The House Lights

Monday, February 15th, 2010 // Paperhouse

The house lights of Mr. Small’s Theatre & Funhouse come on and I notice a couple of facts: First, Mr. Small’s does not seem ventilated enough for a smoking venue; second, the Arctic Monkeys are fantastic; and finally, this crowd is terrible. Maybe it was the $30 ticket price, but almost everyone seemed over 40 and more concerned about the babysitter than the music. The crowd that night, from the bar to the stage, never moved. So where was the young and gunning college crowd? Where were the people known for kicking up musical storms?

Sadly, everyone was just hanging around campus. Chalk it up to price and distance, but no one was making their way out to Millvale. Even worse, most of the people I talked to thought Pittsburgh just didn’t have a very good music scene. Well, Pittsburgh may not be New York, but we certainly get good music.
The Arctic Monkeys were one of the biggest bands to tour Europe back in 2006. They played chart-topping hits at world- famous venues. Why they bothered to come to Pittsburgh I don’t know. I just felt lucky. When the tickets were only $30, I was grateful. Those tickets were nowhere near the $90 I’d be paying for the Ben Folds concert the next day.
I flash back to all of this because once again, the house lights are coming on and once again the crowd is older. I can appreciate their taste in music now, but the lack of enthusiasm is a thorough buzz kill. I need a younger crowd and a girl I can dance with.
-Stephen Epple