigs: How Music Fans Fill Their Downtime

For millions of people across the UK, live music is not just a hobby: it’s how they want to live their lives. Weather it be a die-hard festival goer or someone who makes it to only a handful of arena shows per year, sites like https://sweepspulse.com/ have become the places that fans turn to find new entertainment when there isn’t another show coming up in weeks and the post-show buzz has finally worn off. So what do UK music fans do during this quiet time between shows?

The Gap Between Gigs Is Getting Longer

Although there is an increasing number of ticket price increases over recent years and major artists are taking longer time periods in scheduling live shows; on average UK music fans may be able to afford attending anywhere from 4-8 live concerts per year. This can leave many weeks or months without having the opportunity to see a show – leaving much time for potential entertainment alternatives. However, while waiting between concert opportunities, there are many creative and economic ways that music fans continue to find entertainment that meets some of the same needs as seeing a live performance, connect with other fans who share similar interests and possibly generate additional income to spend on the next round of tickets.

Streaming: The Obvious Starting Point

It can be assumed that most people will agree on this but music streaming has changed how fans connect with their favorite artists when they are in-between tours. Not just background music, these services (Spotify, Apple Music & Tidal) have become a way to discover new artists, learn about artists’ back catalogs after seeing them live and as a form of emotional connection.

Fans in the UK use music streaming services for:

• Built sets ready playlists prior to each tour date
• Listen through artists entire catalog after attending one of their concerts
• Find supporting acts and other related artists from within the same genre/scene
• Following fan created radio stations and playlists that are curated by mood

Many fans have made revisiting either a live recording or classic albums the week leading up to a concert, some sort of routine or ceremonial activity.

Gaming and Online Entertainment Fill the Void

For many decades, video gaming and music culture have been interwoven – through Guitar Hero, musical games and the sheer amount of music found in all major Open World Game titles. Casual entertainment by online music fans, while relaxing, is where trends will continue into the future.

The greatest interest, at least in terms of casual sweepstakes casinos, has come from casual entertainment users. These types of websites use virtual money, allowing them to be legal in almost all parts of the U.K. and other countries. There are many variations of gameplay (card games, slots, live dealer) in addition to a social element; creating an entertaining gaming environment for those looking for high entertainment/low stakes.

This is a natural transition. Music fans always get their highest excitement and briefest moments of anticipation – this is what casual sweepstakes casino platforms also create.

How UK Fans Are Spending Their Between-Gig Time: A Snapshot

Concert Films and Documentaries: The Next Best Thing

There has been a growing trend of people watching movies at their local cinema for concerts. Fans can now watch live concerts through movies made into films like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie. These types of movies allow fans who were unable to go to the concert (due to tickets being sold out), or want to relive a past experience by going back to see it again – the visual (how the artist(s) looked, how energetic the crowd was, etc.) aspect of a concert film is as close to actually being there as you get. In addition to these large screen releases; in recent years YouTube, Disney+, and Netflix have built up very large libraries of concert documentary films. Fans are binge-watching:

• Behind-the-scenes tour documentaries
• Concert legacy footage shot at historic venues
• Artist biographical pieces and important music history films
• Festival specials and BBC Live Session features

Fan Communities and the Social Side of Waiting

Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook groups, Reddit threads, Discord servers and online forums are now considered the ‘living room’ for UK music fandom. Before and after concerts fans will be discussing upcoming shows on social media. These discussions include speculations about up-and-coming shows, songs they would like to hear live, ticket swaps and information from fellow concert goers. For some fans, the sense of belonging and connection to other fans creates a larger experience than just the actual show. The build-up before a show (i.e. waiting for an announcement), the excitement of a new show being posted on social media and the discussion of each show’s set list create a longer lasting emotional connection to the band than what would normally exist if fans were simply attending shows alone or in small circles.

The Bigger Picture

When you look at how the UK’s concert goers spend time in-between gigs, you get a view of an entire music community whose activity doesn’t end with a performance as the audience leaves and the house lights turn back on. Fans’ desire for music-related experiences (entertainment) social connections, and just to be connected to others and other things through music; continues after they leave the venue.

In the UK, whether fans are making records, playing online gaming platforms, connecting with fellow fans at a midnight web forum, or spending countless hours researching festivals to attend this summer, there will always be another way to experience something music related. In short, while the in-between gig time is different than attending a concert, it can still have some value.