Should I be deemed ungrateful for living in Austin, dubbed the Live Music Capital of the World, yet loathing live music? How exactly did I turn from concert-goer to thinking shows were boring, annoying and altogether not worthy of my presence? I refuse to take this as a sign of onset senility or general crotchety aging, which, now in my mid-to-late 20s, is an omnipresent lament from my contemporaries. “Does this mean I’m old?” once sprang from my confusion and nonplussed reaction to the changing times in live music and performance, but I don’t think I’m “old”… maybe just well over the phase. So when did I realize that farewells were in order for my once cherished nightlife itch that begged to be melodiously scratched? This past weekend and oh, was it a s*%tshow.
In high school, I was into hardcore and punk music, to further prove how much my classmates and family “didn’t get me”. I loved being the first one who knew about this band, that show, this trend, that hairstyle, etc. And if I wasn’t, I’d visibly brush it off like it was no big deal. I’d go to exclusive shows – the more obscure and unheard of, the better. I went into pits and bragged about the bruise on my boob for weeks. I enjoyed the senseless pushing, shoving and absolute rage of it all and wanted to prove that girls are just as tough as boys. I’d take pictures of the hot guys with jet black hair, girl jeans and bandanas in their back pockets at the hardcore shows at The Door in downtown Dallas. (You couldn’t throw a stick without hitting a gaggle of these types ten years ago, and maybe even today?) I’d buy the band t-shirts, preferably black, and wear them with my Chucks, spiky white belt and skinny jeans. I was the ultimate scene kid.
Going into college, I still intended to keep my hardcore love alive. I took the bus 6th Street to see my very first Austin show at Emo’s, featuring Converge, and frequented the hub of music venues for several more years. SXSW, an annual Austin music festival in March featuring literally thousands of up-and-coming bands, happened and I was even more hooked. I was still under 21, so my best friend and I would mix vodka and Gatorade in the club bathrooms because…. wait, ew, WHY? I somehow found myself backstage to legendary punk acts at various venues as the years passed by. I got to see people dive from the rafters into a torrent pit of the young and angry. It was pure pandemonium and my spirit eagerly drank it up. Live music was getting better and better.
But just like that, it all changes. Music changes and bands break up. Your partners in crime move away or lessen their attendance and the venues alter their atmospheres and mark up their tickets. The vibrancy and felicity of live music shifts with every generation of music and its followers, and for me the anticipation faded and drifted off to the next young, budding enthusiast.
I still “attend” SXSW every year, meaning I ride my bike downtown and see free showcases with friends, but the charming curse of live music has been lifted from me. I can’t stand on my feet for hours, anxiously waiting through three terrible bands for the headliner. I can’t listen to more than 30 minutes of a band’s set because I get burnt out quickly and the initial thrill of seeing them with my own eyes has passed. Shows are LOUD, and even with earplugs in I will still hear ringing afterward. And crust punks smell bad, yo.
I went to a show with my boyfriend over the weekend at Red 7, a bar downtown with enough inked flesh to cover its walls. The act was one of his favorite high school bands that were still touring and are fathers by now. My experience was awful. My lower back was strained from standing for so long after working all day. The opening bands were so uninteresting that their songs started to run together in my mind into one desensitizing rift of mental pain. The headliner we had been waiting for played for almost two hours to please their longest and loyal fans, but I heard a couple songs ten years back and couldn’t stomach the 25+ songs now. But I’m glad I went because I got to hang out with friends and run into old ones. I realized that live music will now be a social destination for me.
Some people are and will always be up and open to checking out new bands. Some people gas out and refocus on other forms of entertainment as they mature. The latter half of my article has been drenched in complaints, but I legitimately miss the days I bounced around in earnestness, awaiting a performance to liberate myself in. Although my inclination towards live music has dropped drastically, I still appreciate the hard work that many musicians put themselves through to break even and fill their fans’ hearts with their own musical creations. I will still attend shows, dance to the beat and applaud bands; my enthusiasm just isn’t what it used to be and I’m genuinely okay with that.
Are you still into shows and concerts? What type of music do you love to see live?
daffodil / 1525 posts
If you’re not 17, you shouldn’t be into mixing Vodka and Gatorade and dressing like a scenester…
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It sucks growing up doesn’t it?
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I sat in a nice theater in vegas and melted in my seat as the singer serenaded the audience
he also has some dance songs, but the romantic songs plucked my heart and threw it in the sky, then I was freefalling in a sea of bliss as I floated on a lily pad
I’m a fan of romance. I had the same floaty feeling when I watched the phantom of the opera broadway musical
sunflower / 300 posts
1) I still mix vodka and Gatorade because I’m cheap and it’s cheap and I like drinking and I hate spending money.
