Concert Review: House Of Vans Says Goodbye FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For 17 years, House of Vans was in the BK, and provided some of the best, free events in the borough. That skate park became a warehoused heart for kids to hang out, be young, and not feel like they owed any explanation or dime to be relaxed in themselves. Seeing the youth ride, laugh, and observe the art that HOV would put in music and visual installations was heartwarming because, in this world, quality is often sold but rarely given. House of Vans gave it, and Interpol was their last offering.
Maybe, it was the sentimentality? Maybe, it was because despite going a million times before, I found out that they gave a away free t-shirts and tote bags the whole time? Here I was glorifying them for giving free water bottles, and they could have clothed me as well as hydrated me. Yet, this last, little surprise put the nail in my sad coffin. We need more House of Vans in this world, and I hope that the brand continues such events in some capacity within Brooklyn. It was a space where cultures collided because we had the access to observe each other in light.
Sometimes, we ask how to bring diversity, and it is really simple; it starts with an invitation. House of Vans invited everyone, and their Interpol show was an example of that. I truly believe that, though Interpol is a famous, accomplished group, a lot of people came to say goodby HOV. Whether they loved Interpol’s capacity to play like slick spies on a mission for sound or appreciated that, at least, 8 times a summer there was a place for free Goose Island, the ambiance was packed with persons that knew they could never replicate that ambiance. Where else can you say you sat on a ramp with a bunch of friends eating tacos and watching moving picture splash across giant walls? Where else can you say that under streamed lights, you drank free seltzer water and contemplated life choices while A Tribe Called Quest played one of their last shows ever? That is what HOV gave us, and Interpol was a fine send-off for a space that was truly diverse and fun.
As people danced, drank, and were merry, Interpol gave a setlist that was raucous, and summoned HOV’s rebellious spirit. The VANS brand banks on the most well-known outcast or rather the coolest “uncool” kid. It drives on people’s ideas that they do not fit in; only to push them in creating a space they do. Interpol’s music promotes the same, and, like HOV, it is irreplaceable and indescribable in the innocent wildness it releases. At HOV, no harm was ever done as human beings from all walks of life/ New York united to see what new music they would like, along with new people. C’est La Vie, House of Vans! Thanks for giving good memories to people who needed to feel better for a night!
