Emo Nite LA: San Francisco Take 2

My first Emo Nite LA (in San Francisco) took place in July. It’s October and time for Round 2.

You might remember I was just a teeny bit wasted faced for my first Emo Nite. Well this go-round I’m a bit more poor and trying not to blow all my money on alcohol. So I spent the night completely sober. It’s a bit of a different experience to tell you the truth.

Note to self: be less poor.

There was a guest DJ this time (or is there always a guest DJ and I just missed that announcement last time?) from Set Your Goals. He played quite a bit of music I was not familiar with. Then again, I’m not familiar with his band either, so.

I noticed a tip jar at merch this time that I didn’t catch before. There was a jar for Taking Back Sunday and a jar for Brand New. It was really cute, a little competition between bands. My money would so be with Taking Back Sunday if I had any to spare.

Amazingly enough, I ran into a few friends there: Melissa, who I know through the Matches fanbase, and the drummer of local band Septacy, Jason, and his girlfriend, Kayla.

Jason: “Aren’t you following I the Mighty right now?”
Me: “Yes. And Green Day. And Coheed.”

Melissa and I danced together a bit. They played some Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance repeats throughout the night, but no complaints from me.

Front right is Melissa. That derp in the back? Yup. Me.

I requested the Matches and was disappointed when I did not get them. I told a girl in the bathroom that’s who my request was for, and she said she’d “been to every show.” I laughed and told her I was close to that.

There’s something truly magically about a room full of grown men losing their shit to Panic! at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.”

Do you see me derping in the background of these? I’m there.

At one point a pit opened up and my arms did a weird thing. I’m too bony for my own good sometimes.

Me: “I wanna have a good prom experience before I die!”

Prom being the last Coheed show of the current tour, happening in New Jersey the next weekend. Yes, dresses and suits at a show are things.

It was around midnight when I started thinking about heading home. Mostly because… there’s something about emo songs that remind you of certain people to make a sober person feel some real emo feels at Emo Nite. The night was still a party, still loads of fun, but the irony of having to leave Emo Nite early because you’re getting hit with emo feels is strong. There was one song in particular I was happy to have been in the bathroom during.

Me: If I don’t know the next song, I’m going home.
Me: -spends the entire next song onstage-

Of course it was the All-American Rejects’ “One More Sad Song.” Of course it was. Like last time, it looked like no one else really knew it, and I love that album SO MUCH. So I figured someone should be onstage who loved it as much as I do/knew all the words. I did that shit justice. And I was sober. Boom.

Aaaaand then I went home. Until next time, emo fam!

Photo Credit: Gil Riego Junior