Of course, as Longhorns, we always rep burnt orange, we say hook ‘em after every sentence (as in, “I think I might fail this test. Hook ‘em.”), and we wish Bevo was our pet because he’s just so darn cute. Most of us also love Austin for these reasons and for the fact that it’s not College Station. Hook ‘em.
But, what about all the other things that make Austin such a great place to be a young adult in?
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Have you ever been two-stepping in Austin? You should try it, it’s fun.
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Have you ever been to Zilker Park? You should go, it rains dogs.
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Have you ever been parasailing on Lake Travis? You should definitely experience it, along with every other watersport possible.
Bottom line: Austin is really cool. One of the cool things I purposefully left out of the list above is a pretty obvious one…music! Austin is literally the “Live Music Capital of the World.” My roommates and I got to experience two concerts (two days in a row, might I add) at a couple trendy venues in town. First, we saw Walk the Moon at Moody Theatre on February 1st. And can I just say, wow?! If you don’t know who I’m talking about, they’re the group that sings “Shut Up And Dance.” I see you nodding your head and saying “Ahh.” But hey, they sing a lot of other great songs also, my favorites being “Anna Sun” and “Lost in the Wild” and my roommate’s favorite being “Tiger Teeth.” Seriously, go check them out. And check out this sweet pic of the lead singer, Nick.
Remember how I said we saw two concerts in a row that week? Aside from catching a cold, the story gets better. On Friday, February 2nd, me, my roommate, and her out-of-town friend went to see Børns. Now, my roommate and I are HUGE fans of Børns, but my roommate’s friend is probably his biggest. He camped outside of Stubb’s Austin from 7 A.M. until we were able to meet him after class. My roommate and I ended up camping outside for about 4 hours and it was freezing! Of course, none of that mattered when we were front line, standing barricade, all huddled around each other like penguins trying to stay warm. Which we were. But also everyone wanted to be in the front so we were forcibly pushed together. Nonetheless, we had a great time! I, personally, had never experienced being front and center at a general admissions concert before. And let me tell you, it was the best thing ever. Wait, I take that back. There’s something better. And I know what you’re thinking…how could it possibly get any better than having Børns so close to you that you could hug him? Actually hugging him. Yes, that’s right, we all got to meet Børns after the show! I know, right?! I have pictures to prove it.
So next time, remember that there’s yet another way to experience Austin when you’re so tired of studying and all you need is a good jam sesh. It worked for my roommates and I and we’ll likely try to see more concerts in the future. Now, not only do I fully appreciate Austin for its live music, but for the first time, I also got to experience concerts in a more intimate way. We all know about ACL and SXSW but sometimes we forget about these small venues that make jamming out with your friends and your favorite bands so much more fun. Hey, maybe you’ll get lucky and meet your favorite artist, too.
Until next time,
Keep Austin Weird.