Day 291, RN, Terror, TBDM, & Unearth Show...
Well, I went to another awe-induced, amazing show the other night. And, I think it's about time for a show update, which I haven't quite had in a while. Also, in case you missed my 'political rant,' then go to the post before this one! Without further ado:
:@-%-@: Before the Show :@-%-@:
Since show was starting at 7:00, if I got off work around 5:00, then I know I'd be screwed trying to get there. So, I left two hours early from work to get home and get ready. Also, I was meeting up with some friends prior to the show. I got home, took my shower, got my clothes on, when Mike IMs me on AIM to say, "Respond dickface!" while my phone was ringing. So, I answered the phone and he's all like, "Why's everyone meeting at my place?!" The best thing about that is we all pretty much agreed after some debate that Mike's(orochi_jounin) house was good meeting up point for all of us.
So, Jason(kamenriderfaiz), Eddie(theonetrueninja), and I met up with Julie(jewlee182), Jen(__shebop), Lisa(brutalbreakdown), and Katie(Andahint_Ofred). I had thought that Casey(dumshiet66) and Dustin(illuded) were going to meet up with us, as well. But, turns out Casey didn't feel like going and is stripped of all manlihood for missing a colossus show such as this. We ended up tormenting Mike for a little bit and ragging him on the show. I changed out of my fishnets, cause Mike said I smelled like ass, and when I took them off I smelled them and no doubt about it; they hadn't been washed! I put on some of Mike's cologne to hide any smell that still remained and felt much better. I've never wanted to be the smelly guy, so thanks for the blunt truth, Mike-san! So, after not getting a hold of Devin(dark_joker) and Casey, we decided to head out, because it was getting a little late.
As expected, the traffic was downright hideous and a cruel beast to all that dwelled within its constraints. I made Eddie and Jason listen to some of my righteously awesome rap, but we switched it to my "hXc mix" that Antoine made not long ago on my mp3 player. As we were getting onto I-275, I had Eddie call up Jen or Julie to ask where they were at, since we had lost sight of them somewhere on Fletcher. Eddie said they were already at "the exit" to St. Pete, so I was like WTF? How is that even possibly? Traffic is fucked; and, we got out onto Fletcher before them! So, I'm not upset, by any means, but definately perplexed as to how they managed such a feat within only ten minutes or so of driving! A little further on, Eddie called them again once we got to the exit where traffic was extremely blocked and compacted bumper-to-bumper. Then, we figured out that they must be behind us with what they told Eddie, or so we thought. A few more miles added and quite a few songs later, we are on the bridge that connects us from Tampa to St. Pete(can't recall the name right this moment) just riding along in our state of insouciance. When all of a sudden, I look into my left side-mirror and spot Lisa's psychotomimetic-colored hair and she's doing something like writing or reading. I wasn't sure of it, until they started passing us, which by I looked to my right to see three pairs of birds being flicked at us, along with a sign that reads "Bitch!" being held up to the window. Jen is a crazy driver, for sure. She loves speeding and swerving in and out of traffic, which is awesome! A few moments later, they call to say, "Now, we're ahead of you." Their own way of pouring salt on wounds.
We ended up turning the opposite direction of State Theatre, as we were getting off on the exit to 5th. We call the girls up to ask why they are heading the other direction, and they were like, "Yeah, we know that we're going the wrong way." So, we went our own way and got there, but the girls ended up there moments after we did, at any rate. So, we all walked to Daddy Kools, which is when I recalled that I had left my fucking ticket at home! So, I bought another one, cause I was not going to miss that show, for sure. We proceeded to where the line was and took our places where we would remain until they let us in. Jen and Lisa tried to make me more "scene" by adding flowers to my Atreyu hat, and they took some "scene" pics of their own for MySpace, I can only guess. While waiting for a bit, eventually Kirby(metalkirby) came with a hot asian chica and hung out with us for a little bit. I didn't get a chance to talk to him at the last show that TBDM played, but this time we talked for a bit and he's pretty bad ass. And, it wasn't too, too long after that that Jeff and Devin showed up. Jeff's new girlfriend, while not only hot, was pretty down-to-earth and just overall fun to talk around, so major props for nabbing hot, down-to-earth chicas! We were there for quite some time, and we were the first in line; however, we ended up being like 20th-odd in the damn place, because people just randomly cut in the front. Oh yeah... Jeff is a Republican! Ewww! But, to each their own, I told him we'd discuss politics online, and that all that mattered right now was the show. He agreed, no less.
