Intro: Phase One.

The obligatory introduction:

My name is Dan, I live in Chicago, and I love music.

I'll give you some more of this journal's backstory as time passes, but I'll use this time for the basics.

I'm kind of a neophyte in the world of concertgoing. I had a pretty sheltered upbringing in a New Jersey suburb, and my first concert (other than the Raffi concert my parents took me to when I was seven) was in high school when a friend of mine took me to see Korn. (Yes, Korn. Stop laughing.)

As it turned out, I had the time of my life, even though I wasn't a big fan of the band playing: it was the intimacy of personally witnessing a live performance that I found so stirring.

I started going to see the bands that came to play at my high school, but they weren't many. I went to see Thursday a few times in college, and then Funeral for a Friend, Finch, and Thrice at the Bamboozle festival in New Jersey. I drove to see Live in Providence by myself, and it was one of the most gloriously cathartic experiences of my life. At the end of the show, I wanted to give everyone there a hug. After graduation, I saw a few scattered shows in New York, and that was it. Until Chicago.

Chicago has a pretty irresistible indie scene. There are so many great venues here I don't really know how to handle it. After every show I went to, I found myself wanting to tell everyone how awesome it was.

So I'm not going to pretend to have gobs of indie cred. I'm not going to pretend to have a lot of experience in the scene. And I'm not going to try not to gush. I'm going to keep a diary of the shows I go to, and share my experiences with you, from the perspective of someone who loves music, nothing more. If you love music too, maybe you'll find it useful.