Last night, Brian and I went to a Josh Ritter show at the Vic Theater in Lakeview. I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd been to a general admission concert in an old venue like that. We saw the Swell Season at the Vic a couple of years ago, but we must have arrived there early because we nabbed decent seats in the balcony. At the Vic, the first section of balcony seats are actual theater seats with armrests. The upper section of the balcony is made up of vinyl benches, so you have to guess if there is any room in a row or if people need that extra personal space. The floor is covered in what my family calls "cinemuck" -- a sniglet for that unidentifiable sticky substance lining the floor of a theater that is the result of years of neglect and many, many spilled beverages. (Literally, my shoe came off four separate times in our two minute search for a seat last night.)
We decided to just go to the main floor and try to stand in a spot with a view. Being out of practice at this type of concertgoing, we found a spot directly behind a guy who can only be described as a sequoia. This guy was probably 6'3" with shoulders like a cartoon superhero. And, he didn't move an inch through the entire show, which was quite lively. At least we knew if we were able to see around him, we should stay in that spot, because he was like the Rock of Gibraltar.
We stood in front of this nice kid from Indiana who asked me before the show if I'd seen Josh Ritter live before. He told me he'd seen him three times (this was my second show, Brian's third) and was clearly a fan. So much of a fan, in fact, that he sang along, verbatim, with each of the first three songs on the playlist in my ear. He must have gone to get drinks or something and eventually was not standing with his chin just over my shoulder for the rest of the show, so that wasn't as bad as it could have been. I am all for singing along, but from now on I will make sure I'm not so close to anyone around me that they might hear me and only me singing.
A few years ago, the state of Illinois enacted a smoking ban in all public places, including drinking establishments. I suggest they lift the ban in old music venues that have limited cleaning staff. The smell of stale cigarette smoke would be preferable to the scent that lingers in buildings like the Vic. It's sort of a cross between a sweaty foot and two-hour-old quesadillas...and they don't serve food in that place. In my 20s I'd have to air out my clothes after a night out because of the smoke smell that would get into my jeans. Last night I still had to do that to get the sweat smell out. Not my sweat, mind you. I guess we're all healthier despite the smell.
Other than these issues, the show was great. Josh Ritter is one of those performers that seems to really love his audience and his music. I can't remember the last time I paid such close attention to the songs I wasn't familiar with. And suprisingly, the whole experience taught me that we need to get out of the suburbs more often and take in more live music in this incredible city.
