Sunday - 09Mar08 - Flogging Molly at House of Blues
Okay, so I've been putting off making this post. It's not because I didn't want to do it, it was because I didn't think I'd be able put into words the experience that I had last night. So, I'm going to try to put into words what it was like.
Before going into that, though, I just wanna plug my Flickr page. I documented the night in photos. I started by taking some pics while out in the French Quarter. This is something that I’m working on. New Orleans can be soooo beautiful and I want to capture that, so I can keep it and always remember it. SO, if you go check out my page, go check out my New Orleans pics for quite a few more.
Once again, just like with last friday, I'm glad we went early enough to go see the opening acts. We came in ten minutes after the first band started. The first band was called The Cherry Coke$. As we fought through the crowds to get a good spot to watch, I noticed that the band had a really awesome Irish Folk/Punk sound to them. As we found a good spot and started watching the band, is when we noticed... all of these guys are Japanese! Yes, apparently, Flogging Molly has a Japanese record label and have these guys signed on. They were freakin' awesome! I'd really recommend checking them out. These guys had a really awesome sound.
After The Cherry Coke$ finished playing, Trish and myself decided to make our way onto the floor. Before then, we had nested in front of the bar, to the right of the stage, yet fairly close. BUT, we figured that the ideal place would be right on the floor, right in front of the stage. So, Trish, myself, and Chris made our way down. Amanda decided to stay by the bar, where it was less crowded and probably safer. Well, Trish and myself found a really good spot. We were about two rows of people back and right at center stage. Chris couldn't get in where we were, so he went back with Amanda. So, it was about 15 minutes before the second band played. So, we hung out and watched as they set the stage. First, the drum set was set up... including a 5 gallon plastic bucket! Then, we saw a woman come on stage with a washboard in hand. She found her spot and hung the washboard from her neck. The drummer came on stage and took his place. Then, a large man in suspenders, hat, and big bushy beard come on and grabbed a guitar. I really didn't know what to expect but tried to stay optimistic.
The guitarist began introducing himself as Reverend Peyton, and introduced his Big... Damn... Band. THEN, the huge rockabilly guitar riffs started. The woman with the washboard played that thing with ferocity and the drummer beat the skins so hard and fast that I was sure they'd break before the set was done. We got a FREAKING AWESOME SHOW. I fell in love with this band and their raw sound. The Reverend showed absolutely NO MERCY to his 74 year old steel guitar! I'd REALLY love to go on and on, but I'd end up repeating myself. I'll just say that Reverend Peyton's Band Damn Band burned up the stage.
So, near the end of the Reverend’s show, my friends Schneider and Griff found us out in the crowd. We all got cozy and waited for Flogging Molly to start. We were all a bit psyched and just a little drunk (some more than others… me, not so much).
During the first two shows, there was a backdrop on the stage that read: “The Green 17 Tour, Flogging Molly.” When the sound checks were done… the stage went dark and The Who’s Babba O’Reily began playing. The crowd all sang along and it was beautiful. As the song faded out halfway through, a few low lights came on onstage, focusing on the backdrop. Then, the backdrop was pulled down to reveal one reading: “Flogging Molly, Float.” (This is the title of their latest album.) The crowd went nuts… but that was only the beginning. The band came out on stage and began the show with “Drunken Lullabies.”
THE
CROWD
WENT
ABSO - (excuse my language) FUCKING - LUTELY
CRAZY
!
And to break for a second here, let me talk about something. This was something that I explained to everyone after the concert as we were leaving. Since last St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve been considering myself Mexican-Irish. After hanging out at Sean Kelly’s Pub on a regular basis and after that day, I felt a kinship with the culture. Well, last night, I felt like I truly became Mexican-Irish. As Flogging Molly started playing and the crowd went nuts, I felt a cold splash on the top of my head. I looked off to the side as a guy fought to keep his can of Guinness upright. I felt as if I had just been baptized by the stout that I’d come to love… I felt like I truly became Mexican-Irish.
