A Los Abandoned Gig Made Me Realize Being Old Is Cool As Fuck
Aging is a truly disorienting experience, but standing in a dark room surrounded by strangers and singing along to Los Abandoned somehow made the passage of time disappear.
“Bitch, do we look this old?”
It’s August 24 and my best friend Julio and I are standing in line with elder millennials and Gen Xers, waiting for the Hollywood Palladium to open its doors for the Breeders concert. Julio and I became friends in our early 20s, first bonding over journalism and then spending many nights together at gay bars and local shows. Now in our early 40s, we looked around at our grizzled peers and wondered if we appeared equally haggard. We agreed that we don’t, and then steered our conversation toward Kim and Kelley Deal, the twin sisters who front the ‘90s alternative rock band we were there to see. “Can you believe they’re 65?” I said more to myself than to Julio. “Where does the fucking time go?”
I’ve never been one to romanticize youth. I mostly remember my younger years as depressing and filled with instability and horrendous insecurity. Still, I had a certain level of vivaciousness and foolhardy charm that made me far more fun and adventurous—the kind of person who ate breakfast with total strangers after last call. Going out after 9 p.m. now requires 24 hours of advanced planning.
In other words: It’s been a long time since I felt young and alive.
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