2) Crust punks seriously do smell gross. I’ve dated/had flings with more than one. Eep. I loved punk shows, hated reeking of sweaty anti-showers.3) I totally feel you on the non-live music thing. I still love going to electro shows and dancing (or at least, when I was still in LA I did) but for the most part, I never see bands live. People are so often jerks. I went to see a show in Brooklyn a few weeks ago and people were at best, pretentious and at worst, abysmally rude and judgmental. And when you don’t have the same old crowd to go with, it’s just not the same.
daffodil / 1615 posts
I think it depends on who you see. My boyfriend and I are super into this indie band from Chicago called Company of Thieves and we’ve seen them the two times that they came to northern Virginia. The venue is relatively small but the atmosphere is great and both times we went the band was fantastic and we had such a good time. We’ve also seen Incubus and Dave Matthews at larger venues and had an equally great time because, again, the atmosphere at the show was terrific. I guess it varies by genre and location. I don’t think I could ever handle going to a festival with the large numbers of people there; I much prefer smaller shows because there are fewer people and you’re more likely to meet band members (like I did back in June!)
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I’ve only seen a cover band a few times. But each time I’ve seen them, they wouldn’t play until about 9 or 10. So, I would take a nap and get prepared. And having an auditory disorder, I have found that I need to be careful about concerts. I have a certain routine and checklist that I follow so I can stay as long as long as I can.
But I found that as I’ve gotten older, I’m not into the party scene. I’d rather enjoy music and the band.
orchid / 106 posts
@annamariuhh@xanga - Definitely a thrill long gone due to age.
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You’re obviously going to the wrong gigs with the wrong people.
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Last weekend I went to Rockapalooza, was just kicking it back stage and met a couple members of Devil Wears Prada mostly because I wasn’t dressed like a whore and was not fan-girling out over them.
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I grew up in Austin. Never had the opportunity to experience much of the music scene there before moving 1800 miles away. Though my older brother did, that ass. I was dragged kicking and screaming, by the way. I have three children now so the opportunity to go to a live show is rare, and I live in an area where there’s not a whole lot going on in the good live music department anyway. But when I do, there’s always an altercation. One of which landed me in trouble with the law despite the fact that I was just defending myself. I just don’t like being shoved around by self important hipster dipshits (how dare so many hipsters like my favorite band!?) Sooo, generally my experience with live music is pretty negative, but really has no bearing on my opinion of the bands themselves. My fiance is a very handy audiophile, which means top of the line sound in our home and vehicles. I’ll stick to rocking out at home and in my car. I’ll never stop discovering new music. Thank goodness for the internet, eh?
orchid / 160 posts
I can see that. Last year i went and saw the same bands several times over (because they were free? because they were my friends) to the point where I couldn’t see a lot of bands because I’d fall asleep standing up. I chalked it up to getting old, too. My bff, on the other hand, is 3 years older than me and has yet to get tired of it. I’ll still go to shows as, like you said, a social destination, but I’m also just not as social anymore. There are still shows and bands that come around where I will absolutely die and do anything to go see them, but now I’m in another country where the music is not to my taste, yet, and drinking is an expat thing, so we’ll see where I end up next.
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This sort of thing has never appealed to me. I’ve been to a few very, very small time gigs of indie or blues and concerts of Rachmaninov or Ravel, etc. I’m just too introspective about music, don’t really feel like jumping around and stuff.
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I’ve been involved in the local music scene in a local city in Ontario, Canada. For years now I’ve been promoting local shows for many different genres of music / bands. I love it. I wish more people in this city knew about it. Luckily, being a first year journalism student, I will be able to educate more people via my work, about the scene! My favourite type of shows to book are the real raw punk / metal. People love these shows too. If anyone in the TORONTO area sees this – Aurora Snow is playing with the Misfits @ the Opera House on Thursday October 25!
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I don’t like being around people in large crowds… And standing around is lame; but so is moshing IMO. Often times the music isn’t as good live as it is on the album; it’s rarely ever better and it’s surprising when it’s on par.
I also hate what a lot of bands do on stage, from jumping around like a jackass thinking they’re all cool and hip and shit. I tend to like bands who basically just focus on playing the music as best as they can… Even if that means they ignore the audience.
So yeah, concerts aren’t that amazing to me. They’re pretty boring and unimpressive most of the time.