But, I digress…
The ENTIRE floor turned into ONE HUGE GIANT MOSH PIT! I was enjoying it immensely, but I could tell that Trish wasn’t. By the time the second song started, she expressed that she wanted to get off the floor. So, I fought our way and led her out back to Amanda and Chris. After catching my breath, I kissed my wife and headed back into the crowd. Whooo boy. I made my way through the central torrent of bodies thrashing around, and eventually was washed towards the far left side of the crowd. I fought my way to the front and pulled out my phone to document the show in pictures. A majority of the shots I took ended up really blurry because the moment I was able to brace myself against someone to steady my camera, someone would nudge or be completely FLUNG right into me. Eventually, I ended up in the spot where I was before. I couldn’t get up to the very front, against the barriers, but I was still at center stage, about two rows of people away. The two rows, which consisted of mostly couples, had huddled and secured themselves to the front barriers. So, I found myself the perfect place to stand to try to take plenty of pictures. The only problem was that right behind me was the maelstrom swirling with testosterone laden bodies being flung every which way, all elbows, feet, and fists. On occasion, I got caught in the torrent and ended up in the thrashing crowd. I can’t complain. It was absolutely awesome. It was rough, but the moment anyone fell down, EVERYONE helped that person get up. I fell down at least twice and both times got immediately picked back up. I also helped quite a few people who fell down get back up. Camaraderie flowed strong within the crowd. Everyone there was absolutely thrilled to be there.
I will never forget that night. Being in that crowd, I couldn't stay still long enough to really watch the stage. I had my camera capture moments while I flowed through that crowd. I shout out lyrics along with the music, just like everyone else around me. I didn't watch the stage. As I kept my camera pointing in the direction of the stage (concentrating on not dropping, losing, or breaking my iPhone), I felt like the music saturated me. I didn't watch that concert. I experienced it.
The music was FANTASTIC. This was hands down, the best concert experience that I’d ever had. Sure, I got out of that pit covered in sweat and with my boots and pants barely hanging on. (I really should have worn a belt.) Sure, I may have gotten clocked in the side of the head by an errant elbow, but DAMN, it was a fantastically fun time. I got a crap ton of pictures to remember the night by.
Afterwards, we all made our way upstairs to buy souvenirs. I bought a CD from The Cherry Coke$ and got them all to autograph it. I bought a CD from Reverend Peyton and got him and his band to autograph it for me. I also bought a CD, a Green 17 Tour T-Shirt, and some stickers from Flogging Molly. Unfortunately, Flogging Molly wasn’t around to do any autographs. The guy selling stuff told me that they usually don’t come out for signings afterwards.
At the end of the night, I was sore from head to toe. I was covered in sweat and God knows what. I walked out of the House of Blues that night knowing that EVERY cent I spent, for tickets, and for all the souvenirs was WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT!
Before going into that, though, I just wanna plug my Flickr page. I documented the night in photos. I started by taking some pics while out in the French Quarter. This is something that I’m working on. New Orleans can be soooo beautiful and I want to capture that, so I can keep it and always remember it. SO, if you go check out my page, go check out my New Orleans pics for quite a few more.
Once again, just like with last friday, I'm glad we went early enough to go see the opening acts. We came in ten minutes after the first band started. The first band was called The Cherry Coke$. As we fought through the crowds to get a good spot to watch, I noticed that the band had a really awesome Irish Folk/Punk sound to them. As we found a good spot and started watching the band, is when we noticed... all of these guys are Japanese! Yes, apparently, Flogging Molly has a Japanese record label and have these guys signed on. They were freakin' awesome! I'd really recommend checking them out. These guys had a really awesome sound.
After The Cherry Coke$ finished playing, Trish and myself decided to make our way onto the floor. Before then, we had nested in front of the bar, to the right of the stage, yet fairly close. BUT, we figured that the ideal place would be right on the floor, right in front of the stage. So, Trish, myself, and Chris made our way down. Amanda decided to stay by the bar, where it was less crowded and probably safer. Well, Trish and myself found a really good spot. We were about two rows of people back and right at center stage. Chris couldn't get in where we were, so he went back with Amanda. So, it was about 15 minutes before the second band played. So, we hung out and watched as they set the stage. First, the drum set was set up... including a 5 gallon plastic bucket! Then, we saw a woman come on stage with a washboard in hand. She found her spot and hung the washboard from her neck. The drummer came on stage and took his place. Then, a large man in suspenders, hat, and big bushy beard come on and grabbed a guitar. I really didn't know what to expect but tried to stay optimistic.
The guitarist began introducing himself as Reverend Peyton, and introduced his Big... Damn... Band. THEN, the huge rockabilly guitar riffs started. The woman with the washboard played that thing with ferocity and the drummer beat the skins so hard and fast that I was sure they'd break before the set was done. We got a FREAKING AWESOME SHOW. I fell in love with this band and their raw sound. The Reverend showed absolutely NO MERCY to his 74 year old steel guitar! I'd REALLY love to go on and on, but I'd end up repeating myself. I'll just say that Reverend Peyton's Band Damn Band burned up the stage.
