This Ancient City

It is generally accepted that a Millennial is someone who came of age in the 2000’s. Plenty of us remember anticipating Y2K with varying levels of anxiety. This phenomenon gave the 90s a certain distinctive punch. The idyllic decade caught me between the ages of three and thirteen. VHS tapes and cassettes gave way to DVDs and CDs. Asking friends for their screen names was a part of daily lingo. When I’d play with my friends, we’d often compromise and agree that we could all be the Red Ranger…more on this in a few. Life felt simpler then. Nostalgia helps us minimize the bad and augment the good. Naturally, opportunities to step back into that time through music (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill) and Nickelodeon reruns (All That) are welcome.

Francis Field was home to an all-things-90s festival called “As If” on Saturday. The phrase was coined by the mid 90s flick, Clueless. I was in fifth grade when it came out…and wanted to marry Alicia Silverstone. In terms of festival attire, I had in mind a denim jacket I used to wear in ‘02 with shorts and a blue Guess shirt tied around my waist. I couldn’t find my jacket, so I opted instead for a blue tie dye shirt; and threw on some hiking boots. Basically what Cher Horowitz’s step brother Josh AKA Paul Rudd was known to wear.

As I trekked about 3/4 of a mile from my car to the field, a stiff southerly breeze carried a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover in my direction. I was feeling amped on this sun drenched afternoon that felt more like late October than mid May. Stepping onto the field immediately transported me to my childhood. The saturation of 90s paraphernalia and pop culture references just sent me…slime tanks, a bouncy house with a water slide attached, bubble machines, big hair, mood rings…etc.

Before long, I caught sight of Lynne Funcheon, who I interviewed for a writing assignment some years ago. We happened to be matching - both sporting rad hues of blue. We were attached at the hip from then on. She and her friends mothered me and treated me to some Ancient City Amber Orange Ale. When Chillula took the stage, we hugged the front row and swayed to Blackstreet. Had it not been for all our smartphones, the scene could have easily passed for an actual 90s era event.

I mentioned Power Rangers earlier…

Directly behind us were two couples from Melbourne who skillfully dressed as in-cognito Power Rangers. They thoughtfully accented greens, yellows, pinks and blues under denim and accessories to represent their super identities. We became fast friends in the name of warding off intergalactic villains.

I’d say I got everything out of the festival I was looking for. In the weeks leading up to it, their marketing campaign very much lured me into a promised respite from what has been a taxing 2021 news cycle. I headed home before dark to be on hand for a monthly Zoom guys night. My newfound friends and I talked about life and girl dilemmas mostly, til 2am/1 central. So the 90s vibes carried on.