Photo credit: Quiet Events

It was a random night in Astoria, Queens and I found myself at one of the local beer gardens by the N/Q train. What I was to witness there was not like anything I had witnessed before – among the standard picnic tables and benches that come standard at such a venue was a dance floor and DJ set but the kids were all wearing headphones. No sound or music, but they were still dancing and clubbing as if they were being led by a standard acoustic system found in an underground night spot.

Of course my friends and I had to investigate this immediately, and we found that the headphones were being sold at a both near the stage for $10 a pop. “It’s so worth it!” was the standard response from those we inquired with so we went ahead a bought a pair for ourselves. What I later came to find out was like nothing I had imagined before. Each headphone produced three settings and each setting played a different set. It could range from reggaeton to modern pop to hip-hop depending what catered to your fancy, but basically you could personalize your own clubbing experience.

So we joined in, switching from Zedd to Snoop Dogg to Backstreet Boys and then even getting some Disney jams in the mix. Then when we wanted to sit down and just talk, we could take our headphones off and just chat. This went on till 4 am in the morning, and it was one of the most advantageous experiences in my history as a party girl.

This is probably the future of clubbing, in my opinion. These headphone parties are new, fun and unique, which is what our generation craves these days. This could mean you go to a club, and instead of sitting out because they’re not playing a song you’re grooving to or are familiar with, you instead just basically ‘change the channel.’ Or if you just want to catch up with old friends, you have the liberty to do that as well without having to shout over the loud music playing overhead.

The ones who have an edge on this revelation is Quiet Events who offer their headphone rental services throughout the tri-county area. Check out their website to catch their next gig and experience the sensation for yourself.

Though the days of Limelight and Tunnel maybe long gone, maybe our generation still has a fighting chance to reclaim the club days with our own unique innovations and experience.