Benefit Show at L’Etage Sunday July 24

Benefit Show at L’Etage
Featuring The Tough Shits and DJ Opal Rock
Sunday July 24th, 2011

Report By: Emily Currier

It’s always sweet when hipsters come out to support one of their own, sweet and usually a lot of fun. On Sunday night at L’Etage, a benefit show was thrown for a Creperie Beaumonde’s (on which L’Etage piggybacks) waitress who was involved in a hit-and-run on her bicycle. For a reasonable $5 donation at the door, guests were given access to a silent auction, a show by The Tough Shits, and DJ Opal playing late into the night. Based on the crowd that came out, hopefully a lot of money was raised to help pay off the waitress’s medical bills.

While the Facebook invite said the event kicked off at 7:30pm, those in the know didn’t meander in until around 9:30pm. For us early birds (suckers), we had plenty of time to peruse the silent auction before The Tough Shit’s set at 10pm. The silent auction, something I haven’t been treated to since elementary school, featured very generous gift certificates and goodies from local businesses including Philly Aids Thrift and the folks behind those cute plant terrariums. For a buck guests could also purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a painting by a local artist.

There were a few stray people in attendance, but in general the attendees were comprised of friends of the waitress and/ or fans of band. The crowd was in uniform by sex: the boys with tattoo sleeves and the girls in summer dresses and chunky heels. The boys were somewhat at odds with the classy, dimly lit décor of L’Etage but they didn’t seem to notice. I’ve had run-ins with this clique at a number of events but still don’t feel accepted into the fold; when my friends abandoned me for a smoke, I sat at the bar nursing my drink and making occasional awkward eye contact with the band members.

The music is worth the awkward wait, though. The Tough Shits always put on a high energy, really fun show. When asked to describe their music, my friend said “fun times Rock n’ Roll,” a completely accurate description. When he didn’t have a guitar in his hand, the lead singer jumped around the stage, kicked up his heels, wandered into the audience, and took swigs of beer. The music was reminiscent of pioneer rock without feeling stale, instead the band members pumped energy into every short, loud song. Their short set ended with the lead singer carrying the lead guitarist into the audience on his shoulders- and he still managed to sing. They’re not called The Tough Shits for nothin’.

Emily Currier