I feel like I have spent a good amount of my life in rock venues.
Do you have a place you go to that is not your house/apartment that sometimes you would rather be there somedays? Or maybe you have spent SO much time there that it just FEELS like your home? Rock venues/bars have always been that for me.
Back in my hometown Grand Rapids, MI…a venue named The Intersection was that place for me. I got to know the bartenders, security, ticket takers, and more. I saw more that 100 shows there and even still have some of the posters by my desk here in Iowa. When I left Grand Rapids to move to Iowa, I not only felt like I was leaving family and friends, but also leaving behind a home the enjoyed all of the bands I ever saw live.
Fast forward to the discussion of moving to Iowa and the first thing my wife and I looked up was our new ‘Intersection.’ What PLACE was going to be the home away from home, who was going to cater to those bands that cost us $15 to see? Where can we find new friends? That place was Spicoli’s Reverb in Waterloo. Once we confirmed that they existed? We signed the papers to move to Iowa. So yes, you can thank Spicoli’s for covincing us to come to Iowa.
Then COVID happened, took out Spicoli’s and since then, we haven’t had that ROCK dive bar. There are some amazing ones like Tailgators, Gabe’s, Wildwood, etc….but they are a HAUL from where I live.
What I am getting at though is that you find a place that feels like home, even though you don’t pay the rent. You go to that place, your friends are already there, you walk in and a beer or shot is just directly handed to you. The band is about to hit the stage, excitement builds, and you feel the vibration of the bass or the kick of the drum in your chest and? Pure….bliss.
Life changes, things change, but since my ‘New Intersection’ in Spicoli’s had to close their doors? I’ve been having a hard time finding that place in town. However, I will point out my life has changed IMMENSELY in those past couple years, so who knows.
