This week’s interviewee. Courtesy of Refinery 29

This week for The Tough Crowd, I talked to AU alumna Carolyn Becker about her show going history. Carolyn graduated last year with a Masters of Science in Marketing after also attending AU for undergrad. She’s heavily involved in music and fashion and even has her own blog!

The question this week is on a topic close to my own heart. Growing up in South Florida meant that all shows, even the small ones, were a 2-3 hour drive away. Going to shows was an event, planned far in advance, and always followed by a long sleepy car ride home at 2am. To me, a three hour drive was the norm but for most in the northeast, three hours is almost ridiculous unless the show is something really special. I believe the car ride to and from the show is an integral part of the experience and the distance traveled can affect the entire feel of the night. The first time you put the effort to trek to a show is a truly one-of-a-kind experience, especially when you grow up in an area where every tour stops nearby. Traveling makes that show all the more special.

Q: What was the first concert you traveled a longer than average distance for?

A: “The first show that I had to drive a long distance to was to see Gaslight Anthem, American Steel, and Polar Bear Club in 2008 at the Canal Club before all three bands blew up. I had just started my first year of college and I went with my new boyfriend. I remember driving to the show took forever ‰ÛÒ it must have been a 4-hour drive. But once we got to the show, it was such a relief. The space had a great atmosphere, and hardly anyone came out ‰ÛÒ which made it super intimate and more exciting. I could stand in the front and sing along to all of my favorite songs without anyone pushing me, or getting up into my personal place.

Courtesy of Parasites & Sycophants

Polar Bear Club played an awesome set and Gaslight Anthem played one too ‰ÛÒ except it took forever. They must have played every song on their discography at the time. Because they played such a long set, after the show, I didn‰’t listen to the band for like 2 years. It was wild. The best part of that night was nothing even really related to the music. My boyfriend at the time and I pronounced our love for one another‰ÛÓand we have been together ever since.”

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Carolyn‰’s first long distance show was definitely cooler than mine, and way more adorable. It proves that the most memorable parts of concert-going aren’t usually the shows themselves, but the people you are with and the bonding that happens on the long car ride home.