don't belong

It seemed like a great line-up: Hollie Smith, Shapeshifter, Open Souls, Ddub, Timmy Schumacher, State of Mind. I'd seen the ad on TV. "Orientation". It was basically a freshers week student gig but was also open to the public. With so many great acts on the same bill I was convinced it was a goer. So I bought a pair of tickets.

Friday night came and T and I met after work, had some dinner and slowly made our way to the St. James theatre. I'd gotten great seats on the first level and was pretty stoked with the view of the stage.

The show was billed to start at 8.30pm, which it did. Unfortunately it was the house music beats of Timmy Schumacher. (Happy House, funky house, deep house, trancey house - don' t interlectualise it, it ALL goes um-cha, um-cha, um cha, um-cha. ) I'm not a fan but can understand its appeal for those more musically challenged.

So we sat there for about an hour as the music got slightly more annoying and the strobe lights (shining directly into our eyes) got very annoying. So we left our seats and moved to the bar area for a bit. Here was where it happened.

Hundreds of students had poured in to the venue and were all hanging out and chatting and drinking and generally having a good time. We got our drinks and sat amongst them. The girls were showing alittle too much flesh while the boys were strutting around in groups, peacocking.

We people-watched for a while and it was fascinating to note the interaction between groups. The awkward boys - in a social situation but not socialising with anyone except themselves. The sensitive guy friend - having a quiet chat with the hot girl although those lingering looks betrayed his true feelings. The friends-forever girls in a big group with hugs for all those entering their circle. The alpha males displaying their honed torsos and exhibiting the kind of behaviour which screamed "everyone look at me"

Although we tried, it was impossible for Tracey and I to have a normal conversation. There was only so much we could say to eachother while waiting for the bands to start but time and again we returned to the actions of those around us. Young, bright-eyed, excitable students, talking a bit too loudly and literally bursting with youthful exhuberance.

Briefly we were amused then appalled then just plain resentful. The kids weren't doing anything except being themselves and having fun but as the night went on their presence became wearing. We felt awkward and out of place. Or maybe we just felt old.

9.45pm and still no bands. What was going on? I was expecting it to be a normal gig, start at 8.30pm finish at 11pm sort of thing. I grabbed the running order times from one of the doormen. Horrified, I read the stage times: 10pm, 11.45pm, 1.10am. This wan't a gig, this was going to be an all-nighter!

I broke the news to Tracey. I thought we might stay to at least see the first band but we'd both been up since 7.30am and probably wouldn't make it. Tracey upped and left, leaving me to decide whether I would stay or join her. It wasnt a hard decision: we'd bought tickets to something that wasnt what we thought surrounded by gaggle of people we could related to. Time for the old folks to get themsleves off home to their slippers and a warm milky drink.

Shit.