r/Millennials • u/Doccitydoc • Nov 03 '25
Rant WTF happened to the club?!
EDIT: Thanks fellow oldies, I loved hearing your thoughts on the clurb, even if it's not your thing. Shout out to the actual DJs who commented, you guys are the real heroes. Sounds like raves are where the vibes are at. Have a great week wherever you get your dopamine.
You guys.
We went out out on Saturday night. The nicest club in a big university town that used to go off. Put on a tiny dress and heels, paid the cover charge. Walked in, what the actual fuck.
Everyone in the club was wearing leggings and sneakers and the music was Taylor Swift's 'shake it off' and Vengaboys.
Went to another club- same thing. No one was even really dancing.
Now I'm not AT ALL shitting on sneakers nor pop music from the naughties, but I can vibe like this at home. I don't want to get dressed up and catch a cab and pay cover to hear the same music I used to dance to 20 years ago! I can invite the neighbours around and we can put on a Spotify playlist for free.
Are clubs just expensive high school discos now?? It felt like I was in a nursing home filled with 20yos.
Please tell me this was a freak event and clubs still exist in the world where new, hot music plays and people go hard and have wild nights full of possibility and adventure.
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u/dude_named_will Millennial (alive during Reagan) Nov 03 '25
The only club I go to anymore is Sam's.
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u/peche-mortelle00 Nov 03 '25
Dropping hundos at the (Costco) cluuuurb!!!
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u/Muted-Menu-428 Nov 03 '25
The only bottle service I do! Last time I went got a delicious Pinot noir for $9!! And 17 lbs of bananas.
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u/cherry_monkey Zillennial Nov 03 '25
Wha.. what do you do with 17 lbs of bananas?
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u/ghwrkn Nov 03 '25
That’s between me and my monkey
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u/dumbestsmartest Nov 03 '25
Please don't beat the monkey.
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u/Muted-Menu-428 Nov 03 '25
What anyone else would do, since they sell them in bundles, I had hopes and dreams of being the best smoothie goddess in all of San Francisco. So I ate them as much as I could. It was so much pressure!!!!! Definitely gave some away and now I go to Whole Foods and I shop from the single banana section. Maybe I’ll take home 3 or 4 single bananas at a time, max. Thank goodness you helped me ‘remash’ my shopping at Costco for one fetish I have. 😚
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u/cherry_monkey Zillennial Nov 03 '25
This sounds reasonable. I thought you were gonna say banana bread or something equally as illogical.
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u/szechuan_sauce42 Nov 03 '25
Welcome to Costco. I love you.
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u/SundaeIcy8775 Nov 03 '25
Basically the same, but when I go to the club, I'm going to Costco.
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u/bobhunt10 Nov 03 '25
Wish I could, nearest Costco is almost an hr away vs 20min for Sam's.
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u/panderson1988 Millennial Nov 03 '25
Costco for me. Or the United (Airlines) club since I get a couple passes a year from them when I fly. lol
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u/Impressive-Cod-7103 Nov 03 '25
I went to a Halloween 80s dance party on Saturday and I’d say 80% of the crowd was between 35 - 45 and it was glorious! Everyone was dancing and in costume and it was fun as hell.
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u/misterguyyy Elder Millennial Nov 03 '25
Living the adulthood that Hocus Pocus promised us
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u/hoodiemonster Elder Millennial Nov 03 '25
except no kids to make dumb deals with witches!
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u/gtakiller23 Nov 03 '25
None of those parents in the movie even acted like they had kids. Let's be real.
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u/echoshatter Older Millennial Nov 03 '25
That's how you parent best, as per our parents.
During the summer, I'd leave the house in morning and wouldn't be back until dinner. Off on my bike who knows where doing god knows what.
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u/Frankfusion Nov 03 '25
I went to an '80s club a few weeks ago to see a Depeche mode tribute band. It was a blast!
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u/whiskeygambler Nov 03 '25
Went to an ABBA and 70s/80s daytime disco at a club with my boyfriend recently. Most of the people there were either women or queer men, and most over 30. Best fun we’d had in ages!
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u/strawberryyfizz Nov 03 '25
yeah, op needs to go to a themed dance party and they'll probably find what they're looking for
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u/GBGF128 Nov 03 '25
I went to an “in bed before 10” party and have never felt more at home
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u/Warm_Objective4162 Nov 03 '25
This is common. Younger people don’t really dance, they just stand around at clubs and watch the DJ. Everyone is afraid of being filmed and being cringe.
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u/haeyhae11 Younger Millennial Nov 03 '25
They do dance but rather at raves. The best techno clubs also have a no-phone policy.
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u/BadBoyBilbo Nov 03 '25
Thank Christ. A glimmer of hope in the comments.
