So where do I start?
The inspiration for this post started with Heather's post about music and included concerts she'd seen.
And I commented that I had not been to but 2 concerts and one of them doesn't count.
So before we start, here are the "2" concerts I have been to:
- Dogstar (some info on this link is wrong, but it covers the basics) - tickets were a birthday present from a friend, I'll call her Sophie. We saw them at Leelanau Sands Casino, nine rows away from the stage. (Yes, Keanu is fucking gorgeous IRL, even when from that distance and when he doesn't look at the audience and is all band-grungy.) Also? Bret Domrose is also super yummy.
- No Doubt (Paramore opened) - 2009 Summer Tour near Detroit, saw with Shawn and one of his brothers. (AWESOME AF!)
Heather inquired as to why I've only been to 2 concerts...cost? Location?
Well, let's get into that.
Here is a map of Michigan:
The black dot is my hometown. The two arrows are Grand Rapids and Detroit Metro. Those are the two major concert venue areas in this state.
We do have 3 major places for performances in TC:
- The "Pepsi Soundstage" (lols) in the Open Space during Cherry Festival. (This is where we saw Gabriel Iglesias perform.)
- Streeters Ground Zero Nightclub (I have never been because...we'll come back to that.)
- Kresge (pronounced Kres-ghee) Auditorium at Interlochen Center For the Arts (alma mater of Rumer Willis and Jewel, among many.)
↠↠About Streeters/Ground Zero: I have always had a disdain for Streeters as a bar because it's where the high school kids go before the "check for ID" hours. The high school kids think it's the shit. I went to the bar once with friends and welp, it was pretty much what I expected. Everything was loud and even dimly lit, it was still too bright with the loudness of the outdated decor. (This was circa 2002, who knows what's changed since then?)
↠↠Ground Zero Nightclub...I can't say I have disdain, because I've never been. It has apparently received great reviews. But the performers always seem to be...has beens (Bret Michaels, for example), and I-don't-care's.
(Historically I have enjoyed going to more...let's call them "old man" bars. I have heard some awesome bands in some pretty run down bars.) I am more of a sit and listen and maybe read person more than a dance-and-be-noticed person.))
BUT CONCERTS.
Concerts I get up and move and shake and jump and dance and it is wonderful.
But if you didn't get it before, Traverse City area doesn't have too many options for concerts.
Big names go to Grand Rapids and Detroit Metro Area.
So you not only have to calculate ticket cost, there is extra gas, making sure work schedule changes work out, (travel time) and possibly an overnight in a hotel. So it's a bit more of a thing to make it happen.
However, we are planning on seeing more shows now that we have a reliable car and a fixed schedule. (We almost saw Jim Gaffigan at Fox Theatre in Detroit last summer but there were no more good seats to make it worth it.)
And thanks to Michael Moore and the Traverse City Film Festival, we are attracting a lot more attention from Hollymood types. (← That is a whole other blog post.)
And so, I remain a 2 concert girl - for now.