For the love of music

The Bloomington music scene has turned me into a jaded music aficionado. And anyone who has ever seen “High Fidelity” knows that music aficionados are some of the most bitter people around. \nBefore I moved here, I never cared about where I was watching a band I loved play — I just knew I had to be there. I ignored the crowd I was surrounded by and swarmed through them if I wanted to get up close. I even traveled out of state to see a band if I had to.\nEver since I arrived in Bloomington, though, I have felt discouraged by the many crowds at shows. Unless they were sloppily or obnoxiously drunk, most concert-goers seemed too cool to do anything more than tap their precious feet. \nPerhaps it’s because Bloomington is pretty spoiled when it comes to live acts — we have the perks of city life while living in a fairly small college town. I remember when I spoke with Kristin Ferebee of the breakout band Beirut last summer. She said that New York City crowds tend to be a bit stuck up and less willing to move. She said that smaller towns are more excited and enthused.\nNo matter where you live, you should appreciate good music around you. Concerts shouldn’t be about being seen there. They should be about the love and passion of music. \nThis past Thursday, for example, I bit the bullet and decided to attend my first show at Rhino’s. I was beyond skeptical. I heard the venue was a mecca for Bloomington high school students with awful vibes. Had my friends, who were visiting from home, not urged me to go see the outstanding band, Islands, I wouldn’t have attended. I also realized that practically every venue in Bloomington already gave me bad vibes, so this wouldn’t be so different.\nThe Rhino’s crowd reminded me of me in my pre-jaded youth, and the show turned out to be one of the best I had been to in a while. There were no glares because someone was goofily dancing or wearing something a bit odd. A friend of mine who I bumped into at the show really got it down when she said, “Rhino’s is pretty shitty, but it’s shitty good.”\nEven if you hate everyone in the crowd at the next local show you go to, don’t let it out on others who just want to see the show. If anything, move around for the sake of the bands that don’t get paid enough and probably haven’t showered in a couple of weeks. For any struggling artist, there’s nothing like seeing a fan sing and dance along to his or her music. And keep in mind, kids: We aren’t New York. Most bands have no obligation to come out and play for us pretentious, immobile bums.