I’ve been trying to formulate my thoughts about the Gauge reunion on 2010.03.06 and it’s maddeningly difficult. You’d think it wouldn’t be such a trial assembling thoughts about a short punk rock show, but there was much more to it than that.
Gauge called it quits on 2004.10.6 at the Mount Prospect, IL Moose Lodge. I had just moved back to Chicago and was saddened when I heard that this was it - the end. The show had this morose finality to it - there wasn’t any joy just sadness.
In the 16 years that transpired between then and now, I still listened to Gauge constantly and I still kept in touch with them whenever I could see them out on the town. Every year, you’d hear a rumor of a reunion but there were never any solid plans and everyone would kind of go back to longing about Gauge. Back in the Fall of 2009, they’d started a Facebook page and in doing so were able to reunite a bunch of the old scene on Facebook and it was to everyone’s surprise and delight that they announced a reunion show in March 2010.
When we got to the Bottom Lounge, it was just like old times. I immediately lost L., Tommy and Bjurk. So I wandered around and ran into Bob Nanna, Eric Hay, Todd Bell, and Sean O’Brien - this is quite fitting as I used to go to shows by myself in high school and always panicked that I wouldn’t know anyone, but invariably would run into a bunch of people.
I got to catch up with Ryan Rapsys - he’s living in New York now and is in the band Amazing Baby. I got to talk about the 2010 White Sox with Kevin Frank and ask him how his band Haymarket Riot is doing. I got to ask Gub about the whole process of getting this pulled together.
This time the show wasn’t about the end, even though it’s likely Gauge will never play again. It was about closing out Gauge on their terms. There was a happiness about it. I said to Gub after the show, “In 1994, I was angry and pissed. I wore a frown on my face the whole set, so I couldn’t enjoy any piece of it. Tonight, I was all smiles and hung on every note you guys played. It was great.”
It was great, even if I still can’t verbally explain it.