No Air Guitar Allowed transcends boundaries. Steve Weinberger, who had a little help from his friends, wrote a book about concert fouls centered more around the arena/theater than the club/bar (though there were some specific holdovers). However, the hilarious-yet-honest stereotypes hold true no matter what the venue is. I like to think my peers and I are above these antics. I mean, folks seeing The Whigs at The Dame would be much more refined than those seeing John Mayer at Rupp Arena, right? No sirree.

My initial delusions of grandeur were shattered once I started reading. All of the doofs in this book were doofs I had conveniently shut out of my mind in order to retain an uppity sense of indie-rock concertgoing. Then, one by one, instances of each concert offender crept back into my mind. Whether it was the Whoo Crew, Rastafarian Man or Divorced Guy (among many others), Weinberger and his posse reminded me that no demographic is above these antics.

Another good thing about No Air Guitar Allowed is that the author — unlike myself, as I’d previously mentioned — doesn’t elevate himself above these caricatures. He doesn’t get preachy or self-righteous when talking about Supportive Girlfriend or Indie Guru. Weinberger is simply making observations. Hysterical observations, at that.

Buy No Air Guitar Allowed.

2 Responses to “No Air Guitar Allowed”

1. On 07/9/08 7:39 PM, steve weinberger said:

   

   Thanks so much. Love the review. I definitely think you got the vibe of the book and the readers will as well. I have made every concert foul in this book and still struggle to not follow my own advice!

2. On 11/16/08 8:44 PM, Jason from Georgia said:

   

   Hilarious read from start to finish. Provides a nostalgic look at the various stereotypical concert goers that everyone who has been to a concert has encountered, and possibly been themselves at one time or another.

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