A Long Night

I was pleasantly surprised to discover a few weeks ago that my current favorite DJ would be coming to do a show in DC. I've been following ATB for the last three years and even traveled up to NYC to attend a show. So when I found out he would be at Fur I immediately bought a pair of advance tickets and convinced a friend to tag along.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a club person. I'm that guy who just leans on the wall sipping a drink and enjoying the music. I feel no need to jump out in the middle of the dance floor and get all crazy and sweaty, which will lead to problems shortly.

When I arrived at the club the lines were predictably long, but moved fine. I was inside in no time. Even the coat check was nice and quick so I decided to avoid the hassle of carrying my coat all night (mistake). I arrived at 10, so quite a bit of time to kill be fore ATB came on at 1am (I'll never understand why clubs can't bring the headliner on earlier, would it be so bad to only have the crowd dancing until 3 as opposed to the 4 or 5 completion due to the late start). Got a nice spot leaning on the front of the raised VIP dance floor, nicely located toward the rear of the dance floor but with a view of everything (another mistake).

Things started getting bad around midnight. I've never seen so many people packed into a club before. I assumed that NYC would have had the big crowds but the club up there had so much free space to move around in that I know I was spoiled by it. So I spend the next hour waiting the headliner and trying not to get knocked over or crushed into the wall by the sheer mass of humanity that is trying to fit on the dance floor.

All the discomfort seems to be worth it as ATB takes the stage and performs an enjoyable set. At about 2:15am I'm feeling a little worn, the Jungle Party being the day before, and decide to call it a night so I have time time to get my coat and catch the metro. I had only had one drink and was wishing I had driven since it is such a long metro ride, but that is still better than the 30 dollar cab ride it would be to get back to Arlington.

This is where the night takes a downward turn. The coat check is off a room with a different DJ. Not as crowded, but still full. The coat check line runs in front of some VIP seating and then turns the corner to go to the actual coat check room. The line when we enter it is about 4 couches down from that corner. It takes about 20 minutes to make it down the first three couches, but another hour and ten to make it past the last couch, turn the corner and get our coats. You heard correctly, an HOUR AND A HALF in the coat check line. We were entertained by an inexperienced VIP guest, vomiting all over himself and his friends coats, and a helpless bouncer shouting into a megaphone trying to restore order to the coat check line. My friends in the line around me were all in the correct line from the beginning (I call them my friends because our shared trauma brought us closer together :-), however about twenty minutes after we got in line the DJ in that room stopped playing and everyone there decided to disregard the line and just try to walk straight into the coat check room. I still get a little shaken up just thinking about it, I still have a bruise on my elbow from being crushed into a wall about an hour into the line.

I witnessed the lowest state of humanity this night and vow never to return to Fur wearing a coat. Consider yourselves warned.

BTW. ATB rocks! I'll just stick with seeing him in NYC next time he is in the country.