A surprise Lightning Bolt show was announced this weekend much to my excitement, as I've never had the chance to see the noise duo before. But the internet was as excited as I was, and soon people realized that the Neutral Lounge at Augusta and College, with a mere 200 capacity, might not fit everyone who would want to go.

This is a stress that Toronto music lovers are familiar with. Unlike other cities, in Toronto the larger population combined with media hype, and more accessibility to that hype, it can be tough to ensure you that you see what you really want to see.

So I wondered how many Lightning Bolt fans could exist in Toronto, divided that by the "surprise" factor of the show, subtracted the Monday/school night factor, and multiplied that by the number of people who shared my concerns. I toyed with not going at all, and then I promptly showed up at the venue an hour before the doors opened.

I was comforted that there were others who shared my anxiety, but it slowly became clear that there weren't 200 of us waiting, and that this would be a very long night. I'd forgotten to include the opening band factor in my calculations. There were, I think, four.

All in all it was worth it. I got to see most of Lightning Bolt's set, or at least caught a few glimpses of the terrifying masks they sport while tearing through some of the heaviest music I've ever heard. But I finally knew I had overestimated Toronto's love for the band when I came back from a samosa break to see a couple stroll easily into the bar and pay cover just on time to see the band I had waited five hours to see. But I guess that's part of living in Toronto: you get the chances to see the best music in the world, but you have to make a few calculations, try to gauge things as best you can, to ensure you actually see it.