While most house shows in Eugene are hosted in outdoor venues, which causes fans and bands to deal with the elements, it doesn’t stop them from still happening. Many fans still prefer these cold outdoor venues despite the challenges that might come with them.
“I’ve played some shows in a basement and the acoustics are awful,” Banyan Manson, a fan and musician, said. “And I’ve played some shows where everyone has to wear earbuds or something like that and cover their ears because it’s so loud and because it ricochets so much.”
For fans like Manson, getting a little muddy and cold in outdoor venues is a better sacrifice than loud and ear-damaging music in indoor venues, which are usually in much smaller confines.
Do bands and the people who run the shows mind this though? With a lot of expensive equipment being at risk of water damage and a possible lack of audience due to the weather, is it even worth them playing during the winter at all?
“We’re flooded with people who want to play here in the winter. It’s sometimes overwhelming,” Jett Hulen, a Monster House tenant, said. “We get messages every day about people wanting to play here and we try to get as many people as we can but we only do shows every so often on Saturdays.”
Current tenants at Monster House have been throwing shows for almost two years. They found the formula to get a crowd going: making a few posts on Instagram, occasionally putting up flyers around campus and promoting it on the band’s social media. The Eugene fan base still wants to enjoy the live music scene despite the cold weather winter term offers.
House shows have been a vital part of the University of Oregon’s nightlife scene these past few years, helping give Eugene artists a platform to play their music for passionate music lovers.
The cold weather might be a deterrent for some, however, because of passionate fans, bands and venues, the environment of shows in the winter doesn’t feel any different than it would in the fall or spring terms.
“I’m just glad to be a part of this community,” Cameron English, another Monster House tenant, said.
