(Random thoughts and anecdotes from the concert last night)
Grand Rapids, MI is a bit of a drive from me, about 2 hours. Found parking easily, paid $7 all told, walked about 2.5 blocks. Chicago has conditioned me well.
The crowd at hardcore shows, and many concerts in general, make me feel much better about myself. I take pride in being much less of a sheep than all of the teenagers. I felt as if I could take the majority of guys there in a fair fight, simply because most of them were skinnier than their girlfriends and wore tighter jeans. They often had similar hair style and length, too. Tapered leg jeans make you look silly, regardless of your gender or figure. Heed my words, people!
Doors opened at 6, got in, got a Red Bull from the bartender and downed it pretty quick. Bad move, I was antsy for the next half hour or so waiting for the show to start.
First up was
I See Stars, from Warren, MI, who put on a pretty good show for a band unknown to me. A friend of mine had just asked me if I listened to them a few days before, completely unrelated to the show. I didn't, but I may check 'em out now. Looked like a young group. One guitarist (Brent Allen) firmly reminded me of Tim McIlrath, singer for Rise Against. I had thought that the bassist and singer for ISS were twins or at least brothers, since they dressed identically and looked very similar, but checking later, it's the singer and drummer who are related. The (melodic) vocals during their performance had a word AutoTune-esque vibe to them, but perhaps he's just good at hitting pitch. AutoTuning a live performance would be a pretty tricky endeavor, I should think.
Next was In Fear And Flames, who didn't really do it for me whatsoever. Although, they covered Coolio's "
Gangsta's Paradise", and that was kind of a hoot from a hardcore band. Moving on...
Parkway Drive. Holy crap. I was near the stage, almost dead center about 20 feet from the guard rail, and that was a dangerous place to be. I was on the border between two different
circle pits. I probably will have bruises on my shoulders, back and arms in another day or so. I was a very unwilling participant, because frankly, I think moshing and circle pits are incredibly stupid and dangerous. Those two things, along with
hardcore dancing, are probably the things I hate most about hardcore and punk concerts. I love the music, hate hate hate the crowds.
Anywho... Parkway Drive. Wow, they're clearly quite Aussie. Thick accents. The singer reminded me strongly of Luke Wilson. Music was excellent, and I was fairly mesmerized by the guitarists' fretwork. I'm such a sucker for shredding. At one point, four girls, four
hot girls, all no taller than my shoulder, waded
into the pit during PWD's setlist. Words failed me at that point. They had a blast, too. Must be taking after Cersei Lannister, and wearing those bruises as a badge of honor.
Finally,
A Day To Remember was up after about a half hour wait. Jeremy McKinnon, the singer, has been ill for the last 4 days or so, and his voice was still kinda sketchy, but he really gave it his all. He'd rallied quite strongly by the last 4-5 songs and sounded very good. I've listened to them since roughly 2006, I think? I know I'd been a fan for quite a while by the time For Those Who Have Heart was released. I got chills singing along with the rest of a sold-out crowd to all the songs I love. I clearly remember hearing: "The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle", "You Should've Killed Me When You Had The Chance", "1958", "Heartless", "The Danger In Starting A Fire", "The Downfall of Us All", "My Life For Hire", "I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?", "Monument", and "Have Faith In Me". (Wow, that's a hell of a setlist!)
Unfortunately, the safety of my iPhone was considerably more important to me than photos, so I have precious few of the last two bands. The crowd was just too intense to get it out of most of the time.
Posted from
Grand Rapids, MI
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