aftershow.

"Letterboxd for concerts — your full lifetime show history, no proof needed." Conceived at a Black Queen show. Built as a portfolio-grade project.

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Project Status

Current Phase	Phase 3 — UI Design & Asset Creation
Last Updated	May 17, 2026
Version	0.3.0

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What Is Aftershow?

A concert logging and social discovery app for die-hard live music fans. Users build a lifelong record of every show they've attended, log setlists, rate performances, and follow friends to see what they've been to.

The key differentiator: The "from memory" log. Users can add any show they've ever been to — no ticket, no proof, no location check required. Just artist, venue, date, setlist as best you remember, and a rating. This unlocks the lifetime diary use case that no other app has.

Direct competitor: Concert Archives

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Project Phases

Phase	Name	Status
1	Ideation, Competitive Analysis & Feature Differentiation	✅ Complete
2	UX Architecture	✅ Complete
3	UI Design & Asset Creation	🔄 In Progress
4	Technical Architecture & Prototype Development	🔒 Locked
5	Case Study Compilation & Portfolio Readiness	🔒 Locked

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Decision Log

Every major call made, in order. This is the paper trail for the Phase 5 case study.

Phase 1 — Ideation & Competitive Analysis

Date	Decision	Rationale
May 17, 2026	Project initiated	Conceived at a Black Queen show at Thalia Hall
May 17, 2026	Primary competitor: Concert Archives	Most feature-equivalent product. Deep data, zero soul.
May 17, 2026	3 UX gaps identified	AI-assisted logging, archive as identity, private-first social
May 17, 2026	AI logging assist → v1.1, not MVP	Setlist.fm API covers 80% of cases free. AI layer is an enhancement, not a foundation.
May 17, 2026	North Star user: die-hard fan (100+ shows)	Populates data, writes reviews, becomes community backbone

Phase 2 — UX Architecture

Date	Decision	Rationale
May 17, 2026	Onboarding entry point: build concert history first	Differentiates from every competitor who pushes upcoming shows
May 17, 2026	Primary return loop: archive browsing & reminiscing	Unique behavior no competitor owns. Upcoming shows = Bandsintown's territory.
May 17, 2026	Social weight: equal pillar — not the lead	Letterboxd model. Diary first, shareable second.
May 17, 2026	Upcoming shows: feature, not the hook	Keep it. Remove it from top-level nav priority.
May 17, 2026	My Shows = Tab 1, not Feed	The archive is the product. The feed is the reward. Biggest architectural departure from competitors.
May 17, 2026	Onboarding threshold: 1-show minimum	3-show threshold alienates users early in their concert journey. Encourage more, never gate on it.
May 17, 2026	Social unlocks after first show logged	Archive must be seeded before feed has value
May 17, 2026	14 MVP screens across 5 tabs	Confirmed scope for portfolio piece

Phase 3 — UI Design & Asset Creation

Date	Decision	Rationale
May 17, 2026	Design both themes simultaneously	Portfolio piece — dual-mode design from day one signals craft
May 17, 2026	Log a Show as anchor screen	Contains every component: toggle, inputs, setlist, rating, badge, CTA. Design system derives from this.
May 17, 2026	One type system, two color palettes	Cleaner, more maintainable. Bebas Neue is one-note. Playfair has range.
May 17, 2026	Field label color: #6B6B6B (Option B)	#555 illegible, #4A4A4A worse. #6B6B6B — readable, subordinate, doesn't compete with values.
May 17, 2026	Onboarding: theme picker with live preview	Dark/light toggle at top of onboarding — tapping it updates an example screen in real time. Signals that both modes are equal, not an afterthought in settings.
May 17, 2026	Show card photo fallback hierarchy	User photo → community top-voted artist photo → empty state. Community photos (P1) are load-bearing for P0 card design — both must be designed together. Creates a virtuous loop: contributors improve the experience for the whole network.
May 17, 2026	Friends Feed: interactive tabs (Friends / Global / Tonight)	First interactive prototype element. Tab switching via JS — both phones sync. Global shows geo-tagged logs from strangers worldwide. Tonight shows live-logging cards with pulsing LIVE indicator. Foundation for full prototype chain.
May 17, 2026	User Profile screen completed	Archive-first (no upcoming show hero). Stats as identity flex (4-up gold numbers). No internal tab bar — one scroll. Ranked lists: Top Artists, Genres, Venues. Concerts Per Year bar chart with COVID dip. Direct response to Concert Archives teardown.
May 17, 2026	Import from CSV/spreadsheet added as P1 feature	Critical for switching cost. Mimsie (primary real test user) has 229 shows in Concert Archives — can't require manual re-entry. Supports generic CSV so any tracker works, not just Concert Archives export.
May 17, 2026	Marshall/Orange amp texture references	Dark mode: subtle gold dot grain on #0C0C0C (Marshall tolex), gold-tinted nav border (gold piping). Light mode: diamond crosshatch at 4.5% opacity on #EDE6D3 (Orange baffle board). Subconscious music culture signal — referential, not derivative.
May 17, 2026	Real test users identified	Mimsie (wife, 229 shows in Concert Archives — primary switcher target), xSasquatchx/Bryant (Mastodon/Gojira/Baroness/DEP fan), Sako H. (iOS developer, SwiftUI — will evaluate technical buildability, not just UX).

