The questions of life: Are we alone in the universe? Is there an afterlife? Which Beatles song resurfaced on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a Chicago-based movie? This was one of the many questions on the minds of those hosting the music trivia event: Jonah and Sean, referred to at the event only by first names to further their all-knowing and mastermind-like approach to the event. Now, this wasn’t just any music trivia event, this was the first-ever Music Trivia event at Evanston’s renowned concert venue, Space, which happened this past Saturday, the 12th. The inaugural event was welcomed with open arms by a nearly-packed auditorium space full of eager trivia-goers, ready for a chance to flex their musical knowledge.
Now, this seems like an important moment to clear something up: these were not your typical BuzzFeed music trivia quiz questions. This 2-hour-long event featured a variety of questions like, “What was the original language of the world’s oldest music composition?” (Greek); “Who recorded a live music album in a now-closed Chicago club named after a slightly flattened pitch?” (The Blue Note); “Which jazz saxophonist once said ‘if you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn?’” (Charlie Parker).
While some of the questions were intimidating, the event was far from it. Jonah and Sean approached the event with a sense of humor that comforted and encouraged and presented each question enthusiastically. The atmosphere was brilliant, with folk and soft rock music accompanying the many questions of the night.
Throughout the event, crowd members offered an occasional, “I know it!” and, more often, “I have no idea what they’re talking about.” The crowd, spanning in age from 15-65, was more than down to play. They roared in excitement for every win and dropped their heads in disappointment for every loss (any excuse to mock the crowd, our hosts certainly took). Everyone was buzzing and enthusiastic about each question sent their way. That’s not to say they weren’t competitive, however. Each team got its own table and would whisper away for each question, making sure a rival team didn’t catch their answer.
Even the playlist was one big, long trivia question. Every song they played fit a theme, which Jonah and Sean asked for at the end of each half. Halves consisted of five rounds, with four questions in each. For you math-minded folks, that’s a whopping 40 questions over the course of two hours. Themes for the playlist of each half could be numbers, for example “7 Nation Army,” “Edge of Seventeen,” “29,” and “#41.” This kind of immersion made sure that there was no dull moment.
Half of the music trivia hosting team (and ETHS alum), Jonah Furman, spoke to the timeless nature of live-music events saying, “When I grew up in Evanston to be like an old timer…there wasn’t really music venues” that “if you were into music and you were in high school there wasn’t a ton of stuff to do.” He also spoke to the importance of live music events in your hometown, “I was an antisocial teenager, one of the only things that I really enjoyed doing was live music…there’s really nothing like it.” Also saying that, “If we had Space when we were teenagers it would be amazing.”
If you haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Space before, now’s your chance. With the promise of more music trivia nights like this, on top of the dozens of live concerts they offer every month, Space has so much to offer. Space has truly revived the live-music market, with Jonah declaring, “There’s now a music scene in Evanston.”
Oh and for the record, the Beatles song that resurfaced on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Twist and Shout” featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Could you have gotten that?
