With two days until 5 Seconds of Summer’s Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour officially kicks off, it’s got the 5SOS Fam eager to see their favorite Aussies get back on stage.
There appears to be a significant increase in the amount of Soundcheck tickets available for the tour, so we’ve compiled our very own SLFL Soundcheck Guide! Whether you’ve already bought a soundcheck ticket, are thinking of purchasing one, or are simply curious about what you should do if you were in a 5SOS soundcheck, you’ll be sure to enjoy these five tips!
5. Keep hydrated!
This is truly one of the most important tips to keep in mind! Think about it: you still have an entire concert to enjoy after the soundcheck. The worst thing possible would be to get through a soundcheck feeling dizzy or nauseous, and continue to feel so during the concert portion.
This especially goes for those fans that are attending an outdoor venue –– and especially so if that venue is during the summertime. Soundchecks are supposed to be more personal, from fan to band and vice versa. You’re going to want to remember every moment of watching 5SOS rehearse their songs and talk to the crowd.
Stay hydrated before during soundcheck and during the concert by making sure to pack a water bottle or two –– trust us, you’ll want to be able to max out your full potential when you dance and sing along to “Permanent Vacation”. If your venue doesn’t allow full water bottles, you can bring in an empty one and fill it up at a water fountain or just purchase one.
4. Be aware of camera rules.
The word is that taking pictures and videotaping during a SLFL soundcheck is a complete no-no.
Last year for 5SOS’s Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour, there were instances where fans took a photo with their phone and got it erased by security, and instances where fans took video with no problem at all (but maybe that’s just because they were too sneaky).
The gist you should get from this is just to make sure you’re following the rules given for your venue’s soundcheck. You’re not gonna impress anyone by adding a video to your Snapchat story and getting caught by a security guard. Besides, your undivided attention should be on watching the Ashton, Calum, Luke and Michael with your own eyes –– not through a recording phone screen.
3. Take the time to just observe.
5SOS soundchecks usually involve the boys rehearsing their setlist and talking to the crowd. That being said, don’t just yell “I love you ___!” the entire time.
We totally understand a fan’s excitement when it comes to their favorite band, but make use of your soundcheck! Take the time to engage in 5SOS’s pre-concert performances and see how they set up. Watch them practice their songs so they can perform perfectly during the concert. Engage in their conversations with the crowd, and observe them: watching them banter and chat onstage outside of a full performance atmosphere is something you won’t be able to experience during the later concert or on your computer screen.
This all doesn’t mean that you can’t cheer at all for the band. They do deserve to feel the 5SOS Fam’s love, and know that they’ve helped so many people. But keep in mind –– how many other times will you be able to just sit and watch them practice?
2. Ask unique questions.
5SOS also tend to have a “question time” period of their soundchecks where the audience. An audience member, if chosen, is given a chance to ask any question to the pop-punk band and get an answer.
Come to the soundcheck with a couple questions in mind. You may leave the soundcheck without an answer, but if you form some questions in your head it means that maybe someone else will have asked one of the questions themselves to get an answer.
The important thing about asking a question to the boys is to make it a unique question, one that isn’t overdone or cliché. An example of a bad question would be something like, “What’s your favorite song to perform?” The question in itself isn’t bad –– it’s just overdone and has no doubt been answered countless times.
If the boys pick you, ask them a unique question about their music or just themselves –– after all the hard work they put into their careers, it’s got to be heartwarming for them to see their fans curious about what truly makes 5SOS 5SOS.
(But keep in mind not to make them uncomfortable with extremely personal questions! Soundchecks are supposed to be enjoyable for the fans and the band.)
1. Don’t forget to smile!
If there’s one thing you need to do during a soundcheck, it’s to smile.
When 5 Seconds of Summer looks out at the soundcheck crowd, they want to know that the audience is enjoying their time. They want to know that after going through the hassle of obtaining soundcheck tickets and getting to a venue, the crowd is still pumped and eager to watch a rehearsal and a full-on concert.
So smile, grin, laugh, give a thumbs up! Reassure the boys that you’re gonna stick with them until the end. 5SOS became the band it is today because of their fans, and at every show they play, it’s their family in the crowd –– the 5SOS Family. It all sounds extremely cheesy, but it’s a little action that can go a long way.
And who knows, they might even return the gesture and smile right back!
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5 Seconds of Summer will be heading back on the road on February 19 in Nagoya, Japan. If you’re attending SLFL, which city are you going to?
Leave us a comment below or tweet your answer to @CelebMix!