Don’t hesitate! Better than missing out, that’s fo sho!

Solo shows- Part 1

DSO at Borderland Festival, Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora, New York

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, Robins Theater, Warren, Ohio

Jerry Casale and John Zabrucky at the Medici Art Museum, Warren, Ohio

I love live music.  I mean I LOVE live music.   It makes me happy.  Makes me feel vibrant and  alive in a way not much else does. So in 2024 some things happened in my personal life that found me sort of alone, but not lonely,  and  I made a decision that if I wanted to go to a concert or a show and no one else was interested, I was just gonna do it solo.  This sounds so pathetic but I don’t have many friends and I definitely don’t have friends or family who are as rabid about live music as I am. So. It’s solo or nothing.  And at this point in my life I’m not doing nothing.  There’s only so much time left and I’m gonna feed my soul. Plus, you meet some really righteous people when you are in the middle of a bunch of strangers all grooving to the same beat!

The more I go solo, the more I kind of like it.  I don’t have to worry if someone else is comfortable or having a good time or whatever.  I can stay for the whole show, or not.  I almost ALWAYS stay for the entire show.  I mean, why leave before the encores?  Who cares about traffic?  I don’t have anywhere I have to be at any particular time, so I’m staying for the whole damn experience.  The only problem with going solo is that you have to limit ingesting substances that alter your mind in a significant way especially if you have to drive a long way to get back home. That’s really the only down side.  But I am going to just start getting a hotel room if I have to from now on so I can participate in the experience to the fullest extent. 

It’s taken me my whole life to figure out that I can do what I want without anyone’s approval or acknowledgement.  I am used to doing other things by myself like going to museums or the beach or for walks or runs since I have virtually no friends.  Or people who are into the same stuff I am anyway.  I will go listen to almost any kind of live music.  I like a wide variety of things and am open to new music.  

My first solo show was a year and a half ago at the Borderland Music Festival at the Knox Farm in East Aurora, New York.  Dark Star Orchestra was performing and I’m a sucker for a Grateful Dead experience so I went alone and had an awesome time.  I ran into a long lost high school classmate and it was fun seeing him unexpectedly and  chatting with him! I was so impressed by the festival that I made a pact with myself to attend the entire three day festival the next September, and I did.  And it was awesome.  I did have a trusty friend with me who made it fun and that was great.  But I think I could have done the entire weekend solo if I had to. 

 I highly recommend Borderland if you are a festival person. Excellent food options.  Great vendors.  I got an amazing hat this year, some great crystal bracelets, and my friend got a very cool Stevie Nicks-ish flowy wrap. Beautiful! The stage sight-lines are all good.  Water stations- you are allowed to bring in your own water vessel, three stages, a roving New Orleans style brass band playing in between sets, great line-ups that include big national acts like Vampire Weekend, Black Crows, Khruangbin, Nathanial Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Marcus King among others, as well as regionally famous bands and some great local talent too. Of course on Sunday afternoon they broadcast the Buffalo Bills game on a big screen! Parking is easy, security is cool, especially the friendly dude with long blonde hair and Ozzy sunglasses, and there is an over-all excellent and chill vibe.  I recommend if you can, get VIP tickets for less icky restrooms, a separate bar area, shade, free coffee, and beverage samples. Definitely good times!

My second solo adventure was last February. I made a last minute decision and drove two hours to see Donnie Iris and The Cruisers in a really cool old-fashioned small theater in Warren, Ohio. I wrote about this in a previous essay.  The concert was fantastic- Donnie, despite being eighty something, and a cancer survivor, puts on a fantastic show.  The venue was really comfortable, pretty, old-fashioned the way those old vaudeville theaters are but with modern upgrades.  And bonus: inexpensive beer and snacks!

The third solo trip I made, although not a concert, was music related. I drove back to Warren to the the tiny but excellent Medici Museum of Art for an exhibit of science fiction movie props created by Warren native John Zabrucky,  co-founder of Modern Props, famous for designing the props for Star Trek, Ghostbusters, Bladerunner, Back to the Future and other films, television shows and music videos. He was there with friend and college mate, Devo founder Jerry Casale. The two attended Kent State University and were active in the anti-war movement there and witnessed the massacre of four students on May 4, 1970.  They spoke about their experiences as students during the National Guard occupation and how those experiences shaped the trajectory of their future careers. Very, very, very cool.  So glad I decided to just go for it. It was informative, emotional, historical and overall a moving experience.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!