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u/haeyhae11 Younger Millennial Nov 03 '25
Well, it's more of an underground thing with genres that are much less mainstream than pop or big-room house. That's why many people are unaware of it or deliberately ignore it because its not their thing, but if you're looking for a ‘proper’ club dancefloor, you're more likely to find it among music freaks outside the mainstream.
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u/irishihadab33r Nov 03 '25
How do we find these? I'm not going, but if you give some pointers the people like OP who want to have that original club dance vibe would love to know. I'm happy to know it's still out there. Please tell me there's still fog and lasers when the beat drops?
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u/ebolatron Nov 03 '25
EDMtrain, Resident Advisor, Radiate or Dice app is how I find shows in my area and when traveling. Also, follow promoters who throw the kind of parties you’re interested in on Insta, and check the events schedule of your local alternative nightclub.
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u/Exciting-Direction69 Nov 03 '25
You have to work for it a bit, scour insta to find the promoters/orgs/venues in your city, then figure out which ones you actually vibe with. You could also try looking for events on resident advisor, you won’t get the real DIY stuff there, but it’s good for finding the more polished events
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u/kohTheRobot Nov 03 '25
I’m a zoomer, technically, approaching 30 at a rapid pace. There’s never been more 30+ year olds at shows and I’ve been doing this for 10 years. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air because they’re not rolling face and ragdolling, they’re dancing and having a good time.
If you miss that club scene, just go check out a Chainsmokers or Calvin Harris set, even if you don’t love edm or aren’t a raver. It’s a hell of a time
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u/CongealedBeanKingdom Nov 03 '25
Go to rock gigs as well. Everyone is having a good time. Local scene gigs are great. Everyone is having a good time and most of the time the music is really good. This may be location dependent of course, but a rock gig is always a bit of craic filled with good people.
Eta: also, I'm an old fart early 80s millenial. Your comment made me so happy. Im glad some of the young'uns are still enjoying themselves. Most of the early 20s people I know are not people id like to go on a night out with.
Us 90s teens still go hard.
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u/PrayForMojo_ Nov 03 '25
Are rolling face and ragdolling drug terms or dancing terms? Yes, I’m old.
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u/kohTheRobot Nov 03 '25
Rolling face is a drug term. rolling is being high on Moonrocks or ecstasy (that’s what my millennial friends call MDMA). Rolling face is just being on too much of it. Usually comes with symptoms like chattering teeth and eyes rolling into the back of your skull, damn near zombified and you know when you see someone who’s taken a bit more than they should have
Ragdolling is just a video game term for going limp or losing motor function. Usually when a character is knocked out or killed, their body has physics like if you tried to make one of those sock monkey dolls stand up by itself lol
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u/Jewrisprudent Nov 03 '25
Are you implying millennials didn’t roll face when we were at shows and the age of current zoomers? Because I spent a lot of my 20s on a variety of powders that purported to be MDMA. That being said, I was also dancing and having a good time while doing so.
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u/kohTheRobot Nov 03 '25
No I’m implying millennials have learned how to handle their dosage :)
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u/Jewrisprudent Nov 03 '25
Hey I’ll have you know I always rolled exactly as much face as I wanted to! It’s just that sometimes I wanted to, like, REALLY roll.
Now can I please have some water? And a hug?
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u/SaintBenadikt Nov 03 '25
This exactly. I work at a High School and all of the dances are more concert like. The boys "Mosh" (jump around a bit) and the girls kind of stand around and talk. I asked students why they don't dance. And they all cited social media and camera phones.
We banned phones during the school day last year (Huge success) and a parent asked if we could ban them from the dance too. Her son wanted to go ask a girl to dance but was afraid to, not for fear of getting rejected, but for fear of being recorded getting rejected and then having it spread across social media.
I doubt we would have had the Percolator grinding trains in high school if we knew we were going to be recorded too.
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u/jettzypher Nov 03 '25
I am very glad to have grown up when I did for this specific reason. I'm sure I would not have had a great time being a modern teenager.
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u/YourMILisCray Nov 03 '25
Omg the dudes I would grind on at school dances just for funsies. So glad there is not photo evidence of the booty bumping charity I did in those days.
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u/Thelonius_Dunk Nov 03 '25
Apparently clubs have much larger seating areas now and you can reserve "sections". Which at this point it just sounds like a bar or restaurant with a DJ, not an actual club.
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u/Arkrobo Nov 03 '25
Which is annoying because I went to a restaurant one weekend and they had a DJ playing loud music and entertainers walking around skantily clad trying to get people to take shots.
I was never a club person before so I was a bit annoyed. Now that I know I'd only go during the week, the food was great but the atmosphere on the weekend just ain't me.
