Have you ever looked forward to a concert so much so that you’re counting down the days until it happens? It hits the single figures and finally, the thing you’ve looked forward to for so long is happening.
You’re there, seeing your favourite band but then just as soon as it started, it feels like its ended. For some, the feeling of going to a concert can leave them on a high, but for others, it can leave them feeling something that is becoming commonly known as post-concert depression.
Loosely defined, post-concert depression is a feeling that you get after seeing an amazing show that just makes you want to relive the moment because it made you feel like you’ve never felt before.
Lisa Benn goes to a lot of concerts but never really gets depressed afterwards. “I don’t feel unhappy that it’s gone, I feel glad it was there at all. I just feel a sort of warm glow afterwards,” she said.
Post-concert depression can affect people at different rates. Sometimes it won’t affect them, sometimes it can last for days on end.
Laura Collins, an avid concert goer, has suffered from post-concert depression numerous times and the length always varies.
“It’s when I see my favourite band Aerosmith, that it’s always bad because they’re the musicians that have shaped my life. I never know when I’ll get to see them again or even if I ever will.”
So why exactly is post-concert depression becoming an increasingly common theme amongst concert goers? It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. It could be that old bands are reforming and giving people who have never experienced a show a chance to see them. It could be that bands are touring a lot more than they used to. It could be that the quality of bands are improving, meaning that they are putting on a better show.
“More people are going to concerts now and experiencing feelings that they may never have had before. Especially for first timers, it’s something that they’ll want to keep doing. They’ll continue to go to concerts and the feeling of wanting to go back and relieve them will start to get stronger. That’s when the depression kicks in,” Collins said.
Concerts appeal to people in different ways. It can be hearing the band sing your favourite song just feet away from you or the feeling of leaving everything you feel at the door to just enjoy the moment.
“I can be anyone at a concert and know that everyone there has a common bond. Sometimes it takes a really good concert to put me back on track or when I’m in a bad mood, it’s something I can look forward to,” said Benn.
You may not have experienced post-concert depression yet, but there is a possibility that given the right band, you will experience it at some point.
I think ‘depression’ is a bit of an overreaction here.
actually depression isn’t an overreaction, there has been several accounts of people going through a state of depression after the excitement and adrenaline rush of a concert.
I’m actually feeling depressed right now. I watched an amazing concert two nights ago and I’ve been feeling down since it ended. I never knew I would feel like this. The heavy feeling just kicked in. I don’t have the energy to do things. I wonder how long this will last. I don’t like this feeling.
Depression really isn’t an overreaction … I just went to a concert on Monday evening and Tuesday morning all I wanted to do was cry. I can’t listen to her music or I will literally burst into tears. I am still incredibly sad today … I hope this doesn’t last too long …
I’ve just seen my favorite band the 1975 last night and I have absolutely no energy to do anything. I could barely eat this morning or listen to their music and I just feel like all I want to do is see them again tonight but I can’t. I tried listening to one of their songs but as soon as I heard them singing I burst into tears and felt like I was going to throw up. I hope this doesn’t last long I hate pcd and it sometimes makes me feel like I don’t want to go to concerts anymore.
I just went to One Direction’s where we are concert last night where I saw my other favourite band 5SOS and now all I want to do is cry because I know that there’s a tiny chance that I’ll get to see them again bc they’re so popular. I just want to relive it all over again. I can’t even watch the videos from the night bc it just makes me sad bc it’s over. I hate this feeling.