A Brief Recap of Kilby Block Party

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Kilby Block Party was this last weekend. It was an incredible three-day event, and I was there to witness it all. Here's a brief recap of how my weekend went. 

1. Local Bands. First off, I wanted to start off by giving love to all of the local bands who played each day. They rose to the occasion and knocked it out of the park. Unfortunately, I had some decisions to make, and since the local bands were often playing at the same time, I couldn’t see you all. I saw Sunhills, Homephone, Kipper Snack, The Moss, Worlds Worst, and Fonteyn. I know people were impressed based on the conversations I had throughout the weekend. So way to go. 

2. Remi Wolf. It was a tough day for BYU fans as Remi Wolf came out in an oversized University of Utah t-shirt. Fortunately for me, my BYU diploma does not dictate my loyalty. I did attend both schools and both diplomas occupy the same corner of my room in their original cardboard packaging. All of this to say, Remi Wolf might be one of the coolest people on the planet.

3. Japanese Breakfast. I discovered Japanese Breakfast in my first year of law school. They were a saving grace for me. By the time I realized they was playing Kilby Court those many years ago, it was already sold out. So this was a long time coming for me. On top of it all, given my dad’s situation, her memoir, Crying in H Mart, means a lot to me and is a phenomenal book, even if it never explains why she named the band Japanese Breakfast after talking about her Korean culture and heritage the entire book.

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O: fucking legend.

5. The Strokes. The Strokes were a bucket list band for me, and they did not disappoint. But waiting around for them for as long as I did brings me to my next point.

6. Being Old. I am old. Kilby Block Party brutally reinforced this, reminding me every second of every day that my body is decaying and no longer the D1 college athlete of old. There was a specific moment over the weekend during Hippo Campus where I realized that I wasn’t dancing, not because I don’t really dance, but because my lower back had tightened up so much that I was fighting for my life just to remain standing. One misstep and I might never fully stand up straight again. Given my current health insurance coverage, it was a business decision that kept me from dancing. What have I become?

If not for a healthy dose of ibuprofen and some very helpful gummies infused with CBD (among other things), I would not have been able to recover each day. In addition to these lifesaving medicines, use of a Chirp wheel and liberal application of Biofreeze helped me recover each night.

7. Dating Pool. I have been single for a little over six months. In that time, I’ve gotten back on Hinge and gone on a few dates with four different women. In the first two days, I saw two of them. Did I say hi? Of course not! I sometimes don’t even say hi to many of you, not because I don’t like you, but because I am that socially anxious and awkward. So why would I do that with someone I’ve gone on a date with and it didn't work out? There wasn’t even any fallout with any of them them, but I felt incredibly awkward seeing them. I left Day 2 wondering what I had done to deserve this karmic retribution. The universe surely has its way because another one texted me that she saw me on Day 3.

These are random people I met on a dating app. The dating pool in Salt Lake is way too small. Who do I need to contact to fix this? 

8. Day Three: Pixies, Chaos, and Pavement. After attending with me the first two days, my friend HP was out (see reasons cited in #6 above), so I was on my own for Day 3. After attending the first couple hours, I headed up to my parents' house to celebrate Mother’s Day (every Sunday at my parents' is like a white family’s Thanksgiving: dinner is sometime between 2 and 4pm).

I got back in time for hometown heroes the Backseat Lovers where the bass hit so hard that it gave me a tummy ache. I quickly learned that Mother’s Day dinner topped off with dessert and then going back to a music festival is not a great idea. But a lifetime of having Celiac Disease and not being diagnosed until I was 22 years old had prepared me for this moment.

After being a brave boy with tummy issues, I headed over to see the Pixies. As the start time of 7:45 pm neared, dark clouds loomed to the south. Lightning began lighting up the sky, but 7:45pm came and the band took the stage. Mother Nature provided her own light show to accompany the set as lightning was becoming more frequent and the dark clouds were edging closer. You could feel tension in the crowd. Some started to leave when the rain began, but most powered through.

Then, halfway through the set, someone finally came on stage to cut off the band. As people turned to leave or seek shelter, heeding the message displayed on stage, a gust of wind ripped through the fairgrounds accompanied with a big flash of lightning. Screams erupted from the crowd and the pace and urgency among the mob of people quickened. Even then, most people were being pretty calm. Some were less calm. Keep in mind, I was still battling a tummy ache that had not completely gone away. I continued to walk slowly and couldn't decided if it was because I was using logic or because I was completely indifferent about my own life. 

As I was wondering which one it was, I caught a stray selfie of a couple trying to commemorate the moment of chaos. They realized that I was trying to get out of the picture but failed. They were kind enough to ask if I wanted them to delete it. I said I was fine. Good times were had by all. I wonder how many pictures I unintentionally photbombed this weekend. I also wonder how many pictures the back of my head is in, but that's beside the point.

I went to my car to wait out the storm. I hadn’t decided if I was going to leave yet, and I didn’t want to drive home in the storm, so I just sat there. I didn’t even turn my car on. I just sat and listened to the rain pound the roof of my car, dissociating at its finest after being surrounded by strangers for an entire day. I also grew up in Texas, and the storm reminded me of a good ole Texas thunderstorm, the one thing I miss from that insane Lone Star State.

My tummy ache eventually subsided with the storm, and between that and sitting in a chair with the tiniest bit of lumbar support, I began to feel invincible once again. I noticed some people starting to head back, and curiosity got the best from me. I got out of my car to see what I could figure out. What I found was a poorly lit parking lot with people wandering around confused, much like myself. Some were hiding their confusion better than others. Honestly, it was what I imagine a post-apocalyptic wasteland would feel like. After putting my fake journalistic skills to use, I concluded that no one knew what was going on. After asking a few people if they knew anything, I headed back to the main entrance when they began opening the gates again.

Pavement took the stage at 9:45pm and played until 11pm. It was fucking awesome. I hope I can be a fraction as cool as they are someday. What a way to finish a great weekend.