When I was starting my freshman year at Ohio University, my biggest concern was the party school reputation. I realized that much of this reputation was over dramatized and not everyone had to be a partier to have fun and make friends in college. However, I was still incredibly nervous about the expectation to party in college as someone who did not party at all in high school. My first semester was me trying to navigate the party culture to the best of my ability. I was able to find a happy medium and have fun with my friends, but I started to become a little bored with the party culture. When I came back from winter break and started my second semester, I was much more established, so I was willing to explore other forms of entertainment. This is when I discovered Athens’ local music scene.
One of my friends knew people who were in a band, so she convinced all of us to go to their show at the local bar and music venue, The Union. At first, I was skeptical. In high school, my town’s “local music scene” was laughable. None of the bands were good, and they primarily performed in the basement of a Donatos Pizza. So, I had low expectations for these local bands as my past experiences were sub par.
The night I went to The Union here in Athens, my expectations were completely exceeded. The bands were amazing, but the atmosphere was like nothing I had experienced before. While The Union is a bar, it did not attract the same crowd I was used to seeing elsewhere. In more party type atmospheres, I felt like everyone was standing around waiting for something to happen, rather than enjoying the people around them. This is why I have always loved concerts. You can be around people you know nothing about, but despite all of our differences, everyone is present for that exact moment. This feeling is replicated on a small scale when I go to The Union with my friends. Every person is really there to enjoy the music with everyone else in attendance.
So, if you are struggling with finding things to do other than party, I highly recommend getting into all of the local music that Athens has to offer. I go to The Union most weekends whether I know the bands playing or not. If I do not know the bands, I usually find at least one that is incredible, and then I have new music to listen to. I have also found that going to these kinds of events is a great way to find community, which is something I desperately wanted when I started college. I have made so many friends and been introduced to so much art that I would have never known existed if I were not introduced to the fantastic local music of the Athens area. The weekends I have spent in the crowd at The Union are the college memories I know I will hold sacred once I am done with my time at OU.