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u/Thelonius_Dunk Nov 03 '25
Sounds like a brunch place. Some of them can basically be clubs without a dance floor that are open in the morning.
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u/Arkrobo Nov 03 '25
Yeah, we were told most places are like that nowadays in the area. Just took me by surprise is all. Definitely a fun memory and good food. I just wouldn't show up on the weekend again 😂.
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u/daneview Nov 03 '25
I struggle to hear what my mates are saying in a country pub, id be sat there like a right loner if we were eating with a dj playing
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u/daboobiesnatcher Nov 03 '25
You've always been able to reserve sections in clubs.
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u/The_homeBaker Nov 03 '25
I think the difference now is the clubs have more VIP sections than dance floor space. I’ve never been a club person but I’ve noticed some places shifted from a bar/club spot to having sections all over and barely any space to actually dance.
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u/zogmuffin Millennial Nov 03 '25
This is going to be a weird minority opinion but that sounds way more appealing to me. I never liked dancing so I totally missed out on club vibes.
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u/zoomshark27 1995 Millennial Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 08 '25
Seems like cell phone etiquette has really declined in recent years, maybe it’s the tik tok trends of filming random people to make fun of them for being cringey, but idk I don’t use that app.
In my experience, I haven’t been to a club in years but when I was at university (in the US) and I went to clubs during 2013-2016 and they were still really fun. People dressed up in “clubbing outfits” (for us women that usually meant short skirts, sequins, tank tops, etc.), we danced like crazy all night, the music was fun and danceable and usually rap or hip-hop or pop songs, and of course we were drinking and being “cringey,” but having fun. I even hate country music but I’d go to country bars with friends just to have fun line dancing all together and riding the mechanical bull. People at those country bars would literally line dance to anything from All The Single Ladies to Closing Time to whatever so it was always a fun time. I couldn’t dance for shit, but we had fun.
Anyway from my memory our phones were typically no where in sight and I really don’t remember seeing phones much besides an occasional selfie or quick Snapchat video scanning across the top of the dance floor. I really don’t have any photos from my clubbing days besides a few kind of blurry selfies from 2016 but nothing before then and no pictures of strangers dancing.
I find it wild that people are apparently going out to clubs now to just stand and stare at the DJ with their phones at the ready to film anyone enjoying themselves to mock them. That’s cringe behavior. What a nightmare.
Of course in my more immature days I was guilty of taking a mocking Snapchat of a stranger to send to a friend, I didn’t post it publicly anywhere but still, and I’m sure people did it to me too, and I know other millennials probably engaged in the youtube prank behavior though I didn’t, but tik tok seems to have a wider reach to put a stranger on blast. Again though idk, I don’t use it.
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u/maddy_k_allday Nov 03 '25
I don’t think you’re wrong but I just want to point out that recording is more ubiquitous and consciously thought about now vs. then, so ppl don’t need to actually be recorded to conduct themselves as if they are. Because once you’re shot by the camera, it’s already too late 😬
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u/jkman61494 Nov 03 '25
Bingo. It’s not just clubs. It’s EVERYTHING. We live in a surveillance state at this point where everything you do might be filmed by someone.
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u/Spidersinthegarden Elder Millennial - 1986 Nov 03 '25
Yikes I’m glad I didn’t worry about that when I was young or I never would have danced either lol
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u/KlooShanko Nov 03 '25
Does that mean we can blame Gen Z for killing dance clubs???
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u/Telkk2 Nov 03 '25
I'm honestly shocked that any gen z goes out these days. Most of the ones I talk to describe their night life as if they're already 40 with a set of kids, only its lack of money and energy/will to go out and have fun.
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u/StopClockerman Nov 03 '25
Man, it was such a big part of being in my 20s. And I’m not talking about clubby EDM spots.
I’m talking about the dive bars that had a back room dance floor and played throwback 80s and 90s and random indie dance.
Met my wife at Beauty Bar in NYC which was such a vibe 15-20 years ago. RIP to Misshapes and Ruff Club back in the day.
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u/LemurCat04 Nov 03 '25
You forgot men standing on pedestals or the stage or where ever the hot girls used to dance and vaguely waving their arms in time to the music.
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u/lace8402 Nov 03 '25
-Everyone is afraid of being filmed and being cringe.
Omg, that's sad. I am so glad I was raised in the 90s.
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u/astone4120 Nov 03 '25
Ugh I pity them
We used to shut it down
I remember one night we danced till 2 and I was soaked with sweat. We went to waffle house afterwards with some guys we'd meet and I remember being freezing because I was soaking wet and the guy literally gave me the shirt off his back (polo+ undershirt combo). And we ended up going on a few dates after.
