Arctic Monkeys in Baton Rouge, LA
A year ago today, I waited in line outside of the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge for over 6 hours to see the Arctic Monkeys. It is, to this day, the best concert I have ever been to in my life. And I still, to this day, cannot believe that they actually played at the Varsity!! Arctic Monkeys are one of my favorite bands and I was lucky enough to see them in a small, intimate venue in the FRONT ROW.
During the summer of 2013, a friend texted me saying that the Arctic Monkeys were scheduled to play at the Varsity in Baton Rouge. When I got his text, these were the thoughts that ran through my mind in the 5 seconds immediately following:
1. holycrapholycrapHOLYCRAP
2. Wait. This can’t be true. He’s messing with me. I’m being Punk’d.
3. Does Punk’d even still exist?
4. They’re way too famous to be playing at the Varsity.
5. But then again, none of my friends even know who they are.
6. BUT THEN AGAIN, most of my friends are idiots when it comes to music.
7. I SHOULD LOOK THIS UP.
So I did. And alas, he was telling the truth. The Arctic Monkeys were actually playing in Baton Rouge!
This was my favorite band we were talking about here. I had been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys since I was about 15 years old and I heard Favourite Worst Nightmare for the first time. I knew they were a big deal overseas, and they were a big deal to me. So, I was completely startled that they were playing at such a small venue a mile away from my house. A venue right on the outskirts of my college campus. Their 5th and most recent album, AM, had been gaining them mainstream popularity in America, so if anything I would’ve assumed they would play at a venue in New Orleans, where most artists play if they come to Louisiana. But nope, they were playing in good ol’ BR!
This, for me, was a HUGE DEAL. I bought my ticket right when they went on sale, assuming tickets would sell out quickly because this was such a huge show for the Varsity. In the end, the tickets didn’t sell out until a couple of weeks before the show. I was furious with the people of Baton Rouge and surrounding areas for being so clueless to the gravity of this situation!!
I had been waiting for my chance to see the Arctic Monkeys live since 2007, and it was finally happening! So when the day finally came, I wanted to take FULL advantage. My friend and I got to the venue at 11 AM. That’s kind of ridiculous, I know, but I wanted to get as close as I could because it was standing room only. And I didn’t know when I would get to be this close ever again.
We met so many people while in line for the show. All the girls in front of us were from different places around the country, and we even met an older couple from Sheffield, England (were the Arctic Monkeys are from) who had been fans since before they even got a record deal. When I asked all these people why they had travelled so far for this show, they all had the same answer: This was the smallest venue the Arctic Monkeys were playing. A chance to see them in the most intimate setting.
The show was truly fantastic. After local band Circa Amore opened the show, the Arctic Monkeys took the stage to the infectious beat of their new single “Do I Wanna Know?”. Alex Turner was the perfect front man – charismatic and engaging with the crowd. And although their setlist was a little too short for me (I would’ve been totally fine with a 5-hour concert of them performing their entire discography), they made every song count. Even though they are used to playing largest stages in Europe and the UK (they headlined Glastonbury Festival that summer) and usually have a stage display to match, they downsized perfectly for our small venue. It felt like a huge production and an intimate show at the same time.
I saw the Arctic Monkeys perform to a sold out crowd of a couple hundred people at a small venue. A week later, my younger brother saw their set at Austin City Limits, in a crowd of thousands. This past summer, I saw them headline a music festival in Lisbon, Portugal. And although all the lights and smoke and crazy European crowd made the show a dazzling nighttime event, seeing the Arctic Monkeys for the first time at the Varsity Theater in Baton Rouge will always be the one that sticks with me the most.
