Kendra came and picked me up to head to David’s for a quick pre-game drink before we all hoped in a Lyft, bound for the show. Which meant instead of a Double Big Gulp full of whiskey, I settled for a Super Big Gulp.
Night one of War on Xmas was on a school night, so I had to take it (relatively) easy. The bad thing about having a three day party like this in the city I live in is that, well, I live here. Now in it’s third year of existence, the War on Xmas is Double Door-less (R.I.P.) for the first time, opting instead to split time between smaller Cobra Lounge for the first night, and the Bottom Lounge for the next two. And of course, The War on Xmas in December. With my new residency comes the opportunity to attend new shows without having to take time off work and fly halfway across the country. I decided right then and there, I’m moving to this fucking town.Ĭut to two years later and here I am, an official Chicago resident. I looked up and saw two kids on the train station above, laughing as they rained down snowballs on the unsuspecting smokers below. As I stood out in the cold exhausted from three days of non stop partying, something wet and cold hit me square in the face, knocking the cigarette from my hand. It had been a whirlwind few days filled with plenty of Malört, a metric shit ton of good friends, and The Lawrence Arms. I needed a break from the sweaty mess that was happening inside. In December of 2015, I was standing outside the Double Door in Chicago smoking a cigarette.