2 Girls From New York Go Into a Bar

By Sunday night, Lauren and I were exhausted. The Race for Hope is well worth getting up at 6:30 for but 12 hours on our feet later, with five and a half hours until our bus arrived to take us back to New York, we were desperate to find something to do that didn’t involve walking or even thinking too hard. Luckily, Ryan Star was playing a show in Arlington, Va. and having seen him twice in the last month alone, it was a sure bet that he would help us make the time fly until departure. Coincidentally, departure was at 11:59 and for those of you that don’t know that is the title track off of Star’s album due out in July, perhaps it was destiny.

I’m not going to lie; this was not my typical concert going experience. I could’ve cared less about how my hair looked and the only reason I was wearing makeup was because it was still on my face from the morning. Ryan saw me all made up Easter night, a few weeks ago at Webster Hall, and that very morning at the race, he knows what I look like. Moreover, the 8:30 show wasn’t about seeing one of my favorite musicians; it was about killing time with a place that sounded like it would have seats. I do feel somewhat bad about going into the show with this mind set but Washington and the surrounding area is very weird about closing times; almost everything locks its doors by 8 and my feet just couldn’t handle another night wandering around seeing the monuments. The only other option was sitting in the hotel lobby for hours on end.

When we got to IOTA Café and Club we quickly realized that the café and club were separated so sitting for the show wasn’t going to happen. There was however, an adjoining bar so we opted to sit there while Star’s opener performed. We could hear The Influence perfectly and while sitting there, Star, who was standing next to the club side of the bar, even recognized and nodded “what up” to us. You know that you have seen a performer a lot in a short amount of time when they recognize and acknowledge you first.

As soon as the set was over we (which included our suitcase) headed over to the music side and surprisingly got a spot right in front of the stage. We were in for an added bonus when Ido of Lion of Ido (http://lissiedsviewfromhere.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-first-culture-shock.html) did a surprise mini set as a prelude to Star, and then the pair even did a duet together. You had to laugh at the irony, here were two New York girls ending their first visit to Washington D.C. watching three New Yorkers (Star was accompanied in his set by band mate Dallin Applebaum) perform.

I know that I have said this before but it bears repeating, if you ever have the opportunity to see a Ryan Star performance do it. What stared out as something to do to kill time turned into yet another amazing night. Star as the costar with Ido, shook and fidgeted in the background with the look of someone going through DTs while during his own set he flailed and jumped and gave everything he had, commanding all the attention he so rightly deserves. He did a little Bon Jovi, he did a little Meatloaf, he talked about how grateful he is for the fans bringing him into the forefront of the music world. It was a 21 and older show, something he’s been waiting for, so he talked about R rated stuff such as how his mother explained to him the importance of body hair so that he doesn’t slip during sex and what he used to do after seeing “Saved By the Bell’s” Kelly in a bathing suit. Oh and he said all of this with his mother and father standing right behind me.

He finished the night by talking about the amazing privilege he felt being a part of the Race for Hope (it was nice to see he was as tired as I was and felt equally as blessed.) He signed his runner number and planned to auction it off for Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure and then dedicated his current hit “Breathe” to everyone involved in the race, specifically the survivors. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house as the entire audience sang along to the anthem I personally thought should’ve been playing that morning.