Oh, by the way, Kirby asked me if I thought that now TBDM has a pretty good-sized following if they were too good to walk around before the show, and I replied with, "I hope not. They shouldn't be." Well, turns out they haven't jumped the band-wagon, as of yet. They were all walking around along with members from Remembering Never. I didn't get a chance to get my picture taken with them, but there'll always be more shows!
:@-%-@: During the Show :@-%-:
Alright, so we give the buff black man that drives the white Cobra Mustang our tickets to scan them through its system. I walked into the venue, and knew I must hit the merch table at the beginning. So, I did and I watched Lisa purchase a "Bukkake League" t-shirt. That was 0wnage. I glanced over the merch on Terror, but I had only heard their music a little bit. So, I didn't go through with getting their merch, and just looked through TBDM and Unearth. I picked up an Unearth hat along with the last TBDM shirt they had for this one design.
I forgot which intermission it was played during, but I think it was transitioning from RN to Terror, they played a little Atreyu over the speakers. I pretty much made Julie my merch-wearer. She donned the hat and wore my shirt, and it was totally sexy. Throughout the show, I went from being by the stage at the center with Dustin and Julie, to upstairs, back downstairs, the outer and mid-skirts of the mosh pit wall, and then on the actual inner wall of the mosh pit until Unearth's encore song.
Remembering Never:
Well, this part of the show was the lowest point. And, it wasn't really that low, because I enjoyed it thoroughly. It wasn't too hectic, yet it wasn't trite. It was the impeccable beginning to a show that most people ask for, something to get people warmed up and psyched for the oncoming slaughter of the next bands. I don't listen to RN that much in my free time, so I didn't know any lyrics or song titles that I could jot down for you guys. There was a little bit of everything during their performance, which consisted of: a few crowd-surfers, some decent mosh pits that formed, some spitting from the band to liven the experience(but no where near as much as the band Scarlet - they retain the title for most spitting ever in one show), a pretty good setlist was played from what I heard, and maybe a head-stomper or two. A little bit of singing was done, as expected, from hearing some of their stuff. I like that a lot, too. I like hardcore screaming mixed in with some singing, it's just more beautiful that way. This was the slowest part of the music that night, everything else became faster and faster. I enjoyed seeing RN for the first time, and I had heard they threw good live shows, and I agree completely.
Also, I think during the beginning, they played some rap music to intro their set - of which, some booty-dancing took place.
Terror:
This is where the line between normalcy and insanity was drawn in the sand, moreso, to the point of which it raped something called "decency" creating a little, lovechild thing we deemed as "fucking brutality." Terror was the start of total chaos in the last three bands. They were very energetic, for sure. The only other band that I've seen live that has had that many crowd-surfers and mostly head-stompers has been Curl Up and Die. This was the theoretical "If you weren't kicked in the face at the show, then you weren't really there" statement that was formed by a few of us. Because, honestly if you missed being kicked in the face, then you had to be upstairs, and even then I'm sure people got kicked in the face up there, too! I couldn't even keep count, but if I had to guess a good seven or eight times alone were direct shoes and boots to my face. I saw my merch-woman, Julie, getting rammed against the barricade and being kicked in the face more than myself, so Dustin and I took it upon ourselves to protect her. Though, he was protecting this other hot chica, which she helped me recover my Unearth hat that was kicked from Julie's head which in all its velocity bounced off my head down between the barricade and stage. During that first moment, during the first song or so, that was when it started getting hectic.
At one point, I was trying to shield Julie from the carnage that was being reaked all throughout the front stage, when admist a mid-turn I was kicked in the back of the head by a crowd surfer. I didn't think he was a threat, because he had jumped over us completely, but he got a good shot. Now, usually I don't hit people unless they deserve it. I know if things are accidents, and this one prolly was, but it angered me a great deal. So, I waited for his feet to land upon solid ground, then I kicked him in the back with a SWAT-esque break-down-the-locked-door kick, which sent him flying to the other side of the pit's wall. Then, I turned back around to help out Julie, when all of a sudden, like five or six people just laid against me from all the pushing. I couldn't move my arms at all to help block kicks, and was defenseless myself where I took the abuse from the head-stompers. Those are the fuckers that just run on top of people's heads trying to get to the stage, if they can manage to get enough air to perform such a feat.
I lost my Atreyu hat during one song. I thought it was gone for good, cause I did my best to locate it amongst all the legs. It was on the ground for an entire song. I was pushing and punching people to find it, to no avail. After the song ended, I found it under like three people's feet, so I yanked that shit from under their shoes and continued on.
