How to have a totally punk rock night at the world-famous Milestone Club

This Tuckaseegee Road landmark has been open since 1969. It’s hosted the likes of Nirvana, Against Me!, Black Flag, and tons of the other bands that made you wear black eyeliner in high school.

Getting away from the pretense of your yuppie life and reconnecting to your ripped denim roots by catching a show at the Milestone is a perfect way to spend a Friday night in Charlotte.

Here’s the best way to do it.

Embrace the occasion.

The Milestone sits in what can politely be called the least gentrified neighborhood in Charlotte. Last weekend, Stray Cat Sideshow opened the night with glasswalking and a guy hammering a nail into his own head then having the nail shocked with a taser.

That all means this is not a small plates, craft cocktail type of evening.

Dress down, be cool, and embrace the grit.

Bring cash.

The Milestone is a cash-only club, so leave your capitalist Visa in your wallet. They won’t take it at the door or the bar.

Plus, the bands who work the show will probably be selling CDs and t-shirts at the end. There’s nothing more punk than supporting local music.

Drink cheap beer.

The most refreshing part of the Milestone was not having to pay $14 for a drink. Even with two people, I was able to keep the bar tab under $20 for the night without feeling like I was missing out on anything.

Cheap beer and liquor combined with quick cash transactions make The Milestone one of the most pain-free bars in the city.

Talk to the band.

What makes punk communities so cool is access. Everyone’s invited and everyone is buds. You don’t have to stand in an hour-long meet-and-greet line to talk to these bands. Buy them a beer, hit the backyard, and ask them about lyrics, their history, and music.

I talked to Communal Sex Dice for half an hour and learned tons of cool stuff:

#1 Lead singer Spencer and I have the same four favorite bands: Weezer, Neutral Milk Hotel, Radiohead, and Say Anything.

#2 Snug Harbor, Skylark Social Club, and the Milestone are basically all that’s left of punk clubs in Charlotte.

#3 Bassist Kate wants us normies to please come to the Milestone. She says you shouldn’t feel like an outsider because the Milestone needs outsiders just like you in order to survive.

Punk’s not dead, Charlotte. Hit up The Milestone this weekend and relive your teenage dirtbag years.