The Mouse Parade

I am considered to be late to the trends. Which includes anything that many people may consider to have happened earlier in one's life.

Such as attending a concert.

I have been on this Earth for now two decades and before last Monday, had not been to a concert. The reasons are not complex or deep. But it simply had been the fact that there was no good artist for me to schlep out of my house at night to see.

Technically one could count my ADL event last year as a concert — alongside my attendance at an event in Israel, but they weren't really concerts. More so just events that happened to have A-listers appeared.

But that changed last Monday with a journey to The Wharf, preceded by a short jaunt into Anacostia.

Back in August, I was in a conversation at my workplace about concerts. I can't recall exactly which artists were being referred to, but I decided out of pure curiosity to look up bands/soloists that I would be interested to see. Sure enough, Of Monsters And Men, a band I've been listening to since the ye olde days of 2012, had announced the prior week that they were not only releasing a new album, but also going on tour for the first time since 2019 and would be playing at The Anthem.

This would have been the moment to act…if the ticket sales were out. But they were not being released until the next Tuesday.

The day eventually came, and I was able to use the Artist Presale Code (we thank my co-intern J. for finding it). All for the low cost of, well, I'm not going to say the exact price. But it was half what I was anticipating for two tickets.

I also bought not one, but two tickets because that's what you do apparantly. So I texted my friend after I bought the tickets. It was a "shoot first, ask for forgiveness afterwards" moment. Which all worked out in the end.

The only other thing I needed to deal with was moving my calendar. But that is life as a collegiate Gen-Z, so I have been told.

As the concert was on a weekday, and I had other things planned. My day consisted of classes, laundry, and then leaving to go to Southeast.

Why Southeast? The story is a bit complicated on this front. I am taking AMST-140, which is Life Of A Monument, which has students travel all over Washington, DC to learn more about marginalized communities and similar concepts. One of the neighborhoods featured is Anacostia, which is on the opposite side of the city and a bit of a schlep to get to. So, I decided to do what any rational person would do: go to the neighborhood while I am down there for the concert.

We leave Tenleytown around 4:30ish and arrived at Anacostia at 5:15. We spent a grand total of 5 minutes there before going back to the Metro and heading to the Wharf (which is the Waterfront Station. We were outside The Anthem by 5:30.

For reference: Doors open at 6:30 and the show officially starts at 8.

For the first half hour, we simply spent our time observing the Wharf and the ambiance of it. If you are looking for a

After a confusing half hour of realizing we were in the wrong queue (No one's fault, really). We were around 60th in line. We just missed the first rush, but it was fine.

The actually process of getting into The Anthem, while it seems chaotic, is very efficient at getting you in as first as humanly possible. One neat thing with the venue is that General Admission grants you access to the (standing) balconies on the upper floors. So while the actual floor was (slowly) getting more packed, there was a bit of wiggle room on the second left balconies — where we ended up.

Of course now comes the realization that we had 90 more minutes to wait. While hypothetically I could have walked around and gotten concessions and merch, I refused to give up my amazing spot. So I sat on the floor and waited.

The venue filled up, and the opening act, Arny Margaret, went on at 8:05. It was a good act, nothing too remarkable about it. She played Icelandic country/folk music for 35 minutes. I will give credit for it being all original works. Something that sometimes isn't the case.

Alongside playing the accordian with the guitar. That requires talent!

At 9:02, the band came on — shocking everyone who expected that they wouldn't be on for at least another 8 minutes or so.

The band started with the first song of their new album, and then proceeded to play a variety of songs across their albums. However, it was mostly from their newest album, which is fair. That's why they went on tour in the first place!

I won't go through the whole setlist, but you can find it here.

Of all of the songs that they played, my favorites were "Little Talks", "The Actor", and "Dirty Paws". "Tuna In A Can" is also a notable mention.

The crowd was definitely energized by the music, and it was definitely something to see the ground level packed together. My view was great, and I have no regrets choosing where I did for the duration of the show.

I didn’t record much — but I did record some footage. You can view it here.

Alas, all good things come to an end. The show ran for about an hour and 35 minutes, and then ended. (After an encore of their first song ever and their longest, both separate). As soon as they finished bowing and left the stage, me and friend bolted of the venue and hastily made our way back up to Tenleytown.

Keep in mind, we had to take multiple buses and trains for this evening, and never had to wait longer than 90 seconds if that. The only exception was at Gallery Place heading northwest towards Shady Grove. We must have just missed the train as it was an 8-minute wait. Not terrible, but not the best either.

All in all, we made it back at 11:30. About 6.25 hours out. A successful night, and I would do it again if I had the opportunity.

Oh, yes. I should probably give a quick mention on their newest album: All Is Love And Pain in The Mouse Parade. It is a more somber addition to their mix, but has a great variety of songs with semi-catchy tunes. I do recommend it for those looking for a new listen who enjoy a "calmer" rock experience.

TLDR: 10/10 album and tour experience.

Considering this is my first true post on a traditional concert. I think I did a good job. I hope everyone reading this also thought so too.

I'm in the middle of planning a possible post series pertaining to music and playlists. I don't want to confirm anything explicitly yet in fear of jinxing it, but I think people may be surprised by what it is.

Regardless, thanks for reading. See you soon!