I went to a nightclub and what I found about a generation of young men surprised me

I parked out on the street about 10.30pm, read the parking sign three times and took a photo of it, as if that made a parking ticket less likely. My 18-year-old son and I then walked towards a night out that had been ages in the planning. He was nervous and filled with anticipation. I was just worried.

It’s been 25 years since I’ve been clubbing, but I clearly remember the anxiety. Would I be let in the door? Was I wearing the right clothes? Making the right moves? I loved dancing, but was always uncomfortable with the late starts, smoke (from machines and in those days cigarettes), dirty toilets with wet floors and thumping in my heart and my head.

Oh, what a night: Lisa Drought’s big night seeing YouTuber and DJ Vikkstar with her son.Credit: Photos: Lisa Drought. Artwork: Jamie Brown

And here I was with my son, about to do it all again as a mum of two in her 50s. What was I thinking? I’d convinced myself that joining him at the Love Machine nightclub for a DJ set by online sensation Vikkstar (12.1 million combined YouTube subscribers, net worth estimated at $40 million) was the same as going to Harry Styles with his older sibling. Just two family members heading out to a concert together, ready to have fun. Except it wasn’t. All that felt the same was the anxiety from 25 years ago.

My younger son has never been to a concert of any kind and certainly not a nightclub. He doesn’t enjoy loud noises, strobe lighting, lasers, crowds (particularly if they’re drinking), or late nights. He doesn’t drink alcohol and is repulsed by smoking and vaping. He likes daytime sport, gaming and the EDM (electronic dance music) that features in the games he plays. But UK gamer and now DJ Vikkstar, whom my son has followed on YouTube for 10 years, was headlining tonight, so the usual rules didn’t apply. How he would actually cope was another worry for me.

To me, gamers like Vikkstar and local versions LazarBeam (27.1 million combined YouTube subscribers, net worth est. $8 million) and Lachlan Power (16.8 million combined YouTube subscribers, net worth est. $9 million) were the annoying “bro” voices I hear second-hand through my son’s headphones over breakfast, shouting at each other while playing Fortnite, Minecraft and Rocket League. I worried a lot about my son watching these grown men filming themselves playing games and attracting mega audiences of young people. I didn’t understand it and I didn’t like it.

In a fit of nerves I’d rung the nightclub the day before, and talked to a young person named Molly. I explained our circumstances, my fears and worries. Molly was reassuring, taking my number, explaining the club set up and telling me that she was working the night of the Vikkstar concert and to mention her name if I needed anything.

We arrived at the nightclub, produced ID, scanned our tickets and entered. The noise was intense – rattling my son, who stopped dead still to take it in. I’d bought special earplugs (on advice from a local DJ friend), which helped. We found a spot near the stage and watched the crowd pour in – lots of young men, gamers, keen, nerdy, rhythmless, swaying to the beats from the warm-up act. They too seemed excited but restrained, nervous and a bit overwhelmed. Before long, someone came up to me and said, “Are you Lisa? I’m Molly.” How had she found me among the swarm of people? Then I realised I was the only person over 30 there tonight, possibly ever. I was easier to identify than the headline act.

Molly gave us cold bottles of water and asked if we would like to move to the VIP section. We followed her upstairs to a large, private area, with a perfect view of the DJ and dance floor. She gave us wristbands and said to let her know if there was anything else we needed. We were surprised and delighted.

The hype below continued to build, and soon Vikkstar, LazarBeam, Lachlan Power and their entourages arrived, and Vikkstar started his set. The crowd went nuts. Jumping, shouting, dancing, chanting, punching the air – having the night of their lives. So was my son – enjoying the VIP section’s extra space, moving freely, taking photos. A security guard asked him if he’d like to meet the YouTubers. He was shaking with excitement and had tears in his eyes. So did I. LazarBeam and Lachlan Power were suddenly next to us, shaking hands, chatting, posing for photos, looking at my son’s YouTube channel. They were utterly charming. After his set, Vikkstar joined us for a chat and a photo – warm, friendly and generous with his time.

Pre-concert, to keep myself awake at home, I watched the new Elton John documentary Never Too Late. Now I thought that if Elton had been born in the mid-2000s, he could have been a gamer. A nerdy guy with deep, special areas of interests, who didn’t quite fit into the mainstream. His song Someone Saved My Life Tonight was in my head all night at the club.

I had previously thought these YouTube gamers were time wasters, taking my kid offtrack, distracting, silly and potentially damaging. Part of a self-absorbed generation. But I’d underestimated the good. On this night, a bunch of under 30s – Molly, the security guards, the YouTube famous gamers – went out of their way to make a young man’s first concert amazing. Strangers who chose to be kind, with no evident gain. It was a life-changing evening for both of us, and as we bounced out of the club, to the car (no parking ticket) and home, I kept thinking how these someones changed our lives tonight.

Lisa Drought is a Melbourne writer.

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