So, near the end of the Reverend’s show, my friends Schneider and Griff found us out in the crowd. We all got cozy and waited for Flogging Molly to start. We were all a bit psyched and just a little drunk (some more than others… me, not so much).
During the first two shows, there was a backdrop on the stage that read: “The Green 17 Tour, Flogging Molly.” When the sound checks were done… the stage went dark and The Who’s Babba O’Reily began playing. The crowd all sang along and it was beautiful. As the song faded out halfway through, a few low lights came on onstage, focusing on the backdrop. Then, the backdrop was pulled down to reveal one reading: “Flogging Molly, Float.” (This is the title of their latest album.) The crowd went nuts… but that was only the beginning. The band came out on stage and began the show with “Drunken Lullabies.”
THE
CROWD
WENT
ABSO - (excuse my language) FUCKING - LUTELY
CRAZY
!
And to break for a second here, let me talk about something. This was something that I explained to everyone after the concert as we were leaving. Since last St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve been considering myself Mexican-Irish. After hanging out at Sean Kelly’s Pub on a regular basis and after that day, I felt a kinship with the culture. Well, last night, I felt like I truly became Mexican-Irish. As Flogging Molly started playing and the crowd went nuts, I felt a cold splash on the top of my head. I looked off to the side as a guy fought to keep his can of Guinness upright. I felt as if I had just been baptized by the stout that I’d come to love… I felt like I truly became Mexican-Irish.
But, I digress…
The ENTIRE floor turned into ONE HUGE GIANT MOSH PIT! I was enjoying it immensely, but I could tell that Trish wasn’t. By the time the second song started, she expressed that she wanted to get off the floor. So, I fought our way and led her out back to Amanda and Chris. After catching my breath, I kissed my wife and headed back into the crowd. Whooo boy. I made my way through the central torrent of bodies thrashing around, and eventually was washed towards the far left side of the crowd. I fought my way to the front and pulled out my phone to document the show in pictures. A majority of the shots I took ended up really blurry because the moment I was able to brace myself against someone to steady my camera, someone would nudge or be completely FLUNG right into me. Eventually, I ended up in the spot where I was before. I couldn’t get up to the very front, against the barriers, but I was still at center stage, about two rows of people away. The two rows, which consisted of mostly couples, had huddled and secured themselves to the front barriers. So, I found myself the perfect place to stand to try to take plenty of pictures. The only problem was that right behind me was the maelstrom swirling with testosterone laden bodies being flung every which way, all elbows, feet, and fists. On occasion, I got caught in the torrent and ended up in the thrashing crowd. I can’t complain. It was absolutely awesome. It was rough, but the moment anyone fell down, EVERYONE helped that person get up. I fell down at least twice and both times got immediately picked back up. I also helped quite a few people who fell down get back up. Camaraderie flowed strong within the crowd. Everyone there was absolutely thrilled to be there.
I will never forget that night. Being in that crowd, I couldn't stay still long enough to really watch the stage. I had my camera capture moments while I flowed through that crowd. I shout out lyrics along with the music, just like everyone else around me. I didn't watch the stage. As I kept my camera pointing in the direction of the stage (concentrating on not dropping, losing, or breaking my iPhone), I felt like the music saturated me. I didn't watch that concert. I experienced it.
The music was FANTASTIC. This was hands down, the best concert experience that I’d ever had. Sure, I got out of that pit covered in sweat and with my boots and pants barely hanging on. (I really should have worn a belt.) Sure, I may have gotten clocked in the side of the head by an errant elbow, but DAMN, it was a fantastically fun time. I got a crap ton of pictures to remember the night by.
Afterwards, we all made our way upstairs to buy souvenirs. I bought a CD from The Cherry Coke$ and got them all to autograph it. I bought a CD from Reverend Peyton and got him and his band to autograph it for me. I also bought a CD, a Green 17 Tour T-Shirt, and some stickers from Flogging Molly. Unfortunately, Flogging Molly wasn’t around to do any autographs. The guy selling stuff told me that they usually don’t come out for signings afterwards.
At the end of the night, I was sore from head to toe. I was covered in sweat and God knows what. I walked out of the House of Blues that night knowing that EVERY cent I spent, for tickets, and for all the souvenirs was WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT!