By Laurie Copley.
Today, I want to share with you my experience at a recent gig at Paradiso, Amsterdam. I was beyond excited to see Siouxsie Sioux live on stage and I was not disappointed by her performance.
But, before I get into the details of the show, I want to talk about the crowd. Everyone at the gig was middle-aged, wearing their punk outfits from their youth like a badge of honor. Normally, that would be awesome, but these people were uptight and hostile, aggressively complaining when I tried to navigate my way to the front to my friends. I mean, come on, isn't the front where people who want to dance and mosh go? Even more surprising, they even started hating on my mohawk, because it blocked their view of the stage! At a punk gig!
To make matters worse, the majority of the crowd just stood there like statues, arms crossed, and looking bored out of their minds. It was like they had forgotten what punk was all about. It was so disappointing to see so many people who had lost their punk ways, who had forgotten the rebellious and free spirit of the punk movement.
Let me tell you about Siouxsie Sioux's performance! She was everything a punk icon should be: raw, unapologetic, and powerful. She didn't care about anyone's expectations or opinions, and she definitely didn't care if my mohawk blocked someone's view. Siouxsie Sioux is a trailblazer, a punk queen who challenged the norm and pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable.
My visit to Paradiso was a mixed bag. The performance was amazing, but the crowd was disappointing. It's a shame that so many people had lost their punk ways, but it's a reminder that we should always stay true to ourselves and keep the punk spirit alive. And to those middle-aged punks who complained about my mohawk, you need to take a page out of Siouxsie Sioux's book and embrace the rebellious and free spirit of punk. Otherwise, you're just posers. Stay punk, my friends.
Image by Hester Aalberts