Around the state and back again: UF concert lovers must travel for live music

Carley James, a recurrent concertgoer, is well-acquainted with investing slumber for the ecstasy of dwell songs.

With hefty eyelids, the 19-calendar year-aged UF conversation sciences and ailments senior produced the two-hour push by means of the inky interstate back again to Gainesville the very same night she noticed Dayglow, an indie musician, in Tallahassee. 

“That’s the position wherever you have to chug a Celsius,” James reported. “Then you’re just praying that you really do not tumble asleep at the wheel.” 

Gainesville’s meager population, in comparison to other significant towns, can discourage significant-title artists from executing in town. The predicament forces UF live performance fans to flee the metropolis if they want to catch hotshot musicians. If they also want to get attendance factors for their classes the subsequent early morning, the late-night time trek back again to Gainesville is unavoidable. 

Pat Lavery, the facility and functions supervisor at Significant Dive, stated routing a tour by way of Florida is difficult. 

If an artist is coming from a different point out, it takes about six several hours to get to Gainesville, which is nonetheless north of other Sunshine Point out destinations. 

Gainesville’s little-scale population by now decreases an artist’s possibility of building a income, and some cannot consider it since venues are not huge enough to host them, Lavery explained. High Dive, a person of Gainesville’s most significant venues, can only accommodate small-scale shows. 

Some venues institute radius clauses that prohibit artists from playing in neighboring towns in a certain amount of miles of a past venue. Artists performing in Jacksonville or St. Augustine can’t cease in Gainesville, in any case. 

Lavery reported an amphitheater in Gainesville would be impractical. The St. Augustine Amphitheater, which Lavery considers to be one of the best venues in the country, hosts huge-scale concert events only 77 miles from UF’s campus. A location that takes even 10 % of the St. Augustine site’s organization would never ever be equipped to guidance alone, he said. 

“From a monetary aspect, it just does not equate, and that is why we just really do not have that here,” Lavery explained. “It’s all numbers.”

Caroline Hickey, a UF biomedical engineering sophomore, claimed balancing her university get the job done and enthusiasm for stay music can be demanding. After traveling to Tampa and St. Augustine to see Phoebe Bridgers on each May possibly 24 and 25, Hickey mentioned she fell driving on Summer coursework. 

Even nevertheless Hickey did research in line for the clearly show in Tampa, due dates even now snuck up on her. Right after arriving house at 1 a.m., Hickey even now had two physics quizzes to convert in. 

“Was this a terrible concept? Yeah,” Hickey stated. “But I would do it again. You got to reside a tiny.”

When James’ exam timetable and live performance options overlapped, she put in the weekend at two displays alternatively of researching for her exam on Monday. The consequential quality spoke for itself. 

“I surely should prioritize, but concerts are like my one particular contentment,” she claimed. 

When James is blessed, she can crash with her family in Tampa in its place of building the late-night time odyssey back again to her dorm. 

But the convenience of shelter does not cancel classes the next morning. 

Apart from the 6 a.m. wake-up get in touch with, James said every parking spot is generally taken when she receives back again to her dorm. By obtaining an substitute spot, James risks acquiring a parking ticket.

To dwell in Gainesville is to sacrifice time to travel for a concert, or to not go at all. But some students see a selected appeal in chasing excursions about the state. 

Hickey stated driving is hardly ever a load — she loves actively playing music and currently being by itself.

No matter whether it’s carpooling to preserve cash or learning for their test a 7 days in advance, concertgoers are steadfast in discovering methods to fit stay music into their life.

“If you truly want to go to the concerts and you know you just can’t find the money for to have bad grades,” James reported, “you’ll get it finished.”

Get hold of Averi at [email protected]. Adhere to her on Twitter @averijkremposky.

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