Which section should I buy at a concert?

It depends on the stage. End stage: go central. A runway: seats along it are worth it. Flat floor: the front of the lower stand is often better than the back of the floor.

Are stand seats worse than floor seats?

Not necessarily. The floor is closer but flat; the stands are raked, so you see the whole stage and the screens.

Can I choose my exact seat?

It depends on the platform and the show: some let you pick on the map, others assign the best seats left in the section you choose.

Practical

Choosing concert seats: which sections are worth it, and which to avoid

Once you are through to the purchase page you usually have minutes to pick. The people who pick well are not faster. They read the seat map the day before. This is what to look for on it.

26.09.2026 · Tao Meo Ticket

Read the map, not the tier name

Tier names (CAT1, VIP, Zone A…) are set by each promoter for each show and say little about the view. Two seats at one price can be dead centre and behind a speaker tower. Always open the seat map of that show. What each tier name usually means is in our ticket tiers guide.

The stage decides

End stage, the most common: centre is best; the further to the sides and the back, the sharper the angle, sometimes with speakers or rigging in the way.
A runway or a second stage (T-stage, M-shaped extension…): seats along the runway get moments with the artist very close, even outside the top tier. Check where it runs.
Centre or 360° stage: no clearly bad side, but part of the show faces away from you. Distance matters more than direction.

Flat floor or raked stands

Floor seats are close, but floors are usually flat: ten rows back you are watching over heads. Stands are raked, so you see the whole stage and the screens. The front rows of the lower stand are often easier to watch from than the back of the floor, and cheaper.

Seats to be careful with

Anything marked limited view or obstructed view: it is cheaper for a reason.
Seats right behind the technical desk in the middle of the floor.
Seats at the extreme sides, level with or behind the stage edge: close, but side-on, and the screens are often hidden.
The top rows under the roof: mostly a screen experience.

Where it sounds best

The sound is mixed for the middle of the room, around the sound desk. Right by the speakers it is loud and harsh. If the voice matters more than the distance, the middle a little further back usually beats the front corners.

Decide the day before

Pick two or three sections in order, with a price ceiling.
Know whether the platform lets you pick seats on the map or assigns the best available. With the second, you choose a section, not a seat.
For a group, seats together only come from one purchase. See buying for a group.