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Design System

Type System (Shared — Both Modes)

Role	Typeface	Size	Usage
Display	Playfair Display Italic 700	28–40px	Screen titles, artist names, show titles
Body / Setlist	Crimson Pro Italic 400	13–16px	Setlist songs, notes, quotes
UI Labels	DM Mono 400–500	9–12px	Field labels, tabs, metadata, timestamps
Bold UI	Syne 800	13–20px	Usernames, bold labels

All typefaces available via Google Fonts at no cost.

Color Tokens

Dark Mode — Dark Vintage

Token	Hex	Usage
bg-base	#0C0C0C	App background
bg-card	#111111	Feed cards, list items
border	#1E1E1E	Card outlines
divider	#181818	Section separators
text-primary	#F0F0F0	Artist names, show titles
text-secondary	#888888	Usernames, metadata
text-tertiary	#555555	Supporting info
accent-gold	#D4A853	Active tabs, stars, rare badge, logo dot
gold-tint	#3A2E10	Rare badge border, filled field border

Light Mode — Vintage Bold

Token	Hex	Usage
bg-base	#EDE6D3	App background — warm cream
bg-card	#F7F2E6	Feed cards, elevated surfaces
border	#D8CCAA	Setlist separator, subtle borders
border-inner	#C8BCA0	Inner dividers, muted outlines
text-primary	#1A1209	All primary text, logo, nav bg
text-body	#4A3E2A	Setlist song text
text-secondary	#9A8C74	Venues, timestamps, subtitles
text-tertiary	#B8A880	Song numbers, muted labels
accent-gold	#D4A853	Shared with dark — connective thread
accent-rust	#C4401C	Error states, edge case persona

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Information Architecture

Navigation (5 Tabs)

Tab	Name	MVP Screens
1	My Shows ← archive leads	Archive View, Show Detail, Stats Dashboard
2	Feed	Friends Feed, Global Feed, Tonight Feed
3	Log (center CTA)	Log a Show, Live Now Mode, From Memory Mode
4	Discover	Search, Artist Page, Show Page
5	Me	Profile, Followers/Following, Settings

MVP Screen Count: 14

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User Personas

Persona	Archetype	Priority	Key Need
Marcus, 34	The Archivist	★ North Star	Fast bulk logging, stats that validate his 200+ show history
Jordan, 27	The Casual Logger	Secondary	Low friction logging, social discovery via friends
Dana, 41	The Skeptic	Edge Case	Data integrity, private mode, import from existing tools

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Feature Priority

Feature	Priority	Notes
Setlist Logging	P0 — MVP	Core action. From memory + live now modes.
From Memory Tag	P0 — MVP	Design principle, not a warning. "We trust you."
Friends Feed	P0 — MVP	Social payoff. Unlocks after first show logged.
Star Ratings & Notes	P0 — MVP	5-star + free text. Displayed on feed card.
Personal Archive	P0 — MVP	Tab 1. Full history sortable by artist/year/venue/rating.
Rare Song Badge	P1	Auto-flag. Threshold TBD — not appeared in last 20 setlists.
Show Photo Upload	P0 — MVP	Optional user photo per show log. Thumbnail in show card bottom-right. Fallback hierarchy: 1) user's own photo → 2) community top-voted photo for that artist → 3) empty state.
Contacts Import	P0 — MVP	Import phone contacts (+ optional Spotify followers) to find friends already on Aftershow. Available in onboarding and Settings. Permission prompt copy must be framed carefully — "find friends" not "access your contacts". Apple/Google privacy review sensitive.
Artist Page — Community Photo Voting	P1	Top 3 concert photos per artist, community-upvoted. Surfaced on Artist Page. Top photo also serves as card thumbnail fallback for users without their own. Creates a virtuous loop — contributors improve the experience for everyone.
Artist Pages	P1	Setlist history, fan stats, upcoming tours.
Tour Dates	P1	Bandsintown/Songkick API.
Stats & Milestones	P2	"You've seen this artist 8 times." Profile flex layer.
AI Logging Assist	v1.1	Fuzzy input → Setlist.fm API match. Post-MVP.
Import History	v1.1	For Dana. Concert Archives migration path.

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Tech Stack (Provisional — Confirmed in Phase 4)

Layer	Decision	Notes
Framework	React Native	Cross-platform mobile
Setlist Data	Setlist.fm API	Free tier covers MVP
Tour Data	Bandsintown or Songkick	TBD in Phase 4
AI Layer	Claude API (Anthropic)	~200 tokens/call. Nearly free. v1.1 feature.

Data Model (Draft)

User → Shows → Songs
Artist → Shows
Venue → Shows

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Workflow Rules

1. Maintain this README as a living document — update at every major milestone.
2. Do not proceed to a new phase without announcing the transition, updating this log, and confirming readiness.
3. Phase gates are hard stops. No skipping.

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Integrations

• Figma — UI design & component specs
• GitHub — repo, prototype code, version history

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AFTERSHOW · Concept Stage · May 2026 · The show never really ends.