u/-nyctanassa-

(not my photo)

Yesterday, I was wandering around a mall in Lafayette, IN and came across a place called Malibu Jack's. It's an indoor amusement park with some rides, a play place, bowling, arcade games, etc. I had never been to this place, but walking through it made me feel so nostalgic. The carpeting looked like it was ripped straight out of the early '00s. There were some old arcade games and claw games I recognized from similar business when I was a kid. And the smell. Oh my god I don't know how to describe the smell. A mix of pizza and cleaning products and musty carpet and plastic.

It was so strange walking around a place that felt like a liminal space, but was not (yet) abandoned. There was still life in it. I want to go back to when I was a child in places like this, full of life.

Have you been to places that feel like liminal spaces full of life?

Tickets were only $10.
Free bottles of water!
The band started only 15 minutes after stated start time, and the show ended before 10pm.
Not too packed, and the crowd was well-behaved (though maybe too well-behaved).
The music was loud enough to feel loud, but not so loud that it was incomprehensible and painful.
The band alternated between old hits and new songs (some for the crowd and some for the band, as Tyson explained). And they REALLY teased the crowd with a drawn-out intro to "Move Along".
I always appreciate bits and crowd work between songs

My favorite part: There was a 5-year-old child on his dad's shoulders, plugging his ears with his fingers. Someone gave the kid earplugs, and Tyson noticed and pointed it out. A fun moment that united the crowd.

When there's still life in the space

The pop-up All American Rejects show was a perfect little concert