"Tuned Into Pop Culture" guest contributor Nick Carrabine is a News-Herald staff writer.

I loathe New York.

I don’t know what it is because I’ve never been there, but it has always rubbed me the wrong way.

To put it bluntly, it don’t sit well with me.

Just before my 18th birthday and a few weeks before I bolted for college, my family took a family vacation to New York City and I refused to go.

They tried to sweeten the deal by telling me they’d be attending a Yankees game.

I haven’t talked to them since.

I’m a very impatient person and I can’t even fathom the thought of getting stuck in the infamous New York traffic, getting screamed at by loud-mouthed-no-good New Yorkers, or my biggest fear, running into that mob boss who I’ve owed money to since I was a teenager (Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a resident of Ohio. I'm actually in a witness protection program following a tough stint with the mafia.)

And don’t even get me started on the Yankee$.

However, there is one thing that is finally bringing me to New York, which I will be visiting the weekend following Thanksgiving.

And that my internet friends, is the band Brand New headlining their biggest show ever at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY.

What started off as a joke between my roommate and I has turned into a commitment that is way over our heads.

We won’t even be leaving until Friday evening because of our work schedules and of course with traffic mixed in, we’re most likely looking at a 10 hour drive and with my luck, I’m sure several blizzards will be mixed in. So we should be there by 2 a.m. Saturday, which I hear is the perfect time to visit the Big Apple.

(*Note* I'm not sure if it'll really be 10 hour drive, because according to the map it's only like, 15 inches away.)

I also didn’t even mention the awkwardness that will ensue 25 minutes into our trip because my roommate and I will have already run out of things to talk about.

It’s probably not the smartest thing to drive 10 hours to New York when you’re only going to be there for a 30-hour period or so, but I imagine it will be worth it.

On Oct. 1, I saw Brand New headline at Tower City Amphitheater. It was the first night of their tour.

Tower City holds about 5,000 people. Depending on the stage set up, Nassau can hold more than 18,000.

I think it’ll be pretty special to see one of your favorite bands on the first and last night of the same tour.

Aside from being their biggest headlining show, it will also be Brand New’s hometown show as they are all from Long Island.

Lead singer Jesse Lacey told Spin Magazine earlier this year that the event will be special to him because when he was 11-years-old he attended his first concert there to see Bruce Springsteen.

Of course following that weekend, I’ll post my review for the show.

However, that is solely based on whether or not I make it out of New York alive.

Show Line-up:
Kevin Devine
Manchester Orchestra
Thrice
Glassjaw
Brand New