Angsty About Angst: A Short-Lived Night

Angst is a fitting name for an event that was highly regulated by obviously apprehensive hosts.   

Personally, I have never been to a party where I had to wait outside due to a capacity quota, one that was enforced down to the exact maximum set by Safety and Security. Kudos to the Arts Annex “bouncers” for not letting my group of five in when only four openings were available.   

However, I can tell you not everyone was as patient as we were. Expectations are set high when the party is so exclusive that people leave before even making it to the door. Whether or not Saturday night’s soirée lived up to the hype is highly subjective.  

I do have to give credit where it’s due – the Annex stayed true to its “goth” theme, and people came dressed for the occasion. It seemed that everywhere I turned, I was surrounded by people with dark lipstick, excessive amounts of eyeliner, dark crop tops, and hefty black-buckle belts. Mohawks, even, were visible in the crowd. However, the question remains of who brought energy to the night – those who showed up or those who put it on?  

From my perspective, it was 50/50; the music was cool and grungy, and the main party room was set well with dark red LED lights and packed with happily dancing people, but otherwise, I would argue that the environment was typical of any SLU party. Most people seemed to think the night would be wild, and that energy was mainly brought in from the outside by partygoers as opposed to the setting itself.  

Rumors echoing around pre-game parties about how Angst was so rowdy two years ago that the Arts Annex floor caved in set the bar for Saturday high – but this year? It’s possible that the most memorable part of the night was when the lights flickered on, the music stopped dead, and everyone was pushed out into the 10-degree cold by angry-looking Safety and Security officials – and in the eleven o’clock hour, no less.  

Next year, it might behoove the Annex to plan for a larger number of Emos and work something out with Safety and Security in advance if they hadn’t already.   

It’s possible that those who put on the party are also the ones who called it off. Of course, this is all talk and no proof, but what I heard is that things went south when someone set off the fire alarm while smoking. Except, I was there, sober, and heard nothing.  

What seems more likely is hearsay circulating that people were caught sneaking in through the back door, and the Annex couldn’t figure out a way to shut the party down without putting the blame on them. It seems we may never definitely know the truth, but we can certainly apply some common sense and make some strong inferences. And, well, I’ll just leave it at that.