i will admit that, having never been to toronto, i am not aware of where the house parties and small shows are happening.

that said, i think i did a fairly detailed survey of the medium sized venues in the city, and i'm left to conclude that it's not just that detroit is getting skipped - the music scene right now seems to be legitimately boring across the spectrum.

i did the math for you; it may actually be cheaper for me to spend 8 hours busing back and forth from toronto than it is to amuse myself overnight in detroit, while i wait for the shuttle bus to start running. but, it seems unreasonable to go to toronto to check something out on a whim, which i was doing frequently in detroit up until last spring. that said, i'm aware that i'm a little out of the loop and need to take some chances. so, i may end up psyching myself up to get to toronto to see some things.

well, the only thing i've got penciled in is the la dispute. i'm surely going to want to get out of the house more frequently than that.

speaking of which, i need to get a prepaid mastercard in order for this plan to be feasible. i both have to buy tickets at least a week in advance to keep the cost down, and need to make sure i can actually get into the show before i buy tickets. so, that's my task this morning.

let's compare the costs for these shows directly. as they are also playing pontiac, which is a good ways north of detroit. what are the costs of seeing them in pontiac?

1) i have to take the shuttle bus back and forth over the border. that's $10. cdn.
2) i'll need to take the city bus there and back, which is going to be about $6. usd. and, it's a good ways out, that's not expensive.
3) let's assume that the cost of the show is equivalent and i spend the same amount on beer at the show.
4 ) i will not be getting back from pontiac at that time of night, so i will need to hang out in the dance club next door, or the gay bar down the street. that's an extra $10 minimum. usd.
5) i will buy a few drinks after the show. let's say $10, minimum. usd.
6) i will then need to buy something to eat in order to sit in an open restaurant. $10, minimum. usd.
7) as i'm going to be spending hours drinking with strangers, i'm going to need to buy a pack of cigrattes, or otherwise throw bills at people to bum them. $7.00. usd.

$10 + (6 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 7)*4/3 = $67.33

the cost of the bus tickets is $61, and while i may buy a pre-roll before the show, i won't be drinking on the bus. rather, i'll be typing up the review on the way home.

$61 + $10 = $71.

i suppose i could sit by myself in pontiac until the morning without buying anything, drinking or smoking, but that would be pretty boring.

the pontiac trip is probably a better story, in the long run. but, my hands are tied for a few months, and the same thing is going to be true of any other show that comes up.

so, if i were to go to see some obscure math band on a whim in hamtramck in mid-may, it would end up costing me $100, anyways. why not go to toronto, then?

as an aside, i believe it's going to be until the middle of the year before i can legally buy pre-rolls in detroit, and it could be years before i can buy anything in windsor.