During a song's intermission, I could only see the back of Julie, but Dustin had noticed her head hanging low. He was talking to her, and she needed to get out of there. She handled herself well, for sure. Most chicks would have gone into shock from that many kicks to the head, so definite props, which ties with Dalex having stayed in the pits at the Atreyu show longer than I did. So, Dustin and I shielded her from the front by the stage to upstairs so she could relax and not fear being punched or kicked by random, rabid aficionados. We tried finding Eddie and Jason but to no avail. I bought some water for us, because we were all fucking thirsty. I proposed to go upstairs so we could get a better look. As our chargin would have it, Eddie and Jason were on the opposite side upstairs. We didn't know till later. Anyways, I stayed up there for a little bit, until a song by TBDM went by and I knew I had to get back in there. So with that, I left Julie and Dustin to go experience the pits.
The Black Dahlia Murder:
This guys are so fucking amazing. The only bad thing was that I couldn't get to the inner walls of the pit until like their last song. They played my favorite song "Funeral Thirst." That solo was better than the last time I heard it, and I think everyone agrees with that. I didn't experience too much other than tons of pushing. The main block I had from getting to the inner walls was the two security guards standing side-by-side waiting for someone to get carried away so they could throw said person into a sleeper hold to yank them from the pit. I did get to watch the actual performance a little bit. Trevor's voice is so flexible that it enshrines the potential of having the perfect screaming voice, in my opinion. The dynamics of its intricacy is stunning, and I can only imagine his vocal cords are just being ripped apart; but, he hasn't, yet, lost his harshness in it. I noticed Trevor's shoes were pink, hah! I don't have much to say about it, other than they owned, with only Unearth beating their performance. Can't wait for their next show.
Also, before I forget to mention it, I saw a few other people including Matt(madmatt) and his brother that plays in The Mosaic. I saw Matt Barret with one of his friends, which I always forget his name. I've seen him at a few other shows, too. But, I talked to them for the duration of the intermission until it transitioned from TBDM to Unearth. I saw Meade's brother, Neo, along with a few of his friends next to him. I chatted with him for a little bit.
Unearth:
This dominated the rest of the show. This time, I was able to get in the inner wall of the pit so I could have a little fun. There were quite a bit of head-stompers and crowd-surfers from what I witnessed by glancing every so often. Most notably though, the types of moshing that took place in the pit. There were a few circle pits which is self-explainitory. I've never seen a Walls of Death at a live show. I've seen them in videos on my comp, but never one at a show. This show was going to be my first, but not enough people conformed to it. It started out people calling for it, and the vocalist trying to get it started, and it looked as though it was going to happen. They tried a variation of the walls of death where everyone holds each other's hands. But, that one didn't last either, and was broken up to my dismay.
For an entire song, they had a fucking dance off. Though, it would have been made complete if they had gotten the disco ball to spin and flash. The dance off had some pretty good moshers. There were a few good breakdance moves that a two-front teeth toothless guy did. Some fat kids joined in doing some "El Roboto" moves in it. I saw a ninja or two, but they didn't have an interest in showing off their moves unless it meant a chance to kick someone in the throat. That was pretty fun and different; and, everyone respected each other's space. Actually, the women in the pit weren't horribly aggressive as I've seen in past shows, but were determined to fuck anyone up that messed with them.
I was kicked in the stomach by one kid that had finished a little stint he did in the pit. I went up to him to punch him in the face, but he gave me a "hold on a minute" signal and look. So, I knew he didn't mean to on purpose, and patted him on the chest as my approvement for a truce then went back to knocking people into the pit. Another point, I had elbowed/forearmed a guy in the back of the head, since he was getting dangerously close to hitting me with wild fists. When I hit him, my class ring flew off my hand, and I immediately caught sight of it. I charged the crowd of people next to it, swinging my arms and creating miniscule chaos enough to acquire and attain my ring once again. Some of the songs that were played were: "The Great Dividers," "This Lying World," "Endless," "Predetermined Sky." They played a few older songs from The Stings of Conscience. All in all, they were amazing. Everything I had expected and anticipated.
:@-%-@: After the Show :@-%-@:
After the encore song for Unearth, I left to head outside so I could meet up with everyone. On the way out, I was right by the two-front teeth toothless guy, and complimented him that he had some really good dance moves out there. He said he had just got his two front teeth kicked in/out a month ago. He had his stitches taken out on Tuesday and was back in for tonight to mosh a little. Then, I talked to Matt(Maelin's Dream) and his brother(The Mosaic) for a little bit. Then, I retired outside to wait for everyone. I saw Matt Barrett outside and went to talk to him for a little bit.