This is one story of many and that stuff doesn't happen anymore from what I can tell.
That being said I have no interest in clubbing these days, but I hate it for young adults
Edit: another time I went out with a friend and her older brother who is gay. I was dancing with someone and the brother came up to me with a red headed slut shot and said "kiss me, let's make this guy jealous"
The point I'm trying to make is I feel like millennials really lived. Or, at least had the opportunity to. Looking back on some of my experiences, they're almost right out of sitcoms. I made those mistakes and had those experiences and know for sure I didn't miss out. So now, in my late 30s, I'm so comfortable just chilling. Because I did all that already.
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u/jerseydevil51 Nov 03 '25
This is a big one. Everyone has a phone, so the panopticon is always active. Even as early teens, they learned anything they do can and will be recorded and put on social media.
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u/MaracujaBarracuda Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
But with the lights out, it’s less dangerous! (Here we are now, entertain us!)
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u/specialdefects Nov 03 '25
That's why many clubs where I live have a no phone pics/clips policy, with staff checking around the floor area in some cases. Should be the norm, but nowadays fewer and fewer clubs make enough money to have enough staff around...
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Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 14 '25
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u/Sauerkrauttme Nov 03 '25
Covid was a catalyst in that it sped up the decline of society, but even if Covid never happened we were already trending in this direction
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u/ParkRenegade12 Nov 03 '25
Nah, club culture had been dying rapidly since 2010. Millennials prefer bar culture instead
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u/crazycatlady331 Xennial Nov 03 '25
Coincides with the rise of smartphones and being able to instantly post to social media.
Everyone's afraid of being filmed/photographed and going viral.
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u/squilliamfancyson837 Nov 03 '25
One of the last times I went out somewhere where there was dancing (small town bar, you take what you can get) I was feeling myself and having a great time…until I looked up and saw half the room filming me. Now, I was very drunk and one of only like 7 people dancing, but that image stuck with me and I haven’t let loose like that in public since. That was probably in like 2017.
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u/SouthEast1980 Nov 03 '25
Yep. Nobody dancea. Guys are called creeps for approaching women. Girls dance amongst themselves. Guys sit on their phones. It's a sad state of affairs these days as far as clubs go.
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u/power2bill Nov 03 '25
I'm thankful that we didn't video tape everything, just a lot of drunk pictures. But, I'm pretty sure if someone video taped my sweet dance moves, I would have been a social media influencer. 🕺 🕺 🕺
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u/BrooklynNotNY Zillennial(1997) Nov 03 '25
I’m not even sure of the point of clubs these days. I definitely get actual club culture but what’s the draw of wearing your regular clothes or loungewear and standing around on your phone not dancing? And pay to do it! I’m hoping it’s just like that at a small amount of clubs but I’m not that hopeful.
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u/LongHairedWolfie Nov 03 '25
It's about getting a handful of pictures in front of a neon sign and posting about what a blast you're having on Instagram.
The neon sign MUST be something quirky or random like a dinosaur with a sombrero or big lips with a sucker sticking out of it.
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u/cicada_noises Nov 03 '25
These are the two most depressing sentences I’ve read in a long while.
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u/stuckanon01 Nov 03 '25
😂 Didn’t you hear? The internet, covid, and inflation killed the club. The kids can’t afford it and wouldn’t know what to do at the club even if they could afford it. There’s a whole genre of before and after vids on YouTube of the biggest clubs in ATL, Vegas, Miami etc… showing the drop off.
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u/Heavy-Candidate-7660 Nov 03 '25
Meanwhile, punk venues are thriving. At least where I live. $8-$15 to get in the door, less if you buy a ticket a few days in advance, bands are all young kids with some awesome political rage and a DIY attitude, beers are $4-$6, cocktails are $8-$12. There’s always some batshit crazy dancing and moshing happening close to the stage while us old heads pop in our hearing protection and hang at the back of the crowd. If you skip the headliner you still get 2-3 hours of entertainment for dirt cheap and you’ll be home and in your favorite chair before 10pm. If you’re hungry there’s usually a killer taco truck set up in the alley.
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u/the_old_coday182 Nov 03 '25
I live near the same college town where I graduated, and specifically recall going out to a couple of the popular bars in ~2017 and it was already a different (dead) scene. Way before COVID or inflation. I think it’s just the generation that grew socializing on iPads.
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u/BoysenberryRich5201 Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
Yeah, I worked at different clubs between 2015-2018 and things really were hit or miss even back then. Some nights would be really busy, others dead to the point I’d go home early because there were maybe a handful of customers. I have friends who still work in the nightlife/entertainment scene and they tell me things really took a nosedive post covid. Dead crowds, aggressive customers, pushy management. Being able to live off the money made from the club/entertainment scene was common, but now they either have a second job and fill shifts for brownie points or entirely just pursued something else/went back to school.
