Last week, I wrote an article about why it sucks to be late to a concert. I'm now going to tell you why it sucks to arrive too early for a concert.
Last weekend was the Three Amigos Tour featuring headliners Pepper, with Ballyhoo!, Katastro and Maui Waui supporting. Because the tour was relatively close by and accessible by public transport, I decided I'd go (Also because I love Ballyhoo! more than I like most people). In order to get there on time, I had to leave the SUNY Purchase campus by bus; get to a train station; ride the train to NYC; take a subway to Times Square; and walk to Penn Station, where I had to catch a train to Wantagh to get to the venue, Mulcahy's.
I arrived at the Port Chester station after leaving Purchase at around 3:30, only to find out that the train would be delayed by 8 minutes; the timing was almost perfect because it gave me an extra 4-5 minutes to grab my ticket. After I got my ticket, I turned to the train time screen and discovered that the train was actually delayed by 13 minutes. Normally this wouldn’t irk me, but after my last ordeal, I wanted to make sure I got there on time. After making it to Grand Central with enough time to spare to grab dinner, I caught the shuttle to Times Square. Ten minutes of pushing tourists out of my way later, I made it to Penn Station and caught the 5:40 to Wantagh, and made it by 6:30. I went to Mulcahy’s only to find out that the doors don’t open until 7, so I explored Wantagh for a bit. I made a mental note to come out here during the day at some point to hang out because it seems like a cool little town with a lot of cool things to do.
When I got into Mulcahy’s, there were hardly any concertgoers. I found out that the actual show didn’t start until roughly 8:15-8:30, so I had over an hour to kill at the bar, where I ordered a coke, watched whatever was on the many TVs, and kill my phone battery by browsing Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook again, my emails, and Facebook once more for good measure. Despite the fact that I entertained myself, I was still sitting alone at a bar, drinking my coke and checking my phone every two seconds for updates that hardly came. In other words, I was bored. Bored out of my skull. So bored that I went to the bathroom to wash my hands pretty frequently, just to break the monotony. So bored that I literally changed chairs at the bar or leaning spots on the wall hoping to find something interesting about the new spot.
After what seemed like forever, the venue was fully opened, and Maui Waui opened what was one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever been to. It was odd, to me, because no one moshed, even during parts of songs where it was wholly appropriate. It was a show of Dub bands though, so I totally understand. That and literally everyone had a drink in their hands. I’m not saying I didn’t have a good time though; I loved it! I had a really great time!
The moral of the story is that you should do what I didn’t, and check exactly when the doors open and when the show starts. It’s usually on the venue’s website, or you can call them and ask. Try to get there with 15-20 minutes to spare, so you can check your bag(s), use the bathroom, and grab a drink if you want. There’s no real reason to get there on time unless you really love the bands, or you’re unable to push and shove your way to the front. Or you're 13 and your band merch was bought at Hot Topic.
