Avey Tare, Eagle Rock Center for the Arts.

We showed up at 7:40 for an 8:00 show. The line was wrapped around the building. After a few minutes, the kids we were standing next to introduced themselves. One of them had taped a packet of strawberry jam to a signpost that we’d seen on the way there - a totally superfan Animal Collective thing to do. But then again, they laughed, they’d been there since 5 so of course they were superfans. 

Wait, 5:00? As in over two and a half hours ago? It turns out, we walked up to the front of the line, ahead of everybody, and these two boys and two girls, who were all 17 and had driven all the way from San Diego for this show, quickly whispered to each other and decided that we seemed cool and could stay. We apologized and were like, THIS IS INSANE, ARE YOU SURE!? 

A half dozen people walked up to our spot while we waited and asked if it was the end of the line. Each time, the kids told them, no, it’s way over there. 

It’s weird that these kids thinking we were in some way special felt like such a compliment. It’s even weirder how well we got along with them for those 20 minutes in line. I guess I look young for my age; I wonder how old they thought I was. 

We were the first ones inside. It was crazy.

Waiting stagefront for the show to start, we decided that one of the girls wanted to be my pal, which is maybe a little weird but not so weird since she was the coolest kid in the bunch. Halfway into Avey Tare’s set, a different girl who was behind us signaled to us, gesturing to me, then gesturing, did I want to come back there where she was? What? No, why in the world would we. For two minutes, back and forth with pantomime. Finally, we realized she was gesturing to the 16 year old kid to our right, who probably thought she had cooties and was ignoring the whole thing.