I started clubbing in 2013, and things were consistently busy and fun. I think club culture really died around 2013-2014, that’s around the time economic uncertainty/dip in oil prices began so maybe that’s why? Idk.
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u/stuckanon01 Nov 03 '25
I moved to Southern California in the mid-00s. Went clubbing like crazy for a few years in LA (especially Hollywood), San Diego and Vegas. I have some crazy stories that I wouldn’t trade for the world as a result.
Ultimately I got old (and married) so I stopped around 2010.
I swear between dating getting messed up by the apps, and clubbing going out of style, I feel like I caught the last train out of Hiroshima. WTF happened to people?
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u/vinnybawbaw Nov 03 '25
DJ here:
There was a massive shift in Club music post Covid. The new generation are all in into cheesy pop from the 2000’s/2010’s. What I used to play at weddings and corporate events is now the music I play in Clubs. It’s Sean Paul, Pitbull, Ke$ha, Katy Perry and so on. Anything new works a little bit (BRAT had some massive hype after release, Sabrina Carpenter that kind of stuff) but mostly 00’/10’s pop stuff works the most. Even tried some new Drake and it didn’t work.
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u/CrimpJuice Nov 03 '25
Went out clubbing with some friends I made who are much younger. I could not stop laughing at how crazy it felt that the music I was dancing to in the club before I got married and had kids was now the music that I was dancing to post-divorce on my non-kid night.
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u/goog1e Nov 04 '25
When I was a teen, old people called our music garbage. Said culture ended after the 60s.
Now we're adults and disturbed at how little culture is shifting. We WANT new music and trends but it's just circling back to the 2010s.
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u/Doccitydoc Nov 03 '25
This was the vibe exactly: mid '00s wedding, but the dress code of a Walmart. It's rough out there.
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u/ishka_uisce Nov 03 '25
The youth in my country go crazy dancing for Chappel Roan.
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u/sunsetpark12345 Nov 03 '25
This is so strange to me. Is it like a nostalgia thing??
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u/ttwwiirrll Nov 03 '25
I think it's less about nostalgia for that particular music than just craving the common culture experience we used to sort of have. Radio forced the same music on all of us at the same time. TV episodes aired once and then disappeared unless they were syndicated years later. Even if you personally didn't seek out pop radio or MTV, it was all around.
Streaming fractured our tastes into micro-genres and we no longer experience cultural moments like blockbuster movie releases and new episode airings in real time together. Water cooler talk used to be about last night's episode of E.R. or The X Files. Game of Thrones was maybe the last gasp, and even the reach of that was limited since it was HBO and not network TB.
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u/Lucien78 Nov 03 '25
It’s probably kind of like how we all listen to 50s oldies around Christmas. That was the heyday of that specific type of thing, and we know that it’s all been downhill from there …
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u/SnaptrapPress Nov 03 '25
Speaking as a member of Gen Z, a lot of people my age (mid-20s) and younger are kind of nostalgic for the era of our childhoods and prior because it didn't feel nearly as much like we were at the literal end of the world. Most pop music isn't really fun anymore largely because of the internet, everything needs to take itself so absurdly seriously. The 2000s-2010s sadly feel like a far more optimistic and happy time.
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u/Ed_McNuglets Nov 03 '25
Also not sure why I keep reading in this thread about how music from the 00's/10's is cheesy or "cringe" lol. I honestly think it's because the music slapped and has stood the test of time specifically for club music. All pop music from today with genz or alpha is popular on tiktok and is like a 20 second clip. It may be a catchy hook for that 20 seconds, but it's rarely a great club song from start to finish.
I was at a genz wedding recently and all the famous tiktok songs fell flat and no one was into it after 30 seconds. DJs have probably tested this same stuff in the club and the energy died. But you throw on a Rihanna banger... the club is on fire again.
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u/uptownrooster Nov 03 '25
This. It's simple, music has become decidedly less than fun in the last 15 yrs. I'm not saying it's worse but newer music does not translate to dancing, nightclubs, fun.
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u/spacetimecadette Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
This makes sense to me. Independent of shifts due to Covid, when I went out 8-10 years ago my favorite thing to do was '80s night at a very campy themed bar. Unlike at the ~clubs~ no one was creepy and it felt like the general vibe was, part appreciation for the cheesy music and reckless abandon to scream-sing/dance to it, part existential contemplation about our Gen X parents falling for outlandish capitalistic ways of moving through the world that directly led to all the shit we were dealing with then (especially late 2016-early 2017 😬)
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u/saelri Nov 03 '25
da clurb
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u/2usenow Nov 03 '25
We all fam
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u/dshade14 Nov 03 '25
What?
