Nothing beats hearing your favorite band play live while swaying and singing in unison with 10,000 of your new best friends at an outdoor summer concert. (It is, as the kids say, a vibe.) But as someone who got a little tipsy, overheated, and then puked all over her bro’s feet at a Phish show, I can attest that the experience also comes with some health risks.
It’s a reality that Laura Purdy, MD, also knows well. She founded JellyMed, a health care company that partners with major music festivals to treat attendees with things like heat exhaustion, alcohol poisoning, urinary tract infections, bug bites, poison ivy, sunburns—and, most seriously, drug overdoses. As any summer concert-goer knows well, they’re not always the safest places, given they are often paired with punishing heat and humidity, massive crowds, lack of water, and a lot of people who are using substances. “Just like going out on a physical excursion, such as hiking or running a race, it can demand a lot from your body,” Dr. Purdy says. Most health issues associated with attending performances, like heat illness, are preventable if you take the right steps to protect your body during the show, Dr. Purdy notes. Here are six tips that can help you enjoy your fave band’s setlist and avoid a trip to the medical tent.
1. Plan ahead if you have a health condition.
Korin Hudson, MD, a sports medicine and emergency medicine physician, tells SELF that when she works at large events, she frequently sees people with medical issues—like asthma and diabetes—who end up having trouble in the heat and chaos. If you know you have a health condition, check in with a primary care physician (or the specialist who treats you) a few months prior to the show. They can set you up with stuff that’ll help prevent not-so-fun complications in a remote area where medics can be far and few. For example, you might need a new inhaler for asthma or a quick-digesting sugar stash if you have type 1 diabetes and are at risk for hypoglycemia. Even if you *don’t* have a condition, it’s still a good idea to get a health scan, both Dr. Hudson and Dr. Purdy agreed. Basically, you should treat a major festival like any other grueling physical pursuit.
A doc should also be able to flag if certain medications—like diuretics, antihistamines, stimulants, antidepressants, and blood pressure pills—could make you more susceptible to heat-related illness and what to do to cope. (For the record, you can bring your meds past the gates at a lot of shows, but they need to be in the pharmacy-labeled container). Plus, the on-site EMTs or paramedics will need to know if you have something going on so they can treat you appropriately, Dr. Purdy says.
If you plan on drinking (or even taking something a bit stronger), “don’t be ashamed to talk to your doctor,” says Dr. Purdy. Sure, it can feel awkward at first, but they’re not there to wag a finger at you—their job is to keep you safe.
2. Prep for sweltering temps.
When you’re swaying in massive crowds under the direct sun for long periods, your body works overtime to regulate your core temp. And if it can’t cool itself—particularly if there’s a ton of humidity in the air, so sweat can’t evaporate—this can lead to issues. For example, you might get heat cramps (a.k.a. you lose electrolytes through sweat and your muscles spasm); heat syncope (essentially fainting due to high temps), heat exhaustion (when, again, your body loses a ton of water and salt through sweat and you start to get nauseous, dizzy, and really weak);, and, the most serious and dangerous, heat stroke (your body can’t control its temperature, and it escalates into a life-threatening emergency.)
Dr. Purdy recommends prepping your body before the show if possible, for example, by acclimatizing yourself to the heat gradually over one to two weeks, which can improve how much you can tolerate. Go for long walks under the sun (with ample sunscreen, of course!) for 20 to 30 minutes, then slowly work up to two hours a day a few days before the event. Drink lots of fluids, and let your body cool off before and after.
Once you get to the show, take lots of 15-minute breaks in the shade or at designated cooling stations (you can find these at most big shows) and splash cold water on your face and neck to get your temp down, says Dr. Hudson. “That way, your body can disseminate the heat so that you're better prepared” for going outside again, adds Dr. Purdy. (Here are a few more tips to cool down your body when you’re really hot.)
Speaking of fluids: Make a point to be hydrated going through the entry gates. Starting 24 to 48 hours before the event, drink lots of fluid, and limit caffeine and booze. Keep an eye on the color of your pee, says Dr. Hudson. The night before and the morning of the performance, your urine should be clear or light yellow. At the concert itself, continue sipping, but don’t guzzle: Drinking too much water when you’re exerting yourself (or, say, pushing through mosh pits) might drain your body of electrolytes, which can be life-threatening. Try to replenish yours with either sports drinks or electrolyte mixes you can shake in an empty water bottle.
