I’ve alluded here before to the fact that I’m nearly 29 and have never been to a rock concert. Pause to grasp that, moving on.
Last week I attended not ONE, but TWO LIVE ROCK SHOWS in 48 hours’ time. WHAT!
First, I went to a place called The Canal Roomto see the music video premiere party for my friend’s band, She Said Fire. Big open space, a sort of raised area with seats in the back, and bathrooms down on the lower floor with individual stalls (to prevent shenanigans?) with sexy cool dim lighting and black toilets. I took a selfie. I looked pretty rock and roll, if I do say so myself:
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So there I am…early to the rock show, I don’t really know anyone, everyone there is with a group of friends and oh yeah THERE’S LOUD MUSIC PLAYING. How the hell do you mingle at these things? I can barely understand what’s being shouted in my ear, how will anyone appreciate the subtle nuances of my wit? Am I supposed to dance? There’s a girl dancing, but I think she’s drunk. So I basically stood bopping to the music in the back. It was cool. The band played a cover of “Take On Me” and I sang along. The lighting was super awesome and neat.
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I moved up to the front when my friend’s band came on. I knew those guys! There they were! Playing music! People dancing! Songs I knew the words to! Suddenly I felt comfortable! This is a weird, shared experience – like being on a train where everyone’s headphones sync up playing the same music and we all just decide to enjoy it together? I don’t know. I’m new at this, guys.
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The next night, my evening plans got cancelled and a series of friends scored me a free ticket to see Courtney Love. COURTNEY LOVE. A day before, I attended my first concert. And now I was seeing Courtney Love. That’s like going from zero to coke habit OVERNIGHT.
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What’s up with the lighting at these things? It’s insane! I knew a guy who did lighting for concerts, I thought, “huh, neat, you flip a switch.” But NO! The lighting is like a movie that plays underscoring the music! It’s fantastic! But it does make it super hard to get clear good photos.
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Remember the time Courtney Love sang “Celebrity Skin” and then stalked offstage demanding loud enough applause to merit an encore and returned 20 minutes later in a white lace dress and started pelting the audience with rose petals? Now I can say I DO! I was so close to the stage, I got smacked with a fistful of petals. But not close enough to take a decent photo. IRONY!
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I have to say, I was impressed. I guess I had this image in my head of concerts being these big, scary, formal things where you’re nudged into uncomfortable seats in the back of a huge stadium, pushed around by cantankerous fans, and groped by strangers in a mosh pit. None of this happened to me, in fact, it was all very friendly, and it felt very intimate! In a good way! And I’m not just talking about when the closing act of the Canal Room performance approached me randomly TWICE, gave me a smooch on the cheek and grabbed my bum. Twice. Talk about intimate.
So needless to say, I Love Rock and Roll.
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