So…given I missed the first couple bands, I was told by my very capable metal buddy that they all blew ass…it’s a technical term in the biz for “terrible.” I’m getting really sick of bands getting on their soap box and preaching at the crowd. We go to shows to see music. Not get a damn sermon about religion or politics or whatever. Play your songs damnit! Alas, I digress. The point I’m making is that the opening bands were terrible. They’re not even really worth mentioning much beyond that. It’d be wasted text…and then the terrorists would win.
Eventually Parkway Drive came on and we’ll just put it this way…I thought my days of being “that sweaty dude walking out of the metal show” were over…apparently not. Usually, when I’m at a show, I’ll hang out at the back and take in the whole scene, show, and performance. I watch the band, listen for what’s going on, take note of particular expressions of technical prowess, watch how the crowd reacts and how the band reacts to the crowd’s reactions…you know, this kinda thing. Not that night!
If you’re bored (and have a free moment where people aren’t walking by long enough for you to listen to a loud crazy metal song for a sec) you should/could check out their myspace page and listen to the song Boneyards. It’s probably one of their more brutal and fast songs. This was their opener. Well…they took the stage aaaaand pretty much turned Chain Reaction upside down, inside out, and backwards. People lost their ever loving minds. It was sweet. Bodies were flying, stage was rushed, massive pitting all over the place. It was literally all out mayhem for those first 3 minutes and 15 seconds…and it continued pretty much uninterrupted through the end of their set. What always makes this level of chaos WAY cooler is when the crowd and the band feed off each other. The dudes on stage were all smiley, bouncy, and fun to watch which in turn made the crowd that much more active as well. I love love LOVE when bands look like they’re having a good time on stage. Anyway, after Boneyards, the singer was totally floored. He was looking at the rest of the band members saying things like “Oh my GOD!…wwwwwwwwwHAT just happened?! You guys [the crowd] went NUTS. That was just the first song…! How are we going to top that?” It was like the first song of the set brought the energy that usually the last song brings…that final, last hurrah, leave it all on the floor type energy. UGH! So sickies!
By the end of the set I had gotten all wrapped up in it and had pushed myself up to the front. At hardcore/metal shows the singers like to do this thing where they’ll shove the mic down at someone’s face so they can scream a line or two or whatever…it’s kinda awesome…connects the band to the crowd. Anyway, I got to scream “dead by first light” with the singer (at the end of the song “The Sirens’ Song” that they ended their set on). That was fun. Oh ya, I also did a flipping stage dive. I think I landed on some little kids…possibly girls. My bad. Sorry. Life kinda happened for a second. Buy your ticket, take your ride. Right?
Soooo that was very atypical Matt behavior at concerts. But what can I say? It happened.
By the by, I can’t emphasize enough how awesome it is that these dudes look like they’re having a blast on stage. They’re all smiles. They look like 5 total surfer dudes with lots of tattoos going out of their way to play the most brutal music they can muster. Oh ya…and on top of the showmanship, they’re kinda stupidly solid. Other than one guitar losing signal for part of a song (which is more dumb luck than anything else) I didn’t see/hear many, if any, flaws in their playing. It was superawesomesweet.
No comments:
Post a Comment