Lily's Interests and Thoughts and Whatnot

Last night I saw some of my current favorite musicians play a sold out show at Lodge Room in Highland Park, Los Angeles. Water From Your Eyes is an experimental rock/pop duo comprised of Rachel Brown (of thanks for coming) and Nate Amos (of This is Lorelei). If you aren’t familiar with them, you should be! They put on a stellar show. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while.

To be honest, what made my experience so great overall wasn’t just the fact that WFYE are such great performers. The venue and the crowd contributed a great deal. I could really afford to be in the moment and enjoy the music in a way I have found rare as a concertgoer these days.

I’m still pretty new to LA and to attending concerts in general. That being said, Lodge Room is my favorite venue I’ve ever been to by a mile. From the jump, I knew my night would go smoothly. I immediately found free street parking less than a 5 minute walk from the venue. I showed up at doors, briefly checked in, went through a quick security screening and then I was inside. They have a full bar and restaurant attached, which is a huge plus if you’re going with friends. There is also a bar inside the actual room/venue. There is a separate room where the merch table is, as well. It’s all very well laid out. The room itself is beautiful. It was formerly a Masonic lodge and still has all the intricate woodwork and paintings on the walls. There are some gorgeous chandeliers on the ceiling. As people trickled in, there wasn’t really an urgency to immediately rush to the front and claim their spot. People sat along the sides and stood scattered throughout the room, chatting with one another until the first opener went on and they moved toward the stage. The calmness in the space was so refreshing for a concert.

I was pleasantly surprised by the demeanor of the crowd, in general. There was a lightness along with the excitement in the air. Nobody heckled except to shout their support a couple of times. People cheered and clapped but nothing obnoxious. The people next to me were really into the show, which made me feel like I could be too. It felt like a really safe space. For a long time, I was scared of going to standing room only shows (which is most shows) because I knew I would get pushed around. This was a rare instance where I never got pushed even once. I barely even got accidentally grazed by an elbow. Sometimes at concerts, people inch closer and closer to me to the point where I don’t even realize that I’ve “moved out of the way” so much that I’m on the other side of the room, resulting in a terrible view of the stage. Instead, I actually felt like I had personal space, which is honestly unheard of at just about any concert you may attend.

I suppose my only qualm is that being so close, the drums really overpowered the vocals. I felt like the vocals sounded pretty muddy, and the drums were super loud but I think it’s probably just where I was positioned right in front of the stage. Otherwise, I loved it in there. The vibes were perfect. I’m itching to go to another show there asap. Unfortunately a lot of the shows that interest me are sold out already and the rest of their slate isn’t really my vibe or I just am not at all familiar with the artists. I might see feeble little horse next week and I’ll probably see Skullcrusher in march. There are a few other artists I don’t recognize but may check out because for under $40 (I spent $25 including fees on my WFYE ticket), to have such a pleasant experience and hear some great live music, is just so rare. It’s rare not just in LA, but anywhere really. I want to take all my friends there. I have a feeling it’s going to become one of my favorite places here.