SLIDER

The Music Scene

This post was inspired by this post at Faerie Eye and the comments.


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. 

source

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 Everything was loud and even dimly lit, it was still too bright with the loudness of the outdated decor.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. 



6 comments

  1. Wow, I've really never thought about how lucky I was regarding concerts... but I still complain when shows are almost always in San Francisco or Oakland, bleh, ha. I know I'm suppose to like San Francisco, quintessential california and all that, but I really don't.

    I didn't even think to add all the comedy shows I've been to. Or plays. Or ballets... I love shows!!! If you ever make it to California, I will totally treat you to one :) You might have to drive though, LOLS.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my gosh - now I want to hear about all the other shows you've seen!
      Is there a thing about supposed be liking San Francisco? Is it supposed to be quintessential California? I am unaware of these things.
      It's so funny because we are watching CSI on Hulu and every once in a while, Shawn will be like "eventually when we get together with your blogger friend and her husband, if we go to Vegas..." lols. And someday, eventually, we for sure plan to go to California. At least once.

      Delete
  2. I used to be near lots of great concert towns, now I live in a city with no good concerts (well no bands I like ever seem to come here), so I totally relate to the having to spend silly money to go to a concert thing, we basically go to 1 or 2 a year now and it ain't cheap bc we don't have a car so we also have to buy train tickets which are stupid expensive in the U.K.

    I would love to see Keanu Reeves' band ha ha, jealous for sure! Why doesn't one of the concerts count? That's cool about the film fest (I think? curious to hear more!).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps later I will do another blog post about the film fest. It can be cool....
      I don't really count the Dogstar concert as a "real" concert because it was in a casino is all. It was a blast, however.

      I am curious about the whole trying to see a concert in the UK experience. Why do no good bands go to your city? Is it out of the way? (I don't actually know where actually in Scotland you are. <<<That should be a post.)

      Delete
    2. I live in Aberdeen, which is north, but Inverness is farthest north so a lot of small or mid level bands skip us and go there. Most bands just do Edinburgh or Glasgow
      I should write a post about Aberdeen I guess but there's a ton of local bloggers now who write alot about it and go to every hip new cafe first and I'm all "Meh, I can take or leave it, at least we have Starbucks." ;-o

      Delete
    3. I live in Aberdeen, which is north, but Inverness is farthest north so a lot of small or mid level bands skip us and go there. Most bands just do Edinburgh or Glasgow
      I should write a post about Aberdeen I guess but there's a ton of local bloggers now who write alot about it and go to every hip new cafe first and I'm all "Meh, I can take or leave it, at least we have Starbucks." ;-o

      Delete


© The United States of Becky • Theme by Maira G.