Why I Travel for Metal Shows and Festivals | Infernal TV Blog
There are lots of metal fans who don’t leave their hometown and don’t travel much. There are amazing festivals, shows, and even venues all over the world. It’s worth exploring the world, experience different festivals and shows and meet new metal fans.
But there are three major reasons why metal fans should travel:
1: It’s easier to travel to see bands than for them to travel to see you
There’s a lot that goes into touring. It can get expensive and tours follow the best and most convenient routing, meaning bands don’t have much of a say over where they can play.
The stakes are even worse for international bands and tours; bands have to ship their gear or use different gear overseas and they also have to worry about visas.
If the band is willing to go to you, you should be willing to go to them.
2: Some of your favorite bands don’t tour
Many bands don’t tour, for different reasons. Some just don’t have the exposure and funds to afford a tour and feel confident about receiving their ROI. Others toured previously and are just jaded by it. Many bands don’t tour because they have a spouse, family, etc. and don’t want to miss the opportunities to be with loved ones. Some are just extremely selective of the tours, festivals, etc. they play.
However, they have to play live shows to fuel their music and entice their fans. Therefore, they play festivals and one-off shows.
Festivals are so much fun. You can see several bands, meet new people, and they’re pretty much a constant party. Now there are big city festivals so you don’t have to camp. Sure, that’s a little time off work and some money you need to spend. But musicians take more time off from their day jobs and families and they spend even more money to play for you.
3: Traveling is awesome and you meet amazing people
I’ve been to 11 festivals. It’s the greatest experience ever. You travel some place new and see amazing bands. There’s nothing in the world like a festival and the experience is way better than watching a gig at your hometown.
You also meet the best people ever, from all around the world. I have friends I met years ago at festivals and I still keep in touch with them regularly. The metal scene in different places is really cool; for example, many major cities in Europe have cool metal bars. I’ve become friends with some of the bartenders are regular patrons at these bars. Even if you go to a one-off show instead of a festival, you get to experience cool places. I saw Savage Messiah at a sex/BDSM type of club in Germany called Sage Club. I also saw First Fragment play at a cool venue in Montreal, Katakombs. Unfortunately, it’s closing down.
However, I understand it may not be easy to travel. Because…
You have kids
Traveling is expensive
Your job doesn’t give you enough time off
And other reasons.
You can’t do much about kids and a job with crummy PTO and time-off policies. I get it. I’m fortunate because I don’t have kids and I work freelance/remote. I’ll be the first one to admit that.
But there are ways you can travel more affordably. No I’m not an affiliate of any of these brands. These are all companies, websites, apps, etc. I regularly use for my travels.
Flights
I look up all plane tickets on Skyscanner first. Skyscanner is a website/app that filters flights based on different categories. I select the cheapest one, but you can search for flights with the shortest time, direct flights, etc.
If that fails, always have a list of budget airlines. In the U.S. I like Allegiant and in Europe I like Ryanair. Just be careful about all of the added costs associated with budget airlines. Be safe and check a bag in early, etc.
Worst come to worst, try third-party travel websites. I’ve had luck with Vayama. I also heard Expedia is good, but I never used it.
Always invest in flight insurance. You have no idea when you’ll need to cancel your flight and you won’t be able to get a full refund.
Hotel Rooms
I will much rather put money toward a nice room. I’ve had some bad experiences with budget hotel rooms!
I like Hiltons and Marriotts because they’re reasonable and are always really nice. But not all countries have these chains. If this is the case, I use booking.com and look for hotels that offer free cancellation and I always read reviews.
I’ve always had good luck with Air BnB. But I also read reviews, just to be on the safe side.
Transportation
Avoid using taxis and Ubers unless you need to. The prices add up quicker than you would expect. Also, not every country in Europe has Uber. It’s best to always have a plan B in case you’re stranded (it happened to me before).
The best transportation option is to walk, but that’s not always doable. Many places have an incredible subway and bus system. I usually hate the bus but use it sometimes. I absolutely love subways and they’re really cheap.
You can also rent a car. I have many friends who rent cars when they travel and I’ve done it. It can be more affordable.
In short, all metal bands should travel. You get to see your favorite bands, you get to experience great festivals, and you get to meet awesome people. And seriously, we only have one life to live. There’s a bigger and better world outside of your hometown!
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