Living the nightlife can seriously limit a person's peer group. Legally speaking, everyone's at least 21, and things thin out above 30—so it's basically a lot of twentysomethings, and the homogeneity of it all can be a drag. Which is why this past week's age-varied activities have been a relief.

The Shins and the Thermals shows were both all-ages, but each of those concerts seemed to skew slightly older—it's hard to tell at a sold-out show, especially from the bar—and so they both felt like any other night out.

But Thursday night's Club Pop at Chop Suey was something else. The 18+ indie dance night has been going on for a while now, but recently it's become one of the city's most fun parties. Some of this success is due to its adventurous booking (this month featured Olympian electro punks Joey Casio and Scream Club), and some of it is due to resident DJs Colby B and Paco, but a lot of it has to do with the kids. The night's legally nondrinking adults come fully decked out—suspenders, neon Native American blankets-as-capes, and gawky teenaged shirtlessness were all good looks for the night—and they come to dance hard. From the first record spun after the Pleasureboaters' set until after the house lights went up, the packed dance floor was a mess of flailing, exuberant fun.

Saturday night swung in the opposite direction, age-wise, with a trip to Ballard, where the Old Haunts and the Coconut Coolouts played a fairly well-attended 21+ show at Sunset Tavern. No band handles pizza-costumed high jinks, technical difficulties, and dangerous levels of drunkenness quite as well as the Coconut Coolouts. But the real action was next door at the (pre)historic Smoke Shop, where a canine former Drunk of the Week and his owner were among the aged and pickled regulars. The Smoke Shop has a jukebox stacked with '80s divorcee jams, classic rock, disco, and—pandering to the youngsters—a couple pop compilations from the early 21st century, and it doesn't take much to get the odd older couple off their barstools for an oblivious slow dance.

An even more crass display of pandering to the youth was Sunday night's free Vera Project show, their third in a weekend celebrating the grand opening of the all-ages organization's awesome new digs at Seattle Center. The venue is blessed with great sound, good sightlines, and plenty of space—there was a line out the door during Tiny Vipers' set, but the capacity crowd inside was still comfortable. The audience was appropriately raucous for the Holy Ghost Revival's Axl Crowes glam and YACHT's impromptu dance party in the lobby, and they were appreciatively quiet for Tiny Vipers' medieval slowcore and Mount Eerie's campfire existentialism. The crowd ranged from young to old, and everyone was having a good time. Several people were visibly under the influence of caffeine.

Regular bars are fine, but it's great to see young folks enjoying a little nightlife thanks to dedicated places like the Vera Project and ambitious nights like Club Pop. And it's not just good for the kids. Music, culture, and nightlife all benefit from diversity, from new ideas and youthful energy—even if it makes me feel a little old. recommended

egrandy@thestranger.com