show hopping

Just ordered two tickets for Tad and I to see Sufjan Stevens in Indy. And, I’ll be honest … I’m a bit nervous.

I used to go to shows all the time. Sometimes two or three in one night, which I suppose some would akin to bar hopping, except there was rarely alcohol involved. Well, at least not on my part (See mom, aren’t you so proud of me?).

They were rarely professional gigs, mind you, but I was a broke college kid, surrounded by other broke college kids. So we went to the local shows in which the music and crowds were so collectively terrible that it was the best fun we’d had all week.

After college, I sort of stopped going. I mean we all grew up and got jobs. And even though to this day I still hang out with many of the guys and gals I went show-hopping with, we haven’t been to a show together in ages. But I guess that’s how it goes. Suddenly, the late nights are a bit too late. The loud music is definitely too loud. And the mosh pit … well, it’s a lot less inviting.

(Which I suppose is another blog post altogether … the Fort Wayne mosh pit. In Peoria, we didn’t mosh. Everyone stood around and smoked cigarettes. But not me, mom! Aren’t you proud again??)

For awhile after college, I vowed to go to one show per year. And since I actually had some sort of income, I vowed that the show would be a real show. As in having opening acts, a headlining act and merch tables. That worked for a bit. Tad and I went to see Death Cab. Then, around a year later we went to see Bloc Party. But despite our faces being rocked off each time, we just … stopped.

And now, it’s been a couple years since my last real (or even fake, for that matter) show, and it took me a number of uploads on TicketMaster before I finally got the guts to complete the order.

Because … I don’t know … what if it’s not as fun as it used to be? What if we have a horrible time? What if Sufjan's not as amazing live as he is on the recordings? What if I change my mind at the last minute? What if I don’t fit in?

Better go dig up my Chuck Taylors just to be safe.