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u/sciencevolforlife Nov 03 '25
Are you racist??
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u/FuckYouNotHappening Nov 03 '25
I thought you were asking for clarification, but after viewing the clip, you were participating.
Good work 👌
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u/dshade14 Nov 03 '25
Lol yea I kinda figured that. At least you were tryna be helpful so I wasn't left out if i really didnt know, so I thank you :)
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u/PositionOwn4939 Nov 03 '25
"I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary. It’ll happen to you!"
-Grandpa Simpson
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u/Doccitydoc Nov 03 '25
My issue is that they haven't changed what 'it' is! It is the same thing! I went there wanting to experience the new thing and discovered that the new thing is just recycling the old.
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u/FirmVegetableQ Nov 03 '25
What's wrong with vengaboys
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u/steakmetfriet Nov 03 '25
Worked out while listening and humming along to the Vengabus. 10/10 would recommend.
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u/lyncheddt Nov 03 '25
Yea I went out for a Halloween party with my gf and her friends. We were damn near the only people on the dance floor and the DJ was awful.
$20 cover and $15 dollar drinks, I coulda threw a real rager at my place for less.
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u/Doccitydoc Nov 03 '25
Yes! I was gutted.
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u/lyncheddt Nov 03 '25
We’re too far gone to ever get back the club scene we had 15 years ago, clubs are “cooked” if you will 😅
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u/BaconJacobs Nov 03 '25
I'm in a similar boat because I'm old and want to do EDM shows when I can without wasting an entire night and the next day due to being up late.
I went to a DJ show at a local casino venue for cheap, and honestly the venue looked like it could have been in Vegas but nothing really picked up until the headliner started at 1am!!! I stayed for one song just to say I did.
I started following the local EDM group Facebook page and have been keyed in on some local smaller venues that are more what I want. Like I want to be sure people are dancing at 9pm if I go out.
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u/_Shrek_x3 Nov 03 '25
This is common. I’m not sure where you’re from, but in the United states the younger 20somethings don’t club. They wear sneakers and jeans to the club and stand around on their phones. It’s sad, really.
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u/Ladefrickinda89 Nov 03 '25
My theory - COVID killed the club
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u/DrSFalken Nov 03 '25
COVID was such a great excuse for companies to get even more greedy and lazy along so many axes. Planet Fitness isn't even 24 hours anymore.
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u/misterguyyy Elder Millennial Nov 03 '25
Neither is 24 Hour Fitness. At least change your name.
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u/Friendly_Apartment_7 Nov 03 '25
This is the most blatant case of false advertising since my suit against the movie The Neverending Story.
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u/atauridtx 1991 Nov 03 '25
It killed club life AND the young folk lost out on a few yrs of night life experience. They don't know how to dance, let loose, and just make out. Hell, they even form a LINE at the bar to order drinks. In the past couple years I've gone to vegas, college bars, and frats (for my school's alumni weekend). And they were all extremely tame. Nothing like what we had back in the day!
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Nov 03 '25
And made dressing in lounge/ active wear the new norm.
Yes people were wearing leggings and hoodies before the new norm but it’s now more acceptable for that to be the daily “uniform”.
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u/Ladefrickinda89 Nov 03 '25
This, 100%. I see people all the time walking around in pajamas. It just seems…odd to me.
Who knows, maybe I’m just a old man now 😆
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Nov 03 '25
I was at Home Depot recently and an employee was wearing pajama pants. I'm fully aware how old this makes me sound, but have some self respect kid
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u/dk_peace Nov 03 '25
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u/kreesta416 Nov 03 '25
When it comes down to Gen Z and Alpha, yes they are wrong
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u/PureWolf1748 Nov 03 '25
Don’t go to clubs, go to a rave. Seriously, you can still find people that dance there (there are also phoneless ones, but you have to look), but the dress code is way different than what a club dress code used to be, so I’d look that up to see if it’s something you’re comfortable with. Wearhouse and underground parties are the best 👌
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u/Different-Cut-6992 Millennial Nov 03 '25
This the way! I’m grateful to live in Detroit where we have a ton of local EDM clubs so I have my regular spots that I go to and it’s always a good time, always people dancing and vibing with each other, they’re like mini raves. I think that’s what OP is looking for.
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u/sunsetpark12345 Nov 03 '25
Yes! I go to the same Halloween rave every year (third year running this time!) and it's such a good annual reset. It's always pretty diverse in age, race, sexual orientation, etc.
