Beating Boredom: More cowbell — the glory of live gigs.

For those of you who know me, you know how much I love music and going to gigs is probably my favourite pastime. However, some of you might be in the same boat as me and prefer different genres of music than your friends, often leaving you missing out on gigs because you don’t fancy going alone.

Last year I lived in England however. I moved there by myself and although I found comrades with similar musical interests, there were still many instances where bands rolled into town that I just couldn’t pass up, despite no one wanting to accompany me to the gigs.

From that experience I’ve learned the importance and even enjoyment that comes out of going to a show solo. A few weeks ago I attended The Misfits’ concert at The Whiskey, by myself. Although daunting when first entering a venue full of strangers, and despite wondering what the heck to do with yourself until the music starts, the experience of going to a show alone can actually be quite liberating.

There are tons of local shows constantly happening around the city, and every once in a while there are amazing international bands that finally decide to play a gig in Calgary, (Vancouver and Toronto must get boring after a while, right?). Waiting around to find someone to come-along for moral support as you watch your favourite band is a waste of time. Although I will readily admit that sharing that magical musical experience with someone is great, and at least you have someone to discuss every detail of the concert with afterwards, or someone to back you up when you explain to everyone you know how the lead singer totally smiled at you for like five minutes, going alone can be just as amazing.

When you’re at a gig alone you have the ability to really let your hair down and really get into the concert experience. For some reason, even if you are with your closest friends you can feel a bit inhibited in the extent of your fandom or enjoyment, or maybe your friends just doesn’t react the same way as you so you feel the need to tone down your excitement. When you are by yourself you don’t need to worry about how silly you might look head banging for the entire gig, but instead you can let the music carry you away (despite how cheesy that sounds).

Not to mention the opportunity to make new friends and meet cool new people who are into the same music as you. If you manage to befriend that gal moshing up against you, or that guy stood silently swaying his shoulders beside you, then that means you might just have someone to go to future shows with. Awesome!

So get out of your comfort zone and quit complaining about all the bands you’ve missed because no one wanted to come with, and just head out on your own. You won’t regret it!

Also, most venues around town play host to local live acts almost every weekday. Why not just check them out? It’ll give you something to do and maybe you’ll discover your new favourite band.

Here are a few links to upcoming gig listings:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=182689242603&index=1

http://pollstar.com/resultsCity.aspx?ID=58823&SortBy=Date&SearchBy=calgary

http://www.brokencity.ca/#calendar

http://eventful.com/calgary/events/categories/music/this-weekend