Also: Consider taking IG pics in your leather and vinyl two-piece Shein sets at the hotel instead of the show itself, as synthetic fabrics (like nylon and polyester) trap heat. Instead, opt for light, breathable materials, like rayon and linen.
3. Make a plan the second you arrive.
When you get to the venue, pinpoint where the first aid tents and security personnel are stationed. It also doesn’t hurt to keep a map of the entire venue handy (either on a piece of paper or saved on your phone, as most devices lose service in crowded spots), and monitor where you and your friends are at all times. Dr. Purdy says there’s nothing worse than trying to help someone at the show who needs urgent care but you can’t describe their location to medical personnel. “The biggest problem we have is we get people who will say, ‘Someone collapsed!’ but they can’t tell us where,’” she says.
Dr. Hudson suggests having a quick conversation with your pals to establish a couple of meet-up points in the case of spotty reception or dead batteries—one inside the venue (say, a big statue you can see anywhere on the grounds) and another a short distance away from the entrance in case you lose contact during the show or the venue is evacuated for some reason. When choosing meet-up locations, Dr. Hudson recommends avoiding the entry gate as that area tends to get chaotic and crowded.
4. Know how to navigate a “crowd crush.”
Hopefully your concert organizers do a good job of crowd control, given the long history of packed events leading to stampedes and tragedies, like the Astroworld Festival in Houston, where eight people died. Dr. Hudson says most people feel okay when there are one or two people per square meter—but when you get to four people per square meter, things feel cramped. With seven or eight people squished together, you’re in potentially dangerous territory, she adds. It gets even more hazardous if people are packed tight *and* then start to move quickly toward something exciting—maybe the headliner surprisingly jumped onstage during the opener’s set—or away from a threat. That said, if you can, situate yourself toward the side or very back, even if that compromises your view, you are more likely to be able to exit to safety quickly. (You’re not gonna feel sweat flickers from the performer unless you’re literally on the stage with them, trust us.)
If you wind up in a crowd crush, which is when you are packed in so tightly you can’t really breathe, try your best to stay upright—it can be tough to stand back up if you fall and you are at greater risk of being trampled. “That causes asphyxia and asphyxia leads to death really quickly,” says Dr. Hudson. Keep your arms outright in front of you (picture a cartoon mummy walking) or in a “fighting position” like a boxer to create space, let yourself move with the flow, and “ride the crowd rather than try to fight it,” Dr. Hudson advises. If you go down, ask a friend or person nearby to help pull you up as quickly as possible. If that doesn’t happen, curl up into a ball to protect yourself. When there’s a lull in movement, start to work your way diagonally toward the edge of the crowd (but not toward a wall or barricade that you can get slammed against).
5. Be ready to spot—and treat—an overdose.
People dabble in all kinds of drugs at concerts. And as cocaine, ecstasy, and counterfeit pills of every variety become more frequently laced with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, more people are dying from overdoses. (A single fake Adderall or Xanax can be deadly.) But by the time a person is showing signs of one, it’s almost impossible for them to help themself, says Dr. Purdy. This is why it’s so important to know what to look for in others: If someone near you is suddenly sleepy, breathing slowly, or their skin turns pale, gray, or ashen, it’s time to jump into action. The best thing to do is carry Narcan (or ask around the crowd for it), an OTC medication that reverses opioid overdoses. (A lot of events allow you to bring it in as long as it’s factory-sealed, but check the venue’s website in advance to be sure.) You just spray it up the person’s nostrils; it can’t hurt them, even if it turns out they weren’t overdosing, says Dr. Purdy. “It literally saves lives.” she says. But even if the person snaps out of it and seems normal again, they need to go to a hospital ASAP: Narcan wears off after 30 to 90 minutes, and they might dip into a life-threatening state again where they stop breathing.
When it comes to raging in a heat wave with 10,000 of your new best friends, you truly can’t be too prepared. Pace yourself and know when to take a time out. It can mean the difference between seeing Taylor Swift pull Travis Kelce onstage again and vomiting on your sibling’s sneakers right as their favorite jam band takes the stage.
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