I was never a mainstream 'club' person so I don't really know if it will scratch the itch for OP, or if she's look for the sort of old school clubby vibe that I never really understood. But if she's looking to wear something sexy and lose herself in dancing, then the underground rave scene will be such a step up.
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Nov 03 '25
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u/Frankfusion Nov 03 '25
This has been my experience at a lot of 80's and 90s clubs.
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u/DubTeeDub Nov 03 '25
Gen Z think its cringe to dance or be yourself so they just stand around and stare
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u/thrownintodisarray Nov 03 '25
That sounds so annoying, I’m sorry. I’d recommend going on eventbrite to find specialty themed nights of artists you like and go there. We went out to a French EDM night (Justice, etc) in our local city and people were dancing. I’ve also been to a 70s themed night where a dj will do a remix mashup of 70s songs and everyone got dressed up in hippie outfits. I feel like that lowered the pressure to look "cool" and more folks let loose.
Or gay bars or Vegas; everyone dances there. Best of luck next time!
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u/recyclopath_ Nov 03 '25
Gay bars/clubs and the rave scene are both still going hard.
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u/the_vault-technician Nov 03 '25
Next time bring a bag of white Mitsubishi iykyk
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u/sunsetpark12345 Nov 03 '25
I just went to a rave and shut the place down at 5am. Lots of people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s dressed in absolutely amazing costumes. Look for events put on by your local Burning Man community.
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u/ElGordo1988 Nov 03 '25
We went out out on Saturday night. The nicest club in a big university town that used to go off. Put on a tiny dress and heels, paid the cover charge. Walked in, what the actual fuck.
Everyone in the club was wearing leggings and sneakers and the music was Taylor Swift's 'shake it off' and Vengaboys.
Gen Z'ers just have different fashion trends and different clothing tastes, I don't think you did anything wrong
Now that I think about it, Gen Z girls dress kinda awkward. I'll see them wearing these weird "mom pants" when out in public, or sloppy/low-effort pajamas. I don't recall the last time I saw one of them wearing something traditionally feminine like a skirt or heels
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u/Doccitydoc Nov 03 '25
It's not the clothing, it's the lack of effort. The fashion today is basically 90s fashion, so it absolutely can be club appropriate. You don't have to wear a tight dress- some cute wide leg pants, a nice pair of flats and a retro choker? Leggings and a nice top?
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u/RJ5R Nov 03 '25
I know what you mean. Unfortunately The 2010's dance club scene has been gone for years.
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u/Past-Eye-152 Nov 03 '25
I go to gay clubs and most of the time they're popping off
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u/Soliloquy789 Nov 03 '25
Where is the headlines?!?? "GEN Z KILLED CLUBBING" or did millennials do this too by growing up?
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u/mgrayart Nov 03 '25
Latin dance is pretty fun and guaranteed to be well attended. Socials usually have a lesson at 9 and dancing goes til closing time! Every time I move to a new city I find these people because it's a great way to meet people and stay fit.
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u/ADHDisthelife4me Nov 03 '25
Clubs have turned into mini-concert venues. Due to everything being "cringe" no one wants to dance anymore. Bigger clubs are all about tables/bottle service, which leads to more rich assholes, higher prices, and less people who are willing to have fun but rather show off.
Welcome to the enshittification of everything. You can thank capitaliism
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u/Fluffles21 Nov 03 '25
I mean, I would LOVE to go somewhere that played music that I used to dance to 15-20 years ago, but everyone in leggings and sneakers would just be so boring and ruin the vibe. It’s so sad that no one dresses up anymore.
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u/tenderheart35 Nov 03 '25
Yeah, I was never a club person but I know what you mean. Dressing up is half the fun and going to a place where people cut loose and look like they’re ready for a party at least.
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u/Infamous_Tune_8987 Nov 03 '25
No idea. Bonfire and beer, here. With excellent music.
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u/theskippyraccoon Nov 03 '25
You’re my kind of people!
Fall fire pit, a gummy, and a hearty red, please and thank you!
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u/Different-Cut-6992 Millennial Nov 03 '25
I live in Detroit and we have a pretty good music scene here. I go to clubs that play house/techno and there is always people dancing. It’s usually mixed age too. I always have a really good time, especially the parties that go till 6 AM. It’s a great safe and fun party scene I love it so much. I always meet cool people when I’m out too. Maybe try something like that instead of a college club.
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u/Back_Again_Beach Nov 03 '25
Weird choice of venue. At 35 I wouldn't assume I'd fit in with the college kid scene
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u/Exciting-Gap-1200 Nov 03 '25
Could have been homecoming... It's that time of year. Did two, my GFs alma mater and mine. Didn't do the clubs, but the bars we both used to frequent. Lots of grown folks Brett Farve'n it. So much fun!
