5/22/07
as i exited burger king at about 3:55 pm, jesse lacey, derrick sherman, and anathollo's erica froman are casually carrying on conversation as they stroll about, just outside of the higher ground venue as if they have no business being there- nevermind being just hours away from performing.
being such a dedicated fan, i could not help but approach. given lacey being a man whos work i have adored, and pretty much obsessed over, it was just as nervewracking as id always expect this exact situation to be.
humble, soft-spoken, and appreciative of me coming out for the show, lacey tells me not to thank him after i tell him how much his work has meant to me over the years.
the transformation between street and stage is astounding. barely able to hear him say "hi, im jesse", he gets on that stage bellowing out the words that we base our lives on. lacey and crew begin with what initially comes across as deja entendu, but keep us guessing by mixing up the songs, and tossing in a sole tune from their debut album, the no seatbelt song.
lacey, being backed by erica froman, finished up the beauty that is Play Crack the Sky which was played over hundreds of die-hards nearly whispering along (who all happen to be muted by the far-too-abundant ignorant drunks in the crowd). but he soon returned to that personality i met in that parking lot earlier in the day, as he put down his guitar, hopped off stage, and lifted a young girl from the front row, as she was nearing unconsciousness. distancing himself from the rock-star persona he could so easily have, he didnt even allow time for security to recognize the situation before taking the matter into his own hands. for his actions, a fan got a chuckle out of both the crowd and jesse by comparing him to your local neighborhood spiderman.
a moment of confusion passes, and lacey was right back into the mindset that captivated the hundreds before him, as brand new , with the help of some of anathallo, began hurling the material of their latest album at us. seemingly unphased by the crowd of pecularly unfamiliar fans, the quartet (plus some) dive directly into their shock-and-awe approach, with sowing season, and everything else from the new album, sans untitled and not the sun.
towards the end of their explosive set, the playful side of the band was exposed- the "fun" side of them in which we all thought to be non-existant during the band's previous tours. after raping the ears of the crowd with you wont know, lacey revealed a wooden sword in which he walked around the stage "killing off" each of the bands members, who dropped to the floor. after about 2-3 minutes of howling "you wont know" into the mic, he made the statement one last time, before finally taking himself down by way of the blade.
before he could even pull himself from the floor, members from anathollo began making their way on stage, as well as members of colour revolt, and even tech guys, (various members donning such get-ups as straw hats & TMNT masks...)for what i had been looking forward to for the entire evening.
two days short of a month ago, 13 men occupied the stage of the avalon in boston, nearly destroying their instruments in the musical form of "welcome to bangkok"
tonight, there were 18 men on stage. and one woman. doing the same, and doing it just as hard, and just as stunningly.
six to seven minutes passed, and as the countless drums finally came to a hault the stage was vacant, yet a guitar, played by accardi from the balcony above stage right.
and in an instant, the venue was silent with the exception of the slowly building chatter of amazement amoung the audience.
the show had come to a close, and i could not have been happier with the results.
however, a majority of the vermont crowd seemed to think otherwise. complaining of a lack of "older material" and unsatisfied with songs such as jude law, the quiet things, and magazines being absent from the evening's playlist. during the latter portion of the set, and into the brief after show critiquing taking place, it was apparent to me that this northern-new england area had almost no knowledge of The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me. and with that, my 2 hour and 45 minute solo-drive home from such a debacle could not have been any quicker.
being such a dedicated fan, i could not help but approach. given lacey being a man whos work i have adored, and pretty much obsessed over, it was just as nervewracking as id always expect this exact situation to be.
humble, soft-spoken, and appreciative of me coming out for the show, lacey tells me not to thank him after i tell him how much his work has meant to me over the years.
the transformation between street and stage is astounding. barely able to hear him say "hi, im jesse", he gets on that stage bellowing out the words that we base our lives on. lacey and crew begin with what initially comes across as deja entendu, but keep us guessing by mixing up the songs, and tossing in a sole tune from their debut album, the no seatbelt song.
lacey, being backed by erica froman, finished up the beauty that is Play Crack the Sky which was played over hundreds of die-hards nearly whispering along (who all happen to be muted by the far-too-abundant ignorant drunks in the crowd). but he soon returned to that personality i met in that parking lot earlier in the day, as he put down his guitar, hopped off stage, and lifted a young girl from the front row, as she was nearing unconsciousness. distancing himself from the rock-star persona he could so easily have, he didnt even allow time for security to recognize the situation before taking the matter into his own hands. for his actions, a fan got a chuckle out of both the crowd and jesse by comparing him to your local neighborhood spiderman.
a moment of confusion passes, and lacey was right back into the mindset that captivated the hundreds before him, as brand new , with the help of some of anathallo, began hurling the material of their latest album at us. seemingly unphased by the crowd of pecularly unfamiliar fans, the quartet (plus some) dive directly into their shock-and-awe approach, with sowing season, and everything else from the new album, sans untitled and not the sun.
towards the end of their explosive set, the playful side of the band was exposed- the "fun" side of them in which we all thought to be non-existant during the band's previous tours. after raping the ears of the crowd with you wont know, lacey revealed a wooden sword in which he walked around the stage "killing off" each of the bands members, who dropped to the floor. after about 2-3 minutes of howling "you wont know" into the mic, he made the statement one last time, before finally taking himself down by way of the blade.
before he could even pull himself from the floor, members from anathollo began making their way on stage, as well as members of colour revolt, and even tech guys, (various members donning such get-ups as straw hats & TMNT masks...)for what i had been looking forward to for the entire evening.
two days short of a month ago, 13 men occupied the stage of the avalon in boston, nearly destroying their instruments in the musical form of "welcome to bangkok"
tonight, there were 18 men on stage. and one woman. doing the same, and doing it just as hard, and just as stunningly.
six to seven minutes passed, and as the countless drums finally came to a hault the stage was vacant, yet a guitar, played by accardi from the balcony above stage right.
and in an instant, the venue was silent with the exception of the slowly building chatter of amazement amoung the audience.
the show had come to a close, and i could not have been happier with the results.
however, a majority of the vermont crowd seemed to think otherwise. complaining of a lack of "older material" and unsatisfied with songs such as jude law, the quiet things, and magazines being absent from the evening's playlist. during the latter portion of the set, and into the brief after show critiquing taking place, it was apparent to me that this northern-new england area had almost no knowledge of The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me. and with that, my 2 hour and 45 minute solo-drive home from such a debacle could not have been any quicker.