Death of a Novelty

No doubt one of my top pastimes, concert going has been an evocative and exciting way to spend money in Chicago. I justify all I’ve spent on shows because of their fleeting nature. Sure, you can go on Youtube and watch any artist, but that pales in comparison to seeing them up close, particularly at the smaller venues the city has to offer.

Generally, my access to such places has been related to an age gradient. First I had to only go to all age shows, then 18+, but now the be all end all milestone of 21 has melodramatically slipped its way into my life. My first 21+ show was a few nights ago. Not my favorite, but it marked a significant departure from what concert going previously meant to me.

Perhaps my greatest achievement so far, interviewing my favorite band Gems last year was a surreal experience. They were slated to play a show at the Subterranean, of course age restricted. My brother thoughtlessly let time go by, assuming the show wouldn’t sell out, and of course it did. I resorted to asking Gems if they’d guest list me, under my brothers name in order to use his ID to get in.

Sneaking into things isn’t that big of a deal, everyone usually has fakes or the venues don’t care. But the culmination of leveraging a situation like that in the face of seemingly pointless rules was exhilarating to say the least. I couldn’t believe I had actually gotten in.

This was of course a stark contrast to how effortlessly I walked up to Lincoln Hall, displayed my ID, and walked in like it was nothing. It’s sort of a shame to be able to legally get into venues now. With new freedom comes the loss of other aspects of life.

Rites of passages are kinda anticlimactic.

-M