Back on July 21st the Baker team stopped in NYC while on their 2015 Summer Tour (which was weirdly presented by Scion but I won’t get into all of that). After they skated and did a signing at KCDC Skateshop, the team had themselves a nightcap and put on a few shows at the legendary Max Fish.
Coincidentally it was also my 23rd birthday. Of course I wasn’t going to miss this event.
As you get older you lose interest in going to skateboard demos and signings. The demo itself you still want to see, but standing in line with a bunch of teenagers fanning out is something you do not want to be a part of. The older you get the weirder being a skate nerd becomes. Think of it from the pro skateboarder’s perspective. He or she is signing autographs for a bunch of teenagers, who are asking questions like “Can I have you board,” “Reynolds when will you frontside flip El Toro,” “Is it true Dollin was born drunk?”
And then there is you. A grown man standing a whole three feet above everyone else in line. A grown man who pays taxes while everyone else still receives allowances. A grown man who reached puberty while the other teenagers were just entering kindergarten.
But don’t get me wrong, I’d still totally go and get posters and boards signed if my self-esteem wasn’t so low. I blame a girl named Devon at a friends sweet 16 who called me a pussy in front of a crowd of guys after I refused to dance with her because I was scared.
I digress. The line-up at Max Fish was Arctic Jams, Slam Section, and The Goat. All of the bands killed it and I highly suggest going to any of their shows if given the chance. They will not disappoint. Each band had a lot of energy and got the crowds riled up. One of the best things about the night was moshing with some of the pro skaters and ams like Riley Hawk, Andrew Reynolds, Lizard King, and the rest of the Baker crew. It felt surreal.
After the shows ended, I proceeded to bother the pros and ams by taking their photo. Thankfully my childhood idols didn’t crap all over my dreams and were more than willing to oblige me.
It’ll definitely be a night I’ll never forget, even though it was almost a night I completely forgot.
*Photos taken with an Olympus Mju II
