We kinda kicked it in the chill out tent

Photo Margaret Conklin

I went to the free Hold Steady show at McCarren Park Pool today. What a shitty day for a concert. The weather messed up what would have been a great show. It rained twice- hard and fast. The rainfall around 2pm probably didn't really have any effect except deter a few people from showing up. I totally missed the first band, but saw the second band- J. Roddy & the Business

Andrea and Becca came at the end of their set with a stacks of postcards to promote the Block Party and Summerscreen (July 8, ya'll!). I walked around with them a bit while they handed them out. Then it started to rain. They stopped setting up the stage. Then it really started to rain. I met up with Sandy and we went to Alligator Lounge to wait out the rain. Then I got a taco at YALA's cafe (now I'll never forget the name of this place). The taco wasn't as good as the first time I had it. But to be fair, I was drunk after the L party and it was like 1am. Mexican food is always better when you're drunk and hungry.

We decided to stop by the pool to see if the Hold Steady was playing. I thought they might have just canceled the show. I drove by and heard Craig Finn's unmistakable voice. "They're playing!" So I parked the car. Sandy and I walked over and caught the last half of their set. There were still a ton of people there. I was surprised people came back after the rain...or just stayed and waited it out. Well, if any band has that kind of loyalty amongst Brooklynites, its the Hold Steady. The show wasn't as "OMG CRAZY" as Mike made it out to be. I missed all the songs they played off of Boys and Girls in America, if they played any. I bet it would have been a lot more packed if the weather was nice all day.

As I stood there during J. Roddy's set, I was thinking about the pool and how it epitomized hipster culture. It's going to be hard to explain to anyone not native to NYC because "hipster" can mean totally different tiers of stuff to different people. Like someone not very fashionable would think anyone with bangs or skinny jeans are hipsters, which is totally not the case (those people could be fake hipsters).

I'm sure someone better with words then me has already wrote a dissertation on the pool parties. In fact, I remember readying an article about it 2 years ago when they first started the pool parties and the parallels of it to the French and their fancy Sundays when the rich would go to the park and see and be seen. It's the same principle here really. Everyone is dressed in their best. It's hot, less cloths, better for everyone to see and be seen. Dodgeball and the slip and slide add to the "WHY NOT GUYZ" and "spontaneity" of being a hipster.

Too bad the first free show of the summer had to be rain on twice between sets!