How to write a concert review step by step

What to take away

A concert review documents one performance at one place and one time. It has to make the event audible on the page while admitting what a single seat in a changing room can and cannot hear. The method below runs from preparation to a verdict built on heard moments.

Photo and credit

The picture shows a sixteen-channel analog mixing console, the desk type that carries vocals, instruments and monitors to the front of house. It is not the console used at any event discussed here.

Step 1: Build a pre-show sheet

Confirm artist billing, venue, city, date, doors and scheduled show time.

List spellings, pronouns, instruments and credited roles. Note what is still unanswered about a lineup change, new work, venue move, tour concept or access arrangement. Do not let the publicist choose the story's only context.

Step 2: Choose a defensible position

Record section, row, standing area, balcony or press enclosure, plus an approximate location. Note obstructed sight lines, speaker proximity and whether you moved during the set.

The same mix can sound sharp at the barrier, dull under a balcony and thin beside a wall. Georgia State's HyperPhysics explanation of reverberation sets out how a listener receives direct sound first, then reflections off room surfaces, with intensity falling as distance grows. Where you stand changes both parts of that mixture.

Hearing protection is part of working responsibly. The World Health Organization's Make Listening Safe initiative reports that more than 1 billion young people risk hearing loss from recreational exposure to loud sound, including high levels at entertainment venues.

Earplugs do not disqualify a review. If they shape a technical claim, say when you wore them and stop short of treating one listening position as the room.

Step 3: Log the set without becoming a stenographer

For each song or movement, note the opening cue, arrangement change, featured performer, transition and any audience exchange that matters. Mark approximate times and leave uncertain titles blank. Capture the shape of the set:

Do not paste an online set list into your notes afterwards and call it memory. Compare it with the event and seek confirmation for unclear titles.

Step 4: Describe musical work

Pick three or four moments that show the performance's character. Describe these elements:

Ask what this arrangement did to a familiar song. Did the band slow it, change the key, drop a verse, or trade solos? Did they swap instruments or hand a refrain to the audience? Explain the consequence instead of rewarding novelty by default.

Step 5: Separate sound from performance

A strong singer can be inaudible because the vocal sits low in the mix. A drummer can rush for reasons that have nothing to do with the room's long reverberation. Describe the audible result and place it. Ask venue or tour staff about a fault that persists and bears on the verdict.

Record interruptions, feedback, power loss, weather, medical pauses and schedule changes. A temporary fault is not a tour-wide claim, and blame is not visible from the audience.

Step 6: Report the crowd with limits

Crowd response covers attention, movement, singing, and silence. It also covers exits, phone use, applause, and exchange. No writer sees all of it. Use bounded language such as "the standing floor took the final chorus" when that area was in view. Cheers are not agreement with a lyric or a political statement unless you have evidence.

Note queueing, entry, seating, and viewing platforms where relevant.
Note interpreters, captions, sensory arrangements, and exits where relevant. Confirm institutional features with the venue rather than inferring them from appearance.

Step 7: Verify and draft

After the show, confirm the actual lineup, support order and set list. Also confirm guest names, covers, songwriting credits and start and finish times. Ask about cancellations or faults that changed the night, and save the reply.

Draft around one question: how did the performance revise the recordings, build a set, use the room, or shift through interaction? Give the practical facts without turning the opening into a service listing. State the judgment plainly and support it with moments you heard.

Common questions

Must a reviewer know every song beforehand?

No. Preparation helps you notice changes, but attentive reporting and later verification matter more than recognition on the night.

Is the printed set list authoritative?

It records a plan. Songs get added, dropped, shortened or reordered, so compare the sheet against the performance before quoting it.

Can earplugs affect a sound judgment?

They change listening conditions, as does your seat. Use suitable protection, record the conditions, and keep technical claims proportionate to what you heard.

Should a review cover the support act?

Yes, when the assignment and your arrival time allow it. Say how much of the set you heard and give it distinct, fair attention.