Let me make one thing clear: I have never waited in line for some sneakers, EVER. And I didn’t do it this past Thursday, either. I did, however, wait in line outside of an Adidas Store on Melrose Avenue. So how (and why) did I end up in a line outside of a sneaker store if I wasn’t getting sneakers?
Because Dom K is a pimp, you don’t even need the blimp. He’s also one of my favorite rappers, and can nobody do it like he can. Regardless, he had an Instagram post the morning of advertising this event he was doing with Adidas, namely at the Melrose Avenue store. Oh, what luck, I can go see Dom Kennedy, I thought to myself. The event was listed for 6:30-9, so I thought that with a proper work day, I can still go and catch him. Any other person would’ve probably thought the wiser, however.
The event is supposed to start at 6:30. I get there at 6:45, and the line is building up. Here is how the next few hours pan out.
6:45 PM
The line is curving around the block and almost into the neighborhood nearby. I ask a few people at the end of it if they are here for Dom Kennedy (just for confirmation), and take my place. The two people next to me say they have been here for about an hour already. We just start talking about Dom Kennedy and some of our favorite tracks in the meantime.
7 PM
We inch along, slowly but surely. I’m still talking to the group of people next to me in line, which continues to build up as time progresses. At one point, an Asian lady comes by and asks us if this is the line for the Adidas store. She didn’t look like she listened to a lick of Dom Kennedy, and was very puzzled when we told her that this was an event for him. I told her that if she was just trying to shop, she’d have a better chance at the Santa Monica location, but I don’t think she paid attention to that bit. She left right after.
This line is still building up, very slowly it moves forward. There is hope yet. People thinking it’s a good idea to come late pull up and see just what they are in for. People look at the line and the store front and then decide to leave. The Fallacy of Sunken Costs tells me to just stay in line, I’ve already invested so much in getting here and being here. We all start talking to each other and getting to know each other at this point.
8 PM
Two Adidas reps come out and hand us some Adidas postcards that offer us 20% off our next visit to Adidas, in case we don’t get in. At this point, I’m at the curb of the block, the store isn’t that far away. I think we’ll get in.
Also, around this time, we are hearing reports that the event is actually waiting on some equipment and things needed. I am perplexed because I hear the DJ in the store playing some music and scratching. Some thought that Dom Kennedy just wasn’t there, but we were assured that he was waiting upstairs, just hanging out in the meantime. Now, for those that don’t know, depending on who you ask, Dom Kennedy is always late. So it only stood to reason that people thought he wasn’t there yet.
Around the end of the hour, a lady from a pizza food truck starts to come out and hand slices of pizza to folks. She gets to us, but only had one slice of mushroom pizza left. She said she was going to come back, but she never did. I was so hungry after that. I never forgave her for that.
9 PM
I am mere feet away from the door. I can’t see him, but I can hear him. I can hear people talking, and some of his songs playing. People start leaving the line to get a glimpse of him outside the store, but it’s to no avail for many. The store is small, has decorations and props and pillars everywhere, and it is packed full of a lot of people. They weren’t going to see him. Keep in mind, it is also at this point, the event is supposed to be over, but they decided to put it on for a little longer.
I’m still outside, still hungry, and people start making their way outside the store. So now we should be getting in, right? Wrong. People are continuously pouring out, but they aren’t letting anyone in. By the time I get to the door, we can hear someone inside saying that everyone has to make their way out of the store. I look in and see that a group of people are going out the back way. They look to distinct and fresh to be fans, so I know that Dom’s group of folks.
It is apparent that we aren’t getting in, and to add insult to injury, the people at the front of the door then close them at 9:30. They really let us stand in line for hours knowing we probably weren’t getting in. The f*ckery.
He had a meet and greet this past Saturday at the New Era store at the Staples Center from 6-7 PM. No, I was not going. Not after Thursday. I refuse to wait in line for sneakers, as there has yet to be a sneaker to compel me to do that, and I hardly wait in line for other events as it is, but this was just yet another example and reason why I avoid lines.
This was for a rapper at an Adidas store. Imagine if it was for an actual sneaker. The unmitigated gall.
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