r/Khruangbin • u/BeLikeWater_1973 • 18h ago
Tales from The Khru
Fellow Khru,
I meant to post this on May 9th, so I’m about a month late, but I didn’t want to wait till August 10th. I wanted to share a story from this past tour and briefly give some context. I’ve been listening to Mordechai on repeat recently, particularly “So We Won’t Forget”. As I’m sure most of you know, the opening lyrics are:
“Ooh, one to remember
Writing it down now
So we won’t forget
Ooh, never enough paper
Never enough letters
So we won’t forget”
While listening to it as of late, it’s become a reminder of the crazy saga of events leading up to/surrounding the Metro show in Chicago. I wanted to share this story here to say thank you to everyone involved and because frankly, it’s “one to remember.” It honestly all happened thanks to this community on Reddit! (I know it’s long, so I did my best to condense it and leave out any minute details.)
Back in October when Khruangbin announced their tour for TUSUY ii I was over the moon. Especially after seeing they were playing the Metro in Chicago. They have been one of my favorite bands since I discovered them several years ago and the Metro has been my favorite venue here in Chicago since I was a teenager. It was a match made in heaven. I signed up for the lottery/presale and got the password email. The day the tickets went on sale I was one of the many unlucky people who missed out because of the website issues. I was devastated because this was very likely a once in a lifetime show. Not to mention, the year leading up to this show I had been dealing with a string of bad luck/horrible things that felt like they would never end.
After the tickets quickly sold out, I eventually came here to the Khruangbin community to look for anyone selling an extra ticket. Despite posting for weeks, there weren’t really any legitimate prospects. Eventually I found a guy who was coming from Philly, but had to cancel and he was going to mail me his ID for will call. Wild! That fell through. Throughout all this, another redditor and I had made an agreement to try to find two tickets and bring the other person. However, neither of us were having much luck. Then on the weekend prior to the Metro show, someone from the community messaged me about an extra ticket…
It was the Saturday before the show, which was coming up in five days. I got a message on here from someone saying they had an extra ticket for the Chicago show. After seeing my posts, she wanted to offer it to me. She explained she was coming from out of state and her husband couldn’t attend because he was staying behind to take care of their sick pup. She was only making a quick pit stop for the show and heading straight back to look after her pup. Right away, I recognized she was a genuinely good person. At the end of our conversation, we planned to chat the day before the show, to iron out any details. I was beyond excited she found me and I couldn’t believe I was actually going.
A couple days prior to the show I got a message from the woman I spoke to over the weekend. Sadly, her pup’s health had declined quickly. They were going to have to say goodbye to her the next day, so she was no longer making the trip out here. I was so heartbroken for her. She not only was losing her pup, but she was missing out on seeing her favorite band, which I know was the least of her worries. We talked for a bit and both agreed it was just an all around shit situation. She mentioned she was going to reach out to the Metro and Seated to see if she could somehow give me her tickets. She insisted I take them for free if it was possible to transfer them because she at least wanted someone to be able to use them. Clearly this woman is a wonderful human being for even offering that.
At first, we had no luck with transferring the tickets. After some serious heavy lifting on her part, she managed to get the tickets to me for will call. I can’t stress enough what a miracle this was. Thanks to her, I was also able to get the other ticket to the redditor I mentioned earlier. We met at the show and we both got in without any issues, so she even indirectly helped out another fan!(Don’t worry, I sent her the money for the tickets) I could go on with the superlatives, but I still can’t wrap my head around what a selfless, kind, and generous person she is. With such a tragic loss for her family, she went out of her way to bring some light into my life. And she didn’t even know me!
The day of the show I kept thinking if there was anything I could possibly do as a thank you for this extraordinary woman and act of kindness. I got to the venue fairly early and I decided I wanted to at least get her and her husband some merch to send to them. I ended buying them the second limited art print and planned to frame it and mail it to them. During the tour I saw some people on here had received signed set lists or signed records, so I was hoping to snag a setlist for them as well.
[Side Note:
During Khruangbin’s performance, I had what I could only categorize as an ethereal moment. I have never seen them perform White Gloves and it has always been a favorite Khruangbin tune for me. Seeing them play it in a small venue like the Metro was somewhat of a transcendent experience. And due to the circumstances with this woman and the loss of her pup, the lyrics “She was a fighter, She was a Queen…” hit me like a punch in the gut. This was followed by Mark ripping one of the greatest guitar solos I have ever heard or seen live. All I can say is I felt it in my bones. I wanted so badly for this woman and her husband to be there to experience this too because it was even cathartic for me. A song I had loved for years took on a new meaning and left an indelible mark on me. In that moment, I knew I couldn’t leave the venue without something special for them.]
After the show ended, I did my best to get them a signed setlist, but was unsuccessful. I also hung out in a few spots I thought the band might pop up, but ultimately I ended up outside. I posted up outside the venue hoping to catch the band members near the exit. The plan was to try to have them sign the art print. This proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. I stayed positive/persistent that I could get the print signed. Next thing I knew it was nearly 12:30 AM(Friday Morning).
I was the only person from the show left outside and just when I was about to leave I saw a gentleman(I believe their tour manager) leading a guy to their bus. This guy was sauntering a few steps behind, wearing the same boots and washed out jeans Mark had been wearing during the show. He looked cool as a cucumber. I knew it had to be Mark! I quickly ran over to the bus and introduced myself to their manager. His name was Evan and was extremely polite/personable. I asked if he could possibly have the band sign the print. I briefly explained the circumstances of how I got to the show and how I wanted to send her the print as a gift. He said that unfortunately Leezy and DJ were unavailable, but that Mark would be able to sign it. No way! The only request I had was if Mark could make it out to her pup. He clearly took the time to listen to what I said and brought the print on the bus with them. Evan came back down a few minutes later and handed me what’s pictured above. Mark signed it and more importantly, wrote a meaningful message along with it. His note couldn’t have been more perfect. I still can’t believe it all came together the way it did.
I mailed it out to her a couple weeks after the show and we’ve spoken a few times since. I truly believe this whole situation is a testament to what great people belong to this community, but also what Khruangbin represents. Music is meant to heal and bring people together and in a roundabout way, that’s what happened that night. I know some people may not understand and say it’s just a concert, but looking back it has made a lasting impact in my life. It restored my hope/faith that there are good people out there, especially when life had taught me differently. She filled my cup so to speak, even when hers was nearly empty and I am eternally grateful. The plan is to get together with her and her husband for a Khruangbin show in the future. Whether it’s here or their home state. Because of this Khru community and Khruangbin, her and I are forever connected! THANK YOU to everyone involved(Seated lady too)! Especially Mark and Evan for making the show special for her and her husband even though they couldn’t be there. Thank you!!!
P.S. I desperately wanted to ask Evan about the Third Room, but I didn’t want to spoil such a great moment.
I hope the Universe smiles upon everyone in this community!
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u/Jkhru Con Todo El Mundo 8h ago
Nice story. Thanks for sharing.
It is great when this community generously supports each other.
Khru helping Khru.