It was raining now and this was a contingency I had not planned for. I had no umbrella and my camera case was not waterproof. Again all I could do was laugh but my gnome was growing weak and logic was now replaced with defeat. He began to chant mantras of going home since the night was becoming a Twilight Zone episode. This desire to go home was starting to influence Mitch and Shana.
Still not wanting to disappoint Ivo and the band however, we soldiered on to Crash Mansion. In the night’s only miracle of timing, I was refilling my MetroCard as the train rolled up. I grabbed my card, swiped and made it just as the doors were closing. If only the rest of the night could have seen such luck. Finally out of the train maze and on to the corner of Delancey and Bowery, our destination was just a short walk away.
By now the rain had gotten steadier and I could see a very long trail of people extending from the door and down the street. Now my gnome had long ago turned bitter and leaving was now unavoidable. Yes I felt guilty, but here we were over an hour and a half into this ordeal, outside, wet and hungry. I knew that by the time we got inside I’d be miserable and there was still the protection of my camera in question.
I looked at Mitch and Shana and said, “I don’t know what you guys wanna do, but I’m gonna leave.” This brought up a sorta moral dilemma in that we really wanted to support the band but had just about enough of this night. I searched for answers from my logic gnome, but he had disappeared into a dark corner of my mind and I was unable to find him. I thought that making this decision to leave would make everything better. But by the time we got to Hoboken, the steady rain had turned to a torrential downpour. The next bus was not for another hour. Mitch and Shana braved the rain and walked home. I did my best to cover my camera case and grabbed a cab.
Finally home and out of my wet clothes—and thankful that my camera was safe—I reflected on the night. This was not a complete loss. I got to hang with a friend, catch up and meet a new friend. In fact we probably talked way more than we would have had we actually gotten to the show. I doubt I would have gotten to hear Shana’s tale of watching a cascading blackout from a Miami hi-rise during Hurricane Katrina if we were in a loud bar.
I do still want to check out The NOx Curve. I’ll have to settle for MySpace until their next NYC show.
See Also:
The NOx Curve
Crash Mansion
Icewagon Flu
Stout
