Janetpalooza

Janet Lundy in Richmond, Virginia decided to attend 31 musical performances in 31 days and document what she experienced. She called it Janetpalooza...



Why did you decide to do this project? The project really started as an accident.  I work with local community radio station WRIR, and there happened to be a lot of really good bands playing in town during their fund drive.  So I decided to use that fund-drive week to see as many performances as I could.  After seeing 8 shows in 8 days, and after realizing that, coincidentally, I had started this on March 1st, my husband said that I should try to see 31 shows in 31 days - one for every day of the month.  I laughed at the idea at first, but then after seeing a few more shows over the next few days, another friend pointed out that I was already almost halfway there.  So what else could I do but try to complete the challenge?




How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? This project has really forced me to move outside of my comfort zone.  I tend to have a bit of social anxiety, so I've been working really hard to not just keep to myself when I go out.  I've had conversations with people I hadn't met before.  I've formed stronger friendships with people I previously didn't know that well.  I've danced in public.  And I even hugged a total stranger who kept watch over my phone when I accidentally left it on a table at a club.

I've listened to music I probably wouldn't have listened to before.  Learned about bands I wouldn't have heard otherwise.  Renewed my love of genres I thought I had outgrown.  Learned that shows rarely start on time around here.  Saw that some of the best bands can be some of the most overlooked.  And stayed up way too late for too many days in a row!

I also learned that if I ever decide to do something like this again, I need to PLAN better.  Laundry, showers, and hot meals are nice things to have and can easily get shoved aside when you're trying to cram a few more hours worth of stuff into an already busy day.




Read about all of Janet's musical experiences HERE.

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