SHARING THE SHOWS
Spring Break Concert #2: because one was not enough. My stomach bug was on and off, but missing this show would have been one of my greatest life regrets, probably even more than missing the last Rush tour. After grading some essays and generally taking it easy in order to work up my strength for the show, I took a train into Manhattan, where I decided to ingest some protein into my system in the form of a chicken kebab. A little spicier than one with a stomach bug should probably eat, but fuck it, I was on vacation. The New York City subway is a thing of beauty to me. I love that feeling of being anonymous it provides, and it’s a great opportunity to people-watch. This is also the first time I’ve taken a subway to get to a show, and it’s an excuse for this clip (the most exciting subway ride in recorded cinema, IMO). I can DIG IT, Cyrus! The 1 line let me off at 72nd Street, two blocks from the Beacon Theatre. The last time I went there was the Allmans’s annual Peakin’ at the Beacon residency in March 2010, with my ex, Nancy, along with Rob and Kara (congrats on your newborns!), as well as an old friend Mark and his wife (whose name I can’t recall). The coziness of the venue, as well as its rustic design, makes it one of my favorites. Moving to El Paso for my Ph.D. kept me from seeing the Allmans whenever they came in March, but hey, one has to make the choices that are right for him (and they were).
Getting in was easy (arriving early helps one avoid those long lines), and I found my seat in the Upper Balcony (my favorite seating area; I love being able to see the crowd in addition to the band). I also ran into Aaron of 52 Shows a Year (congrats on your upcoming talk!), and we had a good conversation. Once I grabbed my seat, I talked to Paul, a cool dude and fellow solo traveler from Charlotte who’s seen 160 Panic shows, way more than my measly thirteen (counting this one). I also talked to him about my other blog, The Happy Bachelor, and my upcoming book, One nice thing about traveling to shows solo is that you get all kinds of flexibility to meet cool, interesting people; I love going with my crew, but it’s easy to stay insular in that regard. The band came on at 8:08 and opened with the Ramones’s “I Wanna Be Sedated,” which brought me back to Halloween 2003 at the Garden, the night before my first Panic show. “Travelin’ Light” and “Old Neighborhood” were next, which spoke to me because I brought my carry-on bag for the week in New York, and didn’t take my bookbag to the city, as I typically do, mostly because I didn’t want the extra weight (“travelin’ light is the only way to fly”). New York is my “old neighborhood,” one that I do get nostalgic for. My first skingasm of the night came when “Imitation Leather Shoe” graced the stage. I had a nice aisle seat, so I found myself dancing right in the aisle, along with a lot of other folks. They slowed down with “Last Straw,” and then came Skingasm #2 with “Pleas” (my first time seeing that one performed live). “Rock” is always good, and “Jack” gave me Skingasm #3. “Love Tractor” closed the next. At setbreak, the line for the Men’s Room just seemed to pop up. A redhead dude from Alabama and I commented on how it didn’t even form; it just popped up. I got to tell him about the feat known as the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, through which traffic doesn’t seem to form; it just is. After hanging with Aaron for a bit, I grabbed a water and a pretzel before heading back to my seat. The second set opened with “The Waker,” the highlight of the Red Rocks run for me (wassup, Bob!). Paul said, “that’s the first song to turn me onto Panic!” “Pigeons” and “Hatfield” (skingasm #4 followed). This group of drunk early 20-something women were dancing in the aisles. Normally, I wouldn’t hang with them, but their energy was infectious. “Impossible” was a good jam, and I sat down for “Saint Ex.” During “Tie Your Shoes,” I felt compelled to leave my seat and go down to the walkway just below the balcony to join the real hardcore dancers (who, I suspect, might have indulged in some treats of the psychedelic family preshow). No judgments, of course, but, for me, the music is a natural toxin. The slow “Nobody’s Loss” brought me back to my seat, and “North” was a rockin second-set closer (I was bummed about missing it 3/16/19, so I’m glad I got it). The encores had meanings for me: New York is definitely a “City of Dreams” for a lot of people, and I’ve had a fantasy about leaving the academic game behind and re-establishing myself as a writer/coach here. We’ll see how it goes when my book comes out. For now, though, I have to “keep my dayyyyyy job and not give it away.” And I do love most of the aspects of my day job, too, without which I would not have this book deal, so gratitude is key. The Talking Heads’s “Life During Wartime” had me bouncing around too. The lyrics could also apply to the verbal bloodshed that’s happening right now in the political landscape, particularly as Super Tuesday will play a huge factor in who goes up against that Cheeto Guy for the Presidential office. All-in-all, killer show! And I love these intense New York crowds. Paul’s assessment of the Beacon shows was correct, though: they went by very quickly. Short intermissions, and the 11:15 curfew was tight. No matter, though. Still a lot of fun, and my introverted side doesn’t mind when a show ends early. Eventually, my tolerance of crowds does wear out. I can definitely relate to some of these on the list. After the show, I headed back to 34th Street to catch the Path, but of course, I had to have a “street dog.” After finishing it up, I had “Street Dogs” in my head. I got back to Suffern at 2 a.m., and my head immediately hit the pillow. It was worth it.
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