Against the Current at The Republik. Sunday, September 24th, 2023. One Night Only! No, I don't know why I started this like that either. First off, if you're looking to skip my bullshit and jump right to the show, then scroll down until you see the picture. Or, better yet, just go to YouTube because a bunch of people have already posted concert videos, yes, even full-concert videos. If, for some reason you actually like reading this (or you're taking an exceptionally long poop), then continue on, I guess.
To start, the show is Sunday night at 8:00pm and I'm an old man that also needs to work Monday morning. Still needing to wake up by 6:00am on Sunday morning though because Candy not only refuses to sleep-in but also refuses to eat breakfast after 7:00am, and knowing a late nap could very well result in me passed out until showtime, I decided the smart thing to do all day would be nothing at all: a little bit of writing but mostly playing video games.
Having never been to The Republik, I set out around 6:30pm, attempting to time my arrival near the 8:00pm start time. That said, of course my first stop at McDonald's for food was already met with a delay as I guess there was something about making McChickens that took the kitchen longer to make than anything else. Getting back on the road, I got to Ala Moana with some time to spare - time I needed to figure out my parking situation. Assuming the mall might close early (and no idea how long the show might last), I opted to look for something on the street. Giving up after a couple laps though, I instead pulled into a pay lot at just passed 7:45pm or so.
And then I sat there in my car. See, I don't do things like this. I don't do things. The last concert I attended was Blackpink in Korea with Tina five years ago. I don't know anyone else who has heard of Against the Current and also has the freedom to perform their job in a half-asleep state (or simply doesn't care). So, I'm sitting in my car, alone, and the only thing I can think to get me out-and-about is to reach into my bag for a little "security blanket" - a three-year-old opened pack of Camel Crush cigarettes. Just a little reminder there was once a younger version of me that absolutely went out to clubs and other, unfamiliar and shady locations, and stayed out all night, and functioned off of two hours of sleep the next day. Then, hindered slightly by my horrible sense of direction, I found my way over to The Republik by following a couple other people headed in the same direction.
At the door, I'm greeted by a legitimate bouncer (I know, right, it's been a long time since I've been out-and-about to find someone guarding an entrance). In addition to my "security blanket" i.e. cigarettes and lighter, I've also got on my person my wallet, phone, car keys, a mask, pocket notebook, and a pen. So, now I'm emptying my pockets, attempting to balance all my crap while receiving a good-old-fashioned pat-down - and I gotta say it felt kinda ... refreshing. Or perhaps it means I simply need to get out of the house more often. Still balancing my pocket trash, I needed to unlock my phone to get my ticket scanned, and then I was finally inside The Republik. After putting a drink in my hand (yes, another security blanket), I took in the space and noticed two things immediately: ONE) a curtain running down part of the room made the space appear smaller because TWO) the crowd wasn't that big, maybe a couple dozen people, which I thought, yeah this seems right for a Sunday show. The crowd size plus the giant fan overhead plus the space I was able to put between myself and others while still having an unobstructed view of the stage gave me to confidence to keep the mask in my pocket. And I was wrong because I was simply early. The soundcheck team came onto the stage about twenty minutes later, then came the "Against the Current" logo projected on the stage wall, and by then the rest of the crowd packed into the venue, meaning I was no longer as socially-distanced as I thought I might be.
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| And the show begins! |
Finally, the lights flashed, the band appeared on stage, and the show began. I was also empty-handed, but with the show starting, I didn't want to walk back to the bar just yet. I also didn't want to spend another $12 for a Jack-and-Coke. As much as I described being anxious and uncertain earlier in the night, I do want to say I was super-excited to see Against the Current live, to be at a concert again, to just be out-and-about again. I want to put that out there not only so you know I wasn't simply a man-shaped shell filled with anxiety, but also to justify not quite remembering the entire set list. I read an article (okay, part of an article ... while I was sitting on the toilet at work) how excitement caused folks to not quite remember certain parts of Taylor Swift's The Eras show despite, you know, being there, so I feel like this is kinda similar. I am pretty certain (like 90% sure) they played wildfire, again and again, and jump (my favorite song not only off of the "fever" album but of al the songs I've heard) before their first intermission, so I was ecstatic hearing some of my favorites right from the start.
