CROWDED MEMORIES
Remember when a crowd was more than just 9 people on a Zoom call?
One of our seasonal backgrounds is a sporting event’s crowded stadium. It’s jarring to see so many faces so close together, but it got us reminiscing about all the amazing things we’ve been a part of: MURAL Festival, Osheaga, Never Apart, XP_MTL, just to name a few.
We wanted to keep daydreaming, so we asked our friends at Herschel Supply about their favourite crowded memories. Here’s what their team had to say:
One of my best crowded memories would have to be when I saw one of my favourite bands, Thee Oh Sees, at a local venue in LA called The Echo.
Every time I see them, I make sure to always be right up front. They play loud, fast, and always put on an amazing show!
There is nothing better than being in a crowded venue, with a good group of friends, seeing one of your favourite bands… I can’t wait to do it all over again!
My crowded memory is from Coachella 2016. We collected water bottles after every stage show we attended throughout the weekend. Why? Not only is it the right thing to do to help the planet, but by submitting them to the Global Inheritance tent, you could turn them into credit that could be used to claim prizes. We decided to forgo the hoodie or poster swag and went all in on the VIP tickets to 2017. On Sunday night as the sun was setting on MainStage, Major Lazer was pumping the crowd up for a memorable night. Halfway through the set, my phone buzzed (this is rare at Coachella as you barely have enough signal to find your lost friends). It was Global Inheritance messaging me to say we were chosen for the VIP tickets and needed to come by their tent ASAP to claim them. We were devastated we had to leave our amazing view point of MainStage, but we had just won VIP tickets for the following year so we knew we would be back. We decided an intimate set at the Do LaB (the greatest place on earth) was the perfect way to conclude an insane weekend. We were front row for a surprise close out appearance for… you guessed it Major Lazer! What a way to finish off an incredible weekend, and the memory will stick with me forever.
Living in NYC…. do I need to say more? Crowds were inevitable, but recently the city has been pretty bare. Broadway has been closed for months now without an expected return until mid 2021. Theatre has always been a major part of my life, and I think back to my final performance last year on stage for a National Tour. It was at the iconic Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL. On the night of my final performance with this cast, I remember running out centre stage to take my final bow and hearing the roaring applause from the 3,600 audience members. For the first time, I was able to thank the audience for sharing this special night with me as I passed on this role to my successor. I know theatre will return, and when it does those who favour it will appreciate the experience that much more. I know I will….
One of my favourite crowded memories was from a music festival in Chicago a few years back. One of my favourite bands reunited to play this special show. It’s so amazing to be amongst 40,000 people, all cheering for one more song. I can’t wait to be back with lots of faces in small spaces, celebrating our fallen music and venue community.
Huddled shoulder to shoulder with my family on a warm summer evening watching a parade of Pixar characters float by with a cold beer in hand at Disney California Adventure feels like it happened a lifetime ago. The energy of the crowd at Disneyland – families rushing from one ride to the next, groups of friends in matching Mickey ears, grandparents holding backpacks and strollers while their kids and grandkids meet Goofy – is unmatched. The closest I am getting to that feeling now is flipping through photos of Disney trips past and dreaming of my next opportunity to stand in a crowd of fellow revellers while fireworks light up the sky over Sleeping Beauty’s castle.