Gonna Make You Sweat--Whether You Like It Or Not, Part Deux

Ummm...so, is it me? I feel like it must be. I have no other explanation for why I always seem to manage to stand directly behind or next to the most obnoxious person in the crowd every single time I go to a live show.

Case in point: I went to see Art Brut and The Hold Steady at the Marquee Theater last night. It was a fairly full room, but it wasn't close to sold out. My friend and I pushed up toward the front after Art Brut to get close for The Hold Steady. I stood behind what seemed like a perfectly nice, normal young man and waited for the show to start. Cue the music--and cue this dude turning into the most ridiculous Hold Steady superfan you've ever seen. He jumped up and down like a rabid bunny to every song, even the slow ones, shouted every word to every song to the point where it was difficult to hear the lead singer, and- sweated up such a storm--onto me--that by the end of the show, I looked like I had been caught in a torrential downpour.

And this is not the first time this has happened. Nay, I seem to be have some sort of strange magnetic pull over Mr. and Ms. Overzealous Show Goer, to the point where they sense I will be some sort of safe haven for their crazy rocking out. And in some ways, I guess I am.

Yes, it sort of bugs me when I realize that I am yet again standing next to Joe I-Know-Every-Lyric-To-Every-Song-This-Band-Has-Ever-Written-And-I-
Will-Make-Sure-Everyone-Around-Me-Realizes-How-Much-I-TOTALLY-LOVE-THIS-BAND-
YEEEEEEEEAHHHHHH!!! But then again, I never move to another part of the room. Why? Because even this is part of the reason I love live music. You don't get Joe's energy and--how shall I put this delicately?--obvious enthusiasm for the band when you sit at home listening to a CD. Warts and all, there's something truly exhilarating about seeing a band you love--or even a band you're not that familiar with--playing for a room full of people who are there because they just want to hear something that resonates with them. It's one of life's pure pleasures.

So hey there, Joe, you belt those lyrics out, hold up your lighter and shake your sweaty head, drenching everyone within a 5-foot-radius with your perspiration. Because you, my friend, are part of what makes live music fun. And if I ever get sick of smelling like your bodily fluids, I'll bring a poncho and keep my mouth shut.

Gonna Make You Sweat--Whether You Like It or Not

So yesterday, my friend and I tried bikram yoga. For those who don't know, bikram yoga is basically regular yoga done in a room that feels as if you are walking on the surface of the sun. There's no other way to put it: it's balls hot. And you're doing all these crazy awkward yoga poses, trying not to look like a complete dork next to all these people who look like they came out of the womb in the downward dog, and all the while, you're also concentrating on not passing out.

Sounds fun, no?

Surprisingly, it is. Actually, maybe fun isn't the right word. Perhaps torturous would be more accurate. But when you leave that room, I am telling you, you are the most relaxed you have felt. Like, ever.

So, like everything in life, it's something of a trade-off.

Oh, That's Supposed to be a Costume?

So, as many of you know, Arizona is like another planet. At least it feels that way a lot of the time. Case in point: Halloween. I was warned about Halloween in Tempe by several people.

"In Tempe, most girls' idea of a costume is to take something totally normal and turn it into something completely slutty," was the basic consensus.

Yeah, that was the understatement of the century. We went to a "grown-up" party on Friday, so most people were dressed relatively demurely. "Ha," I thought. "This is nothing. Everybody looks very nice, actually." Flash forward to the next evening, when we attended a far less grown-up party, followed by the bars on Mill.

Pick your run-of-the-mill Halloween costume, and there was a slutty variation worn by at least one chick. I swear I saw a slutty nun. I'm not joking. Even the guys who thought it would be funny to dress in drag were in slutty drag. It was all quite amusing to me, especially since the group of friends I was with were all mostly covered up.

But, in the interest of full disclosure, I might as well say it: I was Slutty Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween. There it is. After spending the last two years dressed as a dude, albeit an awesome, kick-ass dude (If you haven't seen me dressed as Slash, you haven't lived), I decided to join 'em rather than trying to beat 'em. As they say, when in Tempe...