Kate Puhala

"This is eerily nostalgic of things I do not want to remember," Ellie Maybe says in her black and gray duct-tape gown while waiting in line for the bathroom at Logan Square Auditorium. "At least this time my date hasn't shown up an hour late and vomited on me."

She is likely reminiscing about high-school prom--awkward dancing, cheesy decorations and annoying Top 40 hits. But only two of these factors describe the WLUW Indie Rock Prom she's currently attending: the "I-have-no-shame-on-the-dance-floor" hipsters who, with flailing arms and Chuck Taylors scuffing up the floor, are out in droves. Knotty crepe paper and a less-than-impressive balloon drop transform the concert hall into a crappy high-school gymnasium. But the music--live performances by the National Trust, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and the Life During Wartime DJs--put most proms' wedding-grade DJs to shame.

"It's the prom everyone wishes they had," says co-planner Mica Alaniz.

This may be the case if you wished for a Polaroid photo booth at the dance. And it would probably have been cool to enter a dollar raffle to win tickets to the upcoming Pitchfork and Intonation festivals. But allowing the underclassmen to show up on your big night is a debatable issue.

"Indie kids look young--he's probably 23," says Leanne Raney to her friends as she points to a trio of teens. "But no, they're 15 years old. It's not right for them to have a pre-prom," she jokes. "But they might get kissed for the first time."

"I want to give a CD to the youngest kid at the prom," says Scotland Yard Gospel Choir's lead singer Elia on stage, remarking on the high number of pre-collegiate prom-goers in attendance. "It was way past their bedtime," Elia laughs after the show. "But it's great that they were here. I wish there were more all-ages shows in this city."

The only kitsch missing at the WLUW Indie Rock Prom is announcing a prom king and queen. Fortunately, some attendees had no problem giving themselves the title.

"It was either fixed or a sympathy vote," says M. J. Voss about his authentic Prom King 1997 sash gracefully slung across his shoulder. "I'm very proud I still have it."

But Dan Morgridge, wearing a plastic crown jeweled with multi-colored rhinestones, dismisses the spectacle all together.

"Being prom king isn't about what you wear," he says. "It's about what's in your heart."

(2006-05-16)

Also by Kate Puhala

Mothers Who Rock
Two small children fancifully run into the Beat Kitchen--an odd occurrence on any other day given that it's a bar--but not on Cinco de Mama, an evening of moms performing with their rock bands
(2006-05-09)

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