Tip #1: Protect your ears.
Tip #2: Avoid earplugs/all things that go in to your ear as much as possible.
The reason for this is that it may cause either an inflammation in your ear canal(Common), or at worst you will get an infected eardrum(Rare).
At live shows you probably dont want to run around using headphones, so earplugs are your only option.
If you use disposable earplugs(Like the yellow foam ones.), throw them away after using them.. dirty earplugs is bad news for your ears.
If you buy musicians plugs, then clean them thoroughly after use, so that they are clean the next time you put them in your ears.
The reason i am being so "girly" about this is because i have a chronic inflammation in my ear canal, caused by years of using eardrums in rehearsal(Use headphones when rehearsing.).
Trust me, it sucks more then tinnitus(Which i have too.).