15 Years of Everything Goes Numb
Okay so I may have #tbt’d to Streetlight Manifesto’s Everything Goes Numb recently, but if we’re being totally honest, “Everything Went Numb” is the only song I actually know on that album. I know, I know, I’m a fraud. It’s fine. But this show (Streetlight Manifesto playing Everything Goes Numb in full, if that wasn’t obvious) was one of the most last minute show decisions I’ve ever made. I didn’t even make it. I was just along for the ride.
I was in Montreal, Canada, with my COTFs Niki, Jason, and Biz, for a Coheed show, obviously. Day of the show we’re walking past the venue when we look at the marquee and see that Streetlight Manifesto is playing at the same venue the very next night. Niki loves them and got super excited because she wasn’t able to make it to their show in NYC. So the four of us walked in to the box office and bought tickets.
I at least knew the one song (which I do love, by the way), but Biz didn’t know any of their music, so we figured it would be a fairly chill night for us while Niki and Jason went nuts in the pit. Niki warned us right away that it would be a much wilder crowd than we would expect, so there’s that.
We didn’t care about the opener (I couldn’t even tell you who the opener was) so we got to the venue right at 9pm, thinking we’d just walk in as the band started.
Wrong.
How could we be so wrong? Did literally EVERY person at this show have the same idea as us? Doors had to have been at least two hours prior, if not three or four, but the line was STILL wrapped around the block, FAR. I’ve never seen a line that bad that late after doors opened. It was absolutely insane. We made friends with the dudes in front of us in line while we waited, though.
“Everything Went Numb,” the one song I know, is the first song on the album, so of course we missed it while waiting in line. I was sad about it, but whatever. Such is life.
Apparently (according to Niki, who actually knows the album) they weren’t even really playing the album straight through. They threw in other songs throughout the set too.
Niki and Jason dove straight into the pit as soon as we walked in, while Biz and I more slowly followed them, until all of a sudden everyone around me is jumping and I lost him. I mildly panicked a bit, found him again, then we took a step back (where there was a literal step up) and watched from there for a while, where it was a little calmer.
Turns out I recognized one more song (“Better Place, Better Time“) so it wasn’t a total bust. I like them. They’re fun. Ska’s fun. I don’t give the genre enough attention.
Here’s Niki crowdsurfing, courtesy of Biz:
After a bit, Biz and I went to the bar and then merch, where we ran into Niki and Jason, who just happened to be taking a break at the same time as us. They were super sweaty. Niki was going hard.
“We lived, bitch.”
They went back to the pit and Biz and I went upstairs to watch from the mezzanine. It was nice. Way more calm than I would normally be at a show like this.
Everything Went Numb
That’ll Be The Day
Point / Counterpoint
If and When We Rise Again
A Better Place, A Better Time
We Are the Few
Failing, Flailing
A Moment of Silence
A Moment of Violence
The Saddest Song
Here’s to Life
Watch It Crash
Dear Sergio
Somewhere in the Between
The Big Sleep
