Pretty Late

Pretty Lights 11/18/09 at 9:30 Club

Dear DC Rock Club reader,

Here's what you should know about Pretty Lights. If you are between 15 and 23 years old, aren't in a wheel chair, and like to party, you are an idiot for not being at the 9:30 Club last night. But if you are in your mid 30s like us, wheel chair or not, you do not belong at a Pretty Lights show, no matter how much you like to party. Unless of course you are one of those dudes that likes to slip shit in young girls drinks, or some sort of cougar-in-training looking for a boy toy.

See the photo above? That's what I walked into at 11:15pm last night. Pretty Lights was a late show, which normally means doors at 10pm. But not last night, and when I arrived, there were lines wrapped around both sides of the entrance. Will-call was nuts and I opted out of standing in line with generation Y2K to get mine. Instead, I stood on the street and just watched the scene as the 930 club strongmen managed the crowd. It was a lot like standing in the street watching firemen battle a blaze. A bit fascinating just to stare at. The staff were also doing some minor policing, sniffing the contents of the apple cider container, confiscating bottles of wine and vodka. Ah, the memories. I was particularly impressed with the black shuttle van that showed up and deposited a group of glow-sticked party-goers that would make Jimmy Buffett proud.

I hung out for 25 minutes - reliving the experience of being desperate to booze and yearning to bust a move. Make that yawning. With no movement into the club, I eventually looked at my watch and calculated the minutes before Pretty Lights would go on stage, and the number of years I've been on this planet, and left the 24 hour party people to their craft.