Everyone (unless, of course, you dislike excitement) has been to a concert, many people can even say they have been on a guest list (for some unholy club their friend begged them to go to), but how many of you can actually say you have been on a concert guest list? Oh, you have? Well, how about for an entire year? Yeah, didn’t think so.
But wait, this is the best part; the concert guest list was entirely free! Now, who doesn’t like free shit? Especially when said shit is watching one of your favorite bands perform in front of hundreds of screaming, drunk fans. Sounds exciting, does it not? Now imagine that exact moment, on repeat, for an entire freakin’ year.
Suddenly, it’s less about enjoying your favorite artists perform their greatest tunes and more about surviving the unrelenting onslaught of greasy, sweaty, middle-aged drunks slamming into you (making you question as to whether or not you’re at a concert or a god damn demolition derby)! But alas, I survived.
There is certainly no shortage of venues, events, and concerts in Montreal. Likewise, having meaningful connections in one’s life is definitely an important aspect of happiness (no idea how those two points are actually connected). With this in mind, when your best friend is also a promoter, things just tend to get a whole lot easier.
It all started when I had mentioned to my friend that one of my favorite high school metal bands (Eluveitie) was coming to town. The problem, although I still loved and respected the band, I wasn’t really into metal anymore. You can probably see where this is going.
So, charming as I am, I ask my friend if there is anything he can do about it. He tells me, “I’ll see what I can do, but don’t your hopes up”. Needless to say, those hopes were up for a long time because this was simply the beginning of my year-long concert guest list experience. In case you really wanted to know, the show was awesome.
Following my first ever concert guest list experience, I knew I needed to do it over again. The reason being, it is almost like an adrenaline rush, getting the VIP treatment and all. As well, my friend realized how surprisingly easy it was for him to obtain a plus 0ne for the concert guest list.
That said, round 2 was at Les Foufounes Électriques to witness another one of my favorite high school metal bands (Dark Tranquillity) and this time around we even got the tatted-up bouncer to escort us to the VIP section (an excellent bird’s eye view of the show below). When all was said and done, I legitimately asked myself if I would ever need to pay for a show again, fingers obviously crossed to “no”.
Fast forward a few months and about another four or five concert guest list experiences later (who’s counting anyway) and I began feeling the effects of too many shows too soon (or, perhaps, I was surely but slowly turning into an old fart). Was it all that I imagined it would be?
The theme of metal bands and underground synthpop artists (such as Children of Bodom and Black Marble) continued and, despite continuously enjoying myself, I seriously wondered if mosh pits were a thing of the past and if I should clearly stay the hell away from these gag-worthy, nauseating, foul-smelling (okay maybe a tad harsh) degenerates. All signs pointed to yes.
On average, I endured about three concert guest list experiences per month for about a year. Regrettably, it got to the point where I was actually mentally and physically exhausted. You know how they say too much of a good thing can unexpectedly turn into a not so good thing? Well, I felt like I rode straight up a shit storm with no way home. Do I regret my decision? Absolutely not. Would I do it all over again? Probably.
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