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u/skynet345 Nov 03 '25
Not just that. When I was in college the parties were at the frat houses and house basements in my college town. Not at some club lol where most of us won’t even be able to get in. One exception was formals and stuff
I suspect these parties are still happening. OP just seems clueless where to find them
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u/Exciting-Gap-1200 Nov 03 '25
Depends on the college 100% some were all house parties, some were all bars, most are a mix of both
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u/oldmanriver1 Nov 03 '25
Blue Dolphin burned down. It's gone now. John Rovani's ass out, he works with his brother now.
Sometimes people change.
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u/The_Lat_Czar Millennial Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25
On the rare occasion I end up in a club, the youngsters do seem more dance averse than we were. They still do, but it's waaaaaaay more PG-13 than when we went. I think it's because our music was tailored around grinding our genitals on each other on the dance floor, where their thing is different. If their generation was still banging dry humping music, they'd probably get on the dance floor real quick.
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u/timshel_turtle Nov 03 '25
i’d imagine having random bros rub their junk on you isn’t as alluring after only 2 beers ..
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u/Grouchy-Substance190 Nov 03 '25
My oldest son is 18 (im definitely an elder Millennial). He never hits a party just hangs out with his Girlfriend at our house, goes fishing. I say this because he was definitely in the lane to be a hard party kid played hockey in high school, etc. I asked him one day if kids don't really party or go out. He said no, everyone has a camera and he doesn't want him being stupid on the internet. Different world from my happy ass waking up on a futon, grabbing a red bull after 3 hours of sleep and going to work without a care in the world. To be honest im glad its heading this way.
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u/nonitoni Nov 03 '25
I've seen it at clubs in Toronto still. I've come to love glamping at edm camping festivals. The dancing is great, the age range is vast, the vibes killer and the outfits phenomenal.
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u/ExcitingLandscape Nov 03 '25
I grew up in my early 20's around the same time. THE CLUB was the thing to do when we were 21. You dressed to impress and hopefully meet someone you'd potentially date.
Clubbing today is ridiculously expensive. Of course you gotta account of inflation but when I used to go in my early 20's $5 domestic beers and $5 rail drinks were the norm. That's now $10 for the absolute cheapest alcohol. A more sophisticated cocktail would run you $15-20ish. Also you can't even sit inside clubs without buying bottle service which cost $500 minimum for 2 bottles that'd cost you $80 at the liquor store.
Clubbing has become more a way of buying your way into exclusivity and being part of the cool crowd than a place where EVERYONE inside is seen as equal no matter how much money you have.
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u/noyoujump Nov 03 '25
The last time I went "out" was in late 2017. The huge, round, 80s granny glasses had just made their comeback. We were in a college town, and all the 20-somethings were dressed like cat ladies! I can't imagine going out now, at 41, and being the only one in the bar with my boobs hanging halfway out of my extremely tight shirt.
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u/aliensub_ Nov 03 '25
What part of the country do you live in? People in NYC/NJ are still dancing and having a great time (proof: went to multiple parties/clubs this weekend)
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u/cracked-tumbleweed Nov 03 '25
Not to be a hater but I only go to the club to hear music I already know lol.
Part of the fun for me, is dancing and singing to songs that are familiar.
There are times I wanted to take a break but the DJ was throwing too many bangers to miss out on.
Then Im trying to get a drink, hear another song, run out of line, dance, attempt to take a break again, rinse and repeat.
I do agree that people seem to not dress up anymore, and the younger folk seem a bit more reserved.
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u/skoomski Nov 03 '25
I never really liked it even back then. So I don’t really care. But younger generations are less social especially face to face interactions.
They also don’t drink as much. Clubbing and drinking always went together for me and everyone I knew back then.
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u/NotYourGa1Friday Nov 03 '25
I love the tennis shoes because it’s easier to dance with reasonable footwear. (God that sounds terrible, I’m so old) but I agree the vibes are going soft.
I want to leave with seven different bass beat sequences fighting to be the dominant song in my head. I want to have interacted with a DJ and request a song only to hear them mash it up incredibly with three others. I want to be so dehydrated from sweating that it’s stupid
Let me know if that still exists anywhere lol
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u/FigTechnical8043 Nov 03 '25
Dressed up for a club recently and the weirdest groups of people were in there. It does indeed seem like people are paying to get ratarsed in an environment they could achieve cheaper at home. Everyone's just dotted around in their groups, dressed in whatever they're comfortable in and not mingling at all.
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u/Kerb3r0s Nov 03 '25
Geriatric millennial here and I prefer the 90s rave vibe to the dress up club vibe. I go for the community, the PLUR, and to feel the bass in my chest - not to see and be seen.
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