Sometimes you have those weekends that just go on and on and on, in a good way. This was one of those weekends where I went to the beach twice, saw pretty much all my friends, saw two movies from my Netflix queue, weeded my whole garden and still got enough rest to carry me through the week, except for at the very end, where I stayed up past my bedtime on Sunday, but for a very good reason.
But what really kicked off the whole shebang was Friday night. I had been planning on settling down with some wine and Thai food when I got a call from my friend Flick. She had an extra ticket for a heavy metal concert downtown. At first I was all, “nah, my headbanging days ended when I stopped listening to Pirate radio at my parents’ house…” But then, I was all, “but I do have that cool rocker tee-shirt I cut up and sewed back together in a punk sort of way, and I’ve been looking for a reason to wear it out… And I could combine it with that dog collar I used to wear back in the day…” and then she told me it was at The Loft in the city (of Poughkeepsie, not to be confused with THE CITY, which will only ever be NYC…) and I realized that I have never been to the famed concert venue, and that means I could add it to the 30 activities project!
So we went.
The Loft is part of The Chance which is on the main street of the city (of Poughkeepsie.) It bills itself as the premier concert venue in the city (of Poughkeepsie) and I’m sure you can see why:
Okay, to be fair, like my aging face, it’s a little more beautiful at night when there is less natural light. But still, at night, the look is not unlike a gray box with graffiti’d windows. The inside is actually much nicer, but did I think to bring my camera on Friday night? No. But you can go to their website and see a fantabulous picture for yourself. You can also learn about the concerts that are coming up in April of 2008.
On Friday, the headlining band was called Redrooster. They had a french horn, a banjo, a trumpet, and a lovely woman singing the leads in a sun dress and espadrilles. They were not the heavy metal band we were expecting. But wait! we were told, the metal is coming. We waited in the VIP section (two leather couches at the back of the floor, looking sad and unoccupied.) Eventually, the metal came, and with a vengeance.
I wish I could tell you the name of the band we saw, but all I can say is that they opened with the one lead singer going “RAAAAARRRR!” into his mic, while the other lead singer bounced around with her waist-length dreads flailing about. They kept telling us to go to their website after the show, and I totally would, but all I could make out was “www dot Myspace dot com slash RAAAAARESRESTRRRRR!!!! Motherfucker.”
And part of the reason I couldn’t quite understand them was that when the feedback and the yelling met up with my eardrums that have been waterlogged for a year now, the result was pain. Actual physical pain in my left ear. So I spent most of the show holding that left ear only to wake up the next morning with a distinct ringing in my right ear, and a feeling of being stuffed with cotton.
Yeah, I had a great time, but I think now that I’m six months into my 30’s, I’m going to bring earplugs next time.
18 responses so far ↓
Kristabella // July 14, 2008 at 10:03 am
My weekend was really busy, but fun. But now I’m freaking out because I have like 100s of things to do before I leave town on Thursday morning.
Dutchess of Kickball // July 14, 2008 at 10:08 am
Wait, you’ve been here this long and you still haven’t been to The Chance? Terrible.
courtney // July 14, 2008 at 10:09 am
I wore earplugs to the last concert I went to, and will never turn back. The music was still plenty loud but I didn’t feel the after-effects for the next three days. I highly recommend the earplugs, especially for a metal concert.
Wow, this comment makes me sound really old.
alexa // July 14, 2008 at 10:28 am
gotta love the rarrrrrrwwww or “the death growl” as i call it.
surprisingly or not so surprisingly i can to a mean death growl. for like a hot sec, then my throat gets sore.
kids.
lizgwiz // July 14, 2008 at 10:55 am
I didn’t enjoy heavy metal when I was young–I can’t even imagine how much I’d hate it now that I’m ancient.
Allie // July 14, 2008 at 10:57 am
Oh, what is it that happens to our ears as we age? Aren’t we supposed to lose our sensitivity to loud noises? I don’t get it.
nancypearlwannabe // July 14, 2008 at 11:03 am
That sounds remarkably similar to going to one of Chris’s concerts, except everyone wears earplugs, even the dudes in the band. Hope the ringing is gone!
Pants // July 14, 2008 at 11:23 am
I just looked at their website…you should totally go to the Spitzer and Ho’s party on April 5th!
stefanie // July 14, 2008 at 11:47 am
I was going to say I hope you didn’t miss the Spitzer and Ho’s party, but I see Pants beat me to it.
I should totally wear ear plugs at every show, but I have been saying that for the last ten years, so apparently I see no reason to start now.
The Modern Gal // July 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm
You get credit for going to a metal show at the age of 30, so the earplugs are forgiveable
Dingo // July 14, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Isn’t it nice how the deer and bunnehs will eat all the veggies but leave the weeds for YOU to tend?
Adorable Girlfriend // July 14, 2008 at 12:31 pm
You should always wear ear protection at a concert, regardless of age. Always.
I am AG and I approve of this public service message.
mickey // July 14, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Earplugs are the way to go. That way, you’ll be able to rock on into your forties with your hearing mostly intact. And both rocking and hearing are very important.
Laurel // July 14, 2008 at 3:13 pm
He! I couldn’t have tolerated that kind of noise even when I was 18.
But still, check check off the list!
Vanessa // July 14, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I’m with you on the earplugs. Sounds like fun though!
Angela // July 15, 2008 at 2:34 am
Hahaha, well, I’m glad that your weekend certainly ended up more eventful than you originally had planned, and that you also had a good time. I like weekends like that!
erikka // July 15, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’m only just newly minted 28 and I’ve been wearing earplugs at shows for-EVAH baby.
and ps. what are these new automatically generated posts…?
Aaron // July 15, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Earplugs? Yelling? God, you’re so old. God, I’m so old. Why are we all so old?
Still, earplugs are a good idea; you don’t want to wind up like William Shatner. With tinnitus, I mean.
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