(no subject)
A night was had on Sunday.
A week earlier Mike notified Don and I of a Hawk Nelson show in Oswego, a small-ish town near Plainfield, a middling-sized town about 40 minutes south. We ended up being in limbo over getting tickets throughout the week, but decided Sunday afternoon to just chance it and see if we could get in at the door. So I picked up Don and we ventured south on 53, hitting major traffic after getting on 55 South - it took us nearly an hour to go two miles (YUCK!). Anyway, we made it to Mike's house shortly after six...was when the show was supposed to start. We rushed over after getting gas and monetary supplies, and made it shortly after seven. Tickets ended up being a snap ("Hey, you need tickets?"), and we walked up to the outdoor stage five minutes before Run Kid Run kicked things off.
Run Kid Run ended up playing a four song set that was solid. They had good energy, and the guys sang and played well live. The only beef I had with them was that they sounded too similiar to their CD. I like bands that mix things up live. No big deal, though.
Falling Up followed, and they opened up their five song set with an awesome intro. Their singer came out and sang a quiet little ballad on a keyboard, and then the rest of the band sprinted out and they launched into a really cool opening song, punctuated by the singer running over to the guitarist, planting his foot on the guitarists outstretched hands that were formed like a stool, and getting launched into an insanely quick backflip that stunned and ignited the crowd (and me). They had good energy as well, and I liked them, for the most part. Highlight of the show = me having the drumstick from Falling Up's drummer in my room right now. :)
Then Project 86 came on. What can I say? I hated them. They were very metal/hard rock and they played a nine-song set that ended up cutting into Hawk Nelson's time. There were several "rockers" in the crowd that decided to break the "up and down, not side to side" crowd rule by 1)starting a small mosh pit, 2)one guy crowd surfing and kicking Don and I in the head before getting dropped and then dragged out of the crowd by security, and 3)the crowd surfer making a triumphant return and doing a stage dive right in front of Don, Mike, me, and a large group of girls. As he went for the dive, the girls, Don, and I parted like the Red Sea, leaving Mike, who basically caught the guy before he was dragged off for good. Some guy in front of me also smelled like balls. A group of girls in red T-shirts to my right also went crazy for this band, despite looking like they would fit in more at a Click Five or Nick Lachey concert. Weird. ANYWAY. Performance wise, the singer was a fairy, as Don puts it. He strutted around, shook his butt at the audience, did a goose-step across the front of the stage while placing his hand on each of the front-row-gawkers, and sang with his eyes wide open. Like, REALLY wide open. It was pretty ridiculous. I found myself ignoring the rest of the band because I was captivated by this fruitcake moaning incomprehensible phrases into the microphone as he sashayed past the bassist. I got a headache during this portion of the show, and my ears were still ringing due to their volume early Tuesday.
Then Hawk Nelson came on. All I can say is...WOW. They were awesome. And freaking CANADIEN. Everything they did screamed, "We're from Canada!" and I loved it. They played the four big hits of their new album and a couple older songs with excellent energy and crowd interaction. Then around ten, the mayor of Oswego showed up. Apparently, the show was supposed to be over by 9:30 at the latest, and, coupled with the long Project 86 set and apparently being behind schedule overall (we saw at 7:10 what we should have missed at 6:00) meant that neighbors were now complaining, and could you wrap it up please, or we'll fine you. A hardcore band would have laughed and taken the fine, but Hawk Nelson is made up of nice (CANADIEN!) guys, so they skipped probably 6 songs, sang "Bring 'Em Out!" and finished. Grr.
Afterwards, we went to B-Dubs for delicious food, then I dropped off Mike and Don. All in all an excellent evening that we were worried wouldn't happen at all. But it did, and I'm very grateful because of it. Yay!
A week earlier Mike notified Don and I of a Hawk Nelson show in Oswego, a small-ish town near Plainfield, a middling-sized town about 40 minutes south. We ended up being in limbo over getting tickets throughout the week, but decided Sunday afternoon to just chance it and see if we could get in at the door. So I picked up Don and we ventured south on 53, hitting major traffic after getting on 55 South - it took us nearly an hour to go two miles (YUCK!). Anyway, we made it to Mike's house shortly after six...was when the show was supposed to start. We rushed over after getting gas and monetary supplies, and made it shortly after seven. Tickets ended up being a snap ("Hey, you need tickets?"), and we walked up to the outdoor stage five minutes before Run Kid Run kicked things off.
Run Kid Run ended up playing a four song set that was solid. They had good energy, and the guys sang and played well live. The only beef I had with them was that they sounded too similiar to their CD. I like bands that mix things up live. No big deal, though.
Falling Up followed, and they opened up their five song set with an awesome intro. Their singer came out and sang a quiet little ballad on a keyboard, and then the rest of the band sprinted out and they launched into a really cool opening song, punctuated by the singer running over to the guitarist, planting his foot on the guitarists outstretched hands that were formed like a stool, and getting launched into an insanely quick backflip that stunned and ignited the crowd (and me). They had good energy as well, and I liked them, for the most part. Highlight of the show = me having the drumstick from Falling Up's drummer in my room right now. :)
Then Project 86 came on. What can I say? I hated them. They were very metal/hard rock and they played a nine-song set that ended up cutting into Hawk Nelson's time. There were several "rockers" in the crowd that decided to break the "up and down, not side to side" crowd rule by 1)starting a small mosh pit, 2)one guy crowd surfing and kicking Don and I in the head before getting dropped and then dragged out of the crowd by security, and 3)the crowd surfer making a triumphant return and doing a stage dive right in front of Don, Mike, me, and a large group of girls. As he went for the dive, the girls, Don, and I parted like the Red Sea, leaving Mike, who basically caught the guy before he was dragged off for good. Some guy in front of me also smelled like balls. A group of girls in red T-shirts to my right also went crazy for this band, despite looking like they would fit in more at a Click Five or Nick Lachey concert. Weird. ANYWAY. Performance wise, the singer was a fairy, as Don puts it. He strutted around, shook his butt at the audience, did a goose-step across the front of the stage while placing his hand on each of the front-row-gawkers, and sang with his eyes wide open. Like, REALLY wide open. It was pretty ridiculous. I found myself ignoring the rest of the band because I was captivated by this fruitcake moaning incomprehensible phrases into the microphone as he sashayed past the bassist. I got a headache during this portion of the show, and my ears were still ringing due to their volume early Tuesday.
Then Hawk Nelson came on. All I can say is...WOW. They were awesome. And freaking CANADIEN. Everything they did screamed, "We're from Canada!" and I loved it. They played the four big hits of their new album and a couple older songs with excellent energy and crowd interaction. Then around ten, the mayor of Oswego showed up. Apparently, the show was supposed to be over by 9:30 at the latest, and, coupled with the long Project 86 set and apparently being behind schedule overall (we saw at 7:10 what we should have missed at 6:00) meant that neighbors were now complaining, and could you wrap it up please, or we'll fine you. A hardcore band would have laughed and taken the fine, but Hawk Nelson is made up of nice (CANADIEN!) guys, so they skipped probably 6 songs, sang "Bring 'Em Out!" and finished. Grr.
Afterwards, we went to B-Dubs for delicious food, then I dropped off Mike and Don. All in all an excellent evening that we were worried wouldn't happen at all. But it did, and I'm very grateful because of it. Yay!