I also want to say I wasn't particularly a fan of "good guy" when I first listened to it when it was released, but hearing it live, I immediately (upon returning home) downloaded it to my iPod. By about 9:00pm or so, they also got through Running with the Wild Things, one of my favorites from the "In Our Bones" album and one I got to shout lyrics during the fan-chant part (is that what it's called when the band sings one part and the audience shouts a response? I've been listening to too much K-Pop), and silent stranger, a song they'd just released a couple days prior to the show and I was really, really hoping to hear - it was kinda like hearing Blackpink's Jennie's solo debut, Solo when she debuted it at their concert five years ago (shit, saying it twice, has it really been that long!).
So, it's roughly 9:00pm and they've already played literally all the songs I really wanted to hear (yeah, I made a mental list in the weeks before looking forward to the show) - I could leave now and be perfectly satisfied. After an intermission (they must've taken a break at sometime, I'm trying to do this from memory), they brought out some older songs I didn't know but also Almost Forgot and Chasing Ghosts which I liked seeing since it brought the drummer from the background and onto acoustic guitar (which, I think, he officially plays on the song or something like that - do bands have positions like Kpop group members?).
I know, I really should've used the short breaks to get a refill except ONE) I didn't want to pay another $12 for a Jack-and-Coke and 2) I didn't want to move from my spot. As you've seen from the videos, I'm tall and the spot I found to perch myself was off to the side so I could confidently say I wasn't blocking anyone's view and I could hold my phone low enough to see the stage while not obstructing my own view. And yes, I too believe the videos would be better if I turned my phone sideways, but they show up on my phone and that's really all that matters to me since they're for personal use (ahh, memories). And, if you are also wondering why the videos are only around 30 seconds each, I guess the video quality of my newer phone is so much better than my old phone from 5 years ago that Blogger won't allow me to to upload longer videos, and I'm too dumb to learn how to format. If you were hoping to watch the entire concert, you came to the wrong place, moron, as even I know to go to YouTube for much better quality videos of that (I know, I've watched a bunch of them myself already, hell, I've got a full-concert one playing as I typed this out).
Before we get to the end, I also want to point out their crowd work in-between songs. Of course, one of the reasons is to give the band a break but I also feel like it adds a personal touch to the show itself - you can't mention your trip to Lanai in New York or brag about how much rice you've eaten in Germany (actually, I don't know, do Germans eat rice?) or talk about surfing in Seoul. And, just to point out how old I am, I don't remember why the movie "Heavyweights" was brought up, but the reference definitely made me feel old. By the end of the show, thanks to my already mentioned elderly status and proximity to the stage and speakers, my hearing started to wane enough that I wasn't quite certain as to which song I was hearing, if it was an older one I didn't know or simply didn't recognize. Note: After watching someone else's fancam, it was weapon which I'm now disappointed in myself for not recognizing and especially for not recording a snippet of.
So, the show itself ended after about an hour and a half, around 10:00pm I think, and the crowd was guided out of the venue. Looking at the time now, I definitely could've risked hiding my car at the mall as perhaps either the band or the venue ensured the show would end before the towing started. Treking my way back down the street, my hand found it's way into my pocket (come on, it's been a good night) but ultimately I decided not to break my roughly three-year cigarette-free lifestyle. Also, I'd like to add, despite being unmasked, I did end up testing negative later that week. I'd like to think this is less about vaccine effectiveness, crowd control, and good building ventilation but more so thanks to my "avoid-the-public" nature that even in a crowded room - filled with folks singing, screaming, shouting - I can still find a way to avoid people enough to dodge what should be COVIDs prime spreading grounds.
Okay, so a month after the actual event isn't too bad considering how little I've been writing lately. While I don't typically write about real-life events (besides my reading list but that's just to have something consistent, and my vacations but that's because I'm terrible at taking pictures) I figure I can make an exception for this just to help get back into the writing habit. Then we'll be back to our irregularly scheduled bullshit.
