The whole run was set up for you. It was all building. Two incredible nights and one first set brimming with energy. A building, a crowd, a city on the verge of complete pandemonium. 

You had so much promise. So much hope. And you fell so, so flat. You failed in a way that makes us laugh even to this day, if only to hide the tears. Your spectacular demise will never be forgotten as the days turn to years, as the years turn to decades. We will always look back on this, the 17th day of August, with intense regret and pain for what could have been. You are the one that got away. You are the UIC “Ghost.” 

Happy birthday, old friend. 

As a bonus, credit to wonderful YouTuber ohkeepahblog who cataloged Kramer’s reaction to the catastrophe at UIC.