Baby's First House Show
I walk briskly to the back entrance of a home that I expect most people present have seldom seen in daylight, fearful of missing the beginning of the show. As I walk through the doorway to the basement I realize I am suddenly early, as the time zone has shifted from Central to Punk. Surrounding me is the sight of dad caps and the smell of cigarettes.I attended my first house show recently. It was a band lotto/DIY show set up to benefit The UP Center Of Champaign County (over $300 were raised!!) at a place called “Ghost Planet.” The lineup included: Ketchup 'n The Fry, Hidden Gravity, Buckets, Basic, Fruit Knife, Jan Michael & The Vincents, and Phantom Limb.
As this was my first encounter with this sort of event, I did not come in with any predetermined expectations. Now having had this experience, I can conceive a few key components of a house show. This includes, but is not limited to:
- a charmingly dingy basement
- a collection of (mostly faux) leather jackets
- at least one person you’ve hooked up with
- posters of bands you've "probably never heard of"
- enough tattoos to fill a gallery
and, if you’re lucky
- a box of ear plugs to grab from (because it’s punk to protect your hearing)