How can I survive being in a crowd of 90,000?

September 7, 2006 11:31 AM

How can I, and my bladder, survive at my first mega-concert?

Tomorrow I'm being dragged taken to a concert with 90,000 attendees in a relatively small park. I usually only go to proper gigs, so this is my first outdoor / world tour type 'large' concert. Getting there is going to be stressful enough, but do any MeFiers have any tips for me in surviving 9 hours of standing around in a crush?

One thing that bothers me is needing to take a leak every couple hours. Are there any good strategies for avoiding needing to take a leak other than simply not drinking?

Basically, I've never been to such an event before, so any help, tips, or stories that might help me out will be much appreciated.

posted by wackybrit to health & fitness (15 comments total)

You're with a friend, right? This is called "tag team pissing", with a stop on the way for snacks and soda. In other words, your friend holds your space while you take care of business and vice versa. Just be that dick guy that pushes his way to the back/front of the crush. This probably won't work if you're in the front row.

If you don't need to be near the front of the stage, just chill in the back of the crowd. Then do whatever you like.I guarantee that even with 90,000 people, the crowd won't be so bad the farther back you go.
posted by muddgirl at 11:41 AM on September 7, 2006

don't drink alcohol. it will make you have to pee.
posted by jitterbug perfume at 11:44 AM on September 7, 2006

Problem solved. Next.
posted by ND¢ at 11:47 AM on September 7, 2006

Better links:
stadium pal
stadium gal
posted by devbrain at 12:08 PM on September 7, 2006

Salty foods eaten that day will help you retain water and not pee as frequently.
posted by hermitosis at 12:19 PM on September 7, 2006

Bring earplugs and stand next to a speaker. Always some room there. Otherwise, just hang back and picnic.

You never want to be near the front of a huge concert. Having to go to the bathroom would be the least of your worries.
posted by cowbellemoo at 12:23 PM on September 7, 2006

If it's a sunny day (it doesn't have to be very hot), don't court heat stroke. Stay hydrated and pee when you need to. I knew a guy who would block his system with a steady diet of candy bars so he wouldn't need to crap at Burning Man, but even he drank water and dealt with the liquid fallout.
posted by Scram at 12:27 PM on September 7, 2006

I knew a guy who would block his system with a steady diet of candy bars so he wouldn't need to crap at Burning Man

Huh? How does that work?
posted by NoMich at 12:45 PM on September 7, 2006

Bring hand sanitizer. You'll need it after dealing with the Port-a-potties.
posted by brina at 1:26 PM on September 7, 2006

Huh? How does that work?
Chocolate tends to cause constipation. I'm guessing that he deals with the consequences a couple of days later.
posted by Memo at 1:40 PM on September 7, 2006

Everyone pees between acts. People are moving between stages anyway so you wont really miss anything.
posted by damn dirty ape at 2:11 PM on September 7, 2006

What muddgirl said, but remember to take a good look around you before you head off for a leak and concessions; otherwise you'll spend the rest of the day looking for your friend.

You really won't want to stand in the same spot for 9 hours, and as you're being "dragged" there I'm pretty sure you won't particularly care to be on the front row. With the exception of the front few rows, it's easy enough to move around in these places. Wander around during bands you don't like, eat and drink and pee as much as you need to keep your strength and enthusiasm up.
posted by nowonmai at 2:35 PM on September 7, 2006

Depends ...
posted by RavinDave at 3:24 PM on September 7, 2006

Based on my experience at Music Midtown and a dozen other festival-like shows closer to the size of yours:

If it's hot enough, you will sweat out a lot of what you drink. It may be a little late in the year for this, but when I went to shows in May/June here in Georgia I actually needed very few pee breaks compared to the amount of water I was drinking. Of course, this was before I was old enough to buy alcohol, so it was all water. I have no idea how my *ahem* current habits would play out.

Before you take off for your break make lots of notes about where you and your friend are in the crowd relative to the stage and any other non-moving objects. You'd be surprised how hard it is to find your way back to the same spot once you are on the outside of the crowd.

Makes friends with people when you are waiting in line for the bathroom. If nothing else, I have some hilarious stories about people that I've met in those lines. A lot of them drunk.

Not directly porta-potty related: have a group meeting place. And don't just use it for the end of the day. Make a rule like: "if we get separated for more than an hour, we meet up here". I say this because once I got separated from my group early in the day and ended up having a terrible time. Use the buddy system.
posted by Famous at 9:59 PM on September 7, 2006

Avoid caffeine! It is the worst diuretic of all. I can go for hours without peeing if I don't drink coffee or coke, but as soon as I drink either, I have to pee every half hour from then on. Yes, a packet of moist towelettes will come in handy for the portolets.
posted by wsg at 11:00 AM on September 8, 2006