My first detailed memories of the city are from when I tried out for the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament. My father drove me down and we walked around the city all day afterwards. Later that year, my Boy Scout troop went down for a weekend and we all strolled around Times Square at night.

Anyway, I digress.

I had been listening to Underworld at that time for about a year, and a member of the dirtylist for a mere two months, when I learned of their US tour. They only played four dates in North America: Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Their New York show was on the day before Thanksgiving.

I finally found someone to go with (no easy task in my neck of the woods) and we decided to take a bus, since the next day didn't have any classes. Unfortunately, that meant we would be hanging around in Manhattan for four hours until our bus departed from the Port Authority bus terminal. My parents told me I would need to get a hotel room. I looked at the prices of Manhattan hotels and lied to them.

I was to organize the dirtylist meetup before the show. I made a big sign, with black ink on blue posterboard (CVS was out of white!), and I was going to show up an hour beforehand to collect other dirtylisters.

The bus was 45 minutes late. Everyone made fun of me for a while and then we talked about stuff. I saw my first rave flyer.

We went inside and listened to Liquid Todd mix poorly and have equipment problems, then we danced to Carl Cox. Some of us checked our coats. Some of us bought drinks. Some of us met friends. Some of us even hooked up! I brought a big box of glowsticks and handed out them to anyone who wanted them. We watched the techs set up Underworld's somewhat ugly, but very recognizable equipment (to me anyway). Underworld came on stage very late, since their gear had been misplaced (!); the show was nearly cancelled.

Underworld was amazing. I had never seen them live, and they played some brand new material, as they were about to release their newest album Beaucoup Fish.

After the show I bought an overpriced bottle of water from a street vendor, and I followed my friends to the PATH station. Then my friend and I retired to a 24-hour McDonald's until the bus station opened.