7 Shows in 7 Days (CAN SHE DO IT?)

October 2018 is a huge month for live music, at least in my little corner of the music world. As the concert announcement notifications have been filling up in my inbox  over the last few months, the October section of my concert tracking spreadsheet has been getting longer and more intimidating. Even though the month is nearly halfway over and I’ve only been to one show so far (Opiuo at Brooklyn Bowl, which was incredible, naturally), the end of the month looks promising.

It hasn’t exactly been a jam-packed music year for me. Work has gotten busier and I’ve gotten older – which means I’m more tired and less tolerant of young, pushy crowds – and as a result, my concert attendance is at its lowest since I started tracking it 4 years ago. For reference, the number of shows I’ve attended by this point in the year for the last few years is as follows:

2018 – 45 2017 – 53 2016 – 60 2015 – 94 2014 – 85

45 is still a respectable number, but my concert attendance could stand to have a little life breathed into it, for sure. This, combined with the sheer number of exciting upcoming shows AND my birthday coming up later this month, has given me a little idea for a 7 shows in 7 days challenge (dun dun DUNNNN).

I’m not totally committed to this because it could end up being expensive and/or exhausting,  but I’ve at least done a little plotting out of what it could look like:

Friday, October 19, 2018

Turkuaz at the Capitol Theatre OR Dimond Saints at House of YESI’ve only seen Turkuaz once, and it was one of the most joyful experiences of my life. I’ve tried and failed to see them again over the last year+, which is shameful because they’re based in Brooklyn and perform here semi-frequently. The Capitol Theatre is a super cool, old-school style ornate venue, made slightly less cool by the fact that it’s a MetroNorth ride outside of the city. House of YES is a trippy, Instagram-worthy venue with shows that usually include aerialists and live painters. I discovered Dimond Saints at this venue so it would be cool to see them there again, but unless I can find someone to go with me it’s unlikely that I’ll want to leave my cozy house as late as necessary to make it to this show, which probably starts at 1am. Odds I will go to this show: Turkuaz – 15%, Dimond Saints – 5%

Saturday, October 20, 2018

The Glitch Mob at Brooklyn SteelOhhhh do I love The Glitch Mob. I saw them do a DJ set earlier this year which was surprisingly good considering my less-than-enthusiastic stance on DJ sets in general, but it wasn’t enough. I need to be at this show. Odds I will go to this show: 80%

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Black Tiger Sex Machine at Brooklyn Bowl This is the only show on this list that actually wouldn’t be on my radar at all, normally. I’ve fallen off the dubstep wagon at this point in my life, but I’ve already snagged a free ticket to this show so the option is there if I’m trying to do a long run of consecutive shows. If I do stop by, it would probably only be for 30 minutes or so. Odds I will go to this show: 10%. 

Monday, October 22, 2018

Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Tom Morello, etc. at Brooklyn Steel This crazy variety show has artists that span multiple genres PLUS Tom Morello has an incredible new album out including a Pretty Lights collab that I can’t get enough of. So it would be a fun and random evening. Odds I will go to this show: 20%

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

It is only upon reaching this point in my blog post that I realize I have nothing going for October 23rd. Oops. Okay, well. If a 7 day challenge depends on me going to a show this day, I will find something available on Jukely, snag it for free, and check out an artist I’ve never heard of.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Big Data at Gramercy Theatre YAAAAAAS. I discovered Big Data because Gramatik used to drop the song “Dangerous” in his sets all throughout 2015. The 3 years I’ve been waiting to see Big Data live feels SO LONG and the fact that this show is taking place on my actual birthday is too exciting. In the Notes section of my phone I have a list of potential blog post topics, and my Live Music Bucket List blog post defffinnitely includes Big Data (since I’ll probably never get around to writing it, here’s what else appears on that list so far: Sia, Queen (with Adam Lambert or whoever is filling in for Freddie Mercury at the time, I guess?), Big Grizmatik, and Britney Spears). Odds I will go to this show: 100%

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Geotheory at Mercury Lounge This one is potentially exciting because I’ve somehow still never been to a show at Mercury Lounge. Otherwise, it’s been a few years since I’ve heard Geotheory and I honestly don’t even remember what type of music it is – but I obviously liked it once upon a time because I’m tracking it on BandsInTown. Odds I will go to this show: 10%

Technically this is the end of the 7 days, but I have 2 more consecutive days worth of live music possibilities so, just in case…

Friday/Saturday, October 26/27, 2018

BangOnNYC Warehouse of Horrors This is a 2-day Halloween warehouse party featuring Gramatik, Goldfish, and other artists I’m super pumped about. The problem is that they’re spread pretty evenly over the 2 days, and tickets cost more than I particularly want to pay for either given day (or both days). It pains me to miss a New York Gramatik show, so we’ll have to see what happens with this one. Odds I will go to this show: 30%

Will I decide to officially take on this 7 SHOWS IN 7 DAYS challenge? I have no idea. Will I decide to go to none of these shows except for Big Data on the 24th? Honestly, it’s pretty likely. Stay tuned on Twitter! (Because I’m clearly on a semi-annual blog posting schedule at this point).