First of all, I’m actually almost done with Expedition 33 (or at least “almost done” in that I’m up to the “final” dungeon). My post about how that game is fine will be coming… I don’t know… I’ll just say “soon-ish.”
Anyway, this post was going to be about how Live Music is Fine (because just before and after Gen Con, I went to various shows) but then I decided to make it slightly more personal and slightly more general and just make it about going and doing things you want to do, regardless of whether or not your friends want to go with you.
Don’t get me wrong, going to movies, concerts, sporting events, casinos, or whatever it is you like to do with other people that like to do them is great. Sometimes, though, you end up being the only one in a particular group that’s into a particular thing. (Weirdly, I’m basically the only person in my group of board gamers that also plays Magic: the Gathering. There’s one guy who also plays on Arena, but there’s nobody who’d be up for going to a prerelease or doing a cube draft or whatever.)
When that happens, just go. You wanna do something special for yourself (for your birthday, or because you have the day off of work, or just because you’ve always wanted to), go do it. Don’t wait for other people to be available (because they never will) or drag someone along that isn’t interested. (That being said, if they’re kind of interested, absolutely try to cajole them into it. I’ve gotten a few friends to watch wrestling pay-per-views with me the past couple of months by just bringing it up all the time.)
None of your friends like the band in town, but you’re a big fan? Fuckin’ rock out by yourself! Chat with the people in line next to you, or in the seats next to you (or in the pit next to you if that’s your thing). You’ll meet great people and you’ll still have a good time.
Maybe it’s being 40, or maybe it’s that I have money to blow (occasionally) now, but all of those “oh man, I would go to that, except…” events just don’t have anything stopping me anymore. Maybe it’s the post-COVID environment. (Weirdly, I didn’t go to concerts pre-COVID, so I didn’t really miss them not happening.) For me, it’s mostly concerts (lately, at least), but you could also include things like going to AEW events or that trip to Connecticut I did last fall, where I did some sightseeing and went to Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. (I had been wanting to visit Foxwoods since I was a younger, more avid poker player… it’s gone downhill since then.)
So yeah, it’s not that I’m “checking things off the bucket list” yet. I don’t think buying a ticket to see Chevelle is quite to that point. But don’t be ashamed to like what you like. It’s fine.
And Ghost was fine, Summer of Loud was fine, Volbeat and Halestorm were fine, and Chevelle was fine. I’m glad I went to all of them.
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