Emo Nite LA: San Francisco

I’ve learned some things in the past few months. Like how there are two major Emo Night events: Emo Nite LA and Emo Night Brooklyn. They’re run by different people, but are more or less the same. A DJ playing early 2000’s emo throwbacks to a club full of dancing people, with surprise special guest live performers.

Recently, both have taken their parties on the road. I have not yet been to a Brooklyn-run event as they have not made their way to San Francisco, but I have gotten to be sad and partied with the Emo Nite LA crew. (You might remember I wrote about Emo Night Boston and how it was nothing like I imagined. The situation has been remedied and Emo Night Brooklyn is taking care of the Boston emo kid’s needs for a party rather than a night at a bar.)

One of the things I was most excited for in officially moving to San Francisco was getting that taste of Emo Nite LA. Unfortunately San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop does not get the surprise guests that LA’s Echoplex gets. HOWEVER. The night was a total blast and definitely worth it.

I’m gonna get completely real with you for a second. (As if this is new…) I had two cocktails before I even got to Rickshaw Stop. So I was already a little bit tipsy. Then I got there and the DJ was just playing that “turn up on a Tuesday” song on repeat (the alternate name for Emo Nite LA is Taking Back Tuesday—and yes, the events are always on Tuesdays). I wasn’t really sure what to do with myself at this point since the night hadn’t really started yet. So I found my way to the bar. Where there was a $20 minimum for cards. And only $5 for a cider. Lindsay’s getting schwasted tonight I guess.

Look at that drunkie photobombing.

I could have just waited ten minutes or so, because it did not take long for it to become a PARTY. I knew most of the songs they played and was in or near the pit the whole night, screaming my lungs out. Because I kept buying more cider, I spent a good amount of time on the outskirts singing and drinking, but whenever I had free hands, you better believe I was right in the middle of it all dancing.

One of my favorite things about Emo Nite I noticed is that because it’s not all one band playing, it’s a DJ playing a huge variety of emo music, there’s a different set of people in the pit for each song. It’s really quite beautiful. You have the people moshing to My Chemical Romance and then a completely different set of people moshing to Brand New. Maybe not completely, but you get the idea.

They were taking requests on twitter. One song I tweeted in was Coheed and Cambria’s “Devil in Jersey City.” I didn’t get that one, but I did get “A Favor House Atlantic,” which was the point in the night I ran through the whole crowd from the bar to the stage in order to take over the pit. I would like to think that’s the song I’m singing along with here.

They also played Head Automatica’s “Beating Heart Baby” and me being weirdo me had to send another video of drunk Lindsay singing it to my friend Glassjaw Adam (because ya know, Daryl Palumbo and all) like I did after the Matches’ show in LA.

(EDIT: Unfortunately Glassjaw and I are no longer friends, not for lack of trying on my part, clearly. Whatever, such is life. Guess I’m not entertaining enough.)

Speaking of the Matches in LA… I totally ran into Estefany Mendoza, the photographer from that show, who recognized me. Yes, I was the weird girl who jumped onstage with them both nights in a row. I have a problem. At least it’s a good one.

That pit was MINE when the All-American Rejects’ “One More Sad Song” hit the speakers. (Maybe that’s the song I was singing in the above pic? I honestly have no idea.) I could understand why a song with that title was playing at Emo Nite, but it didn’t seem like enough people in the room knew it. The All-American Rejects’ self-titled album is in my top ten albums of all time. I absolutely adore it. So I may or may not have lost my shit to it in the middle of a pit full of people who were not singing along with me. Good times. Somebody’s gotta do it.

It was even obvious how much fun the DJ’s were having. They honestly love what they do and you can tell. It’s so great. That’s how it should be.

Overall it was an amazing amazing night filled with all my favorite music and lots of dancing.

Then my drunken ass walked all the way home, up about a thousand hills that sober Lindsay did not even know about yet. I’d only been living in this apartment for two weeks at this point. And then the next day I woke up to my first ever terrible grown-up hangover.

Worth it. Going again in October and cannot wait.

Photo credit: Gil Riego / gilphotography.com