I talked with the guitarist from TBDM for some time. He was extremely humble and nice, and it wasn't that I expected him to not be like that, just kinda shocked. I was tempted to ask him for his guitar pic, but didn't cross the line, though I'm sure he would have given it being as nice as he was. He wore the exact same attire that he did for his last show! I went back to talk to Matt Barrett and was sitting on a white Mustang, and the big, black beefstick came over to me and asked politely that I don't sit on his car. I immediately got up and didn't sit back on it again or ever will I. I parted with Matt and his friend, then headed to my car to wait for everyone there. A huge ass truck blows his horn at me, and I think he's being an ass though he could get around me in the middle of the street. I didn't get a good look, but next I know they park ahead of where I was walking, so I get all huffed up about ready to fight whoever it is. Turns out that it was Jeff, his g/f, Dustin, and one of their friends in the backseat with Dustin.
Eddie and Jason with Julie make their way to me as I got pretty close to where my car was parked. Julie was freezing, so I had her sit in the car with the heater on, while I talked with Jeff. After a while, Jen, Lisa, and Katie come strolling up and we all talk for a little bit. We had decided to go to Taco Bell on Fowler after the show to eat some fine cuisine. Jeff didn't end up going, since he had to take everyone home and they lived pretty far out of the way.
We get to Taco Bell, and the lady tells us we can only have two orders per car. So, I buy Julie's food with my order and Eddie gets some food. Jason wasn't hungry for some reason, that dieting bastard! Lisa flashed us her ass while she was in the car, because it was too cold outside. After we were done eating, we all went to Mike's house. Jen and Lisa dropped off Katie. I dropped off Julie, so she could drive home. I had a glass of water at Mike's, we talked about the show a little bit. Then, I took Eddie and Jason to their houses.
:@-%-@: After-Thoughts :@-%-@:
Just a quick run-through for the people that don't feel like reading about my life or my experience:
- Remembering Never
These guys were great live. I thought they might be a little harder than they were, but, no doubt, were still pretty fun to watch onstage. Their performance was above-average for their hardcore metal roots. Also, these guys are out of Florida, too. So give these guys some support. Their site is: http://www.rememberingnever.net. Their show will give you a taste of a little bit of everything that a show has to offer.
- Terror
Terror will kick your ass in the pits and by the front stage. They have as much energy as The Fear Before the March of Flames and Curl Up and Die. I don't think their music beats either of the previously said bands, but they definately liven up any show experience, for sure. Give these Californian guys some love at: http://www.terrorhc.com. They will be the ones that the crowd-surfers and head-stompers masturbate to at night, no doubt.
- The Black Dahlia Murder
If you still haven't decided to check these guys out, then start now. They sport an all-star cast with Trevor leading as frontman to their dark side, vocalist talents, and their thrash death metal style. Their site can be reached by going here: http://www.theblackdahliamurder.com/. If you've heard a more flexible screaming voice than Trevor's, then you're instanteously wrong on every level. I know you will NOT find a more flexible voice, for sure.
- Unearth
They are sooo good to me. I love everything about these guys. Their new CD has been out for a few months, but it is easily the best CD out this year. The Oncoming Storm is just amazing, and sounds like a harsher version of KSE's new material. If you do nothing else, just please support these hunks of Metal and Hardcore: http://www.unearth.tv/.
Yeah, this was taken like a week ago; you can see my farmer's tan, for sure.
Yet, another one taken a week ago or so.
This one was taken yesterday, before I went to see The Grudge with some friends.
I was so not ready for this picture to be taken, just look at my facial expression!
My beautiful Unearth hat. <3333.
When I purchased this shirt, it was the last one they had of it at the merch table.
I felt like such a dumbass when I arrived at the show. I had bought my ticket a month to two
months in advance and forgot it! As you can see, the bottom one is crumpled showing its
wear-and-tear from the show along with its branded "37" by the barcode.
Other Stuff:
I saw "The Grudge" with Young Ben, Mike, Alex, and his g/f, and I thought it was pretty good. A lot of the movie reminded me of parts from The Ring. And, speaking of The Ring, part two is coming out soon and it looks pretty good from the previews they showed in the theater.
I went to the Bucs game versus the Bears, and it was a pretty satisfying experience. This makes the second time I've seen a professional game in private suite box seats, where all the food and drinks were amazing and free!
I'd like to thank Mike for making my newest Squall icon, cause we all know Squall owns Cloud. Forever and always...
:@-%-@: Before the Show :@-%-@:
Since show was starting at 7:00, if I got off work around 5:00, then I know I'd be screwed trying to get there. So, I left two hours early from work to get home and get ready. Also, I was meeting up with some friends prior to the show. I got home, took my shower, got my clothes on, when Mike IMs me on AIM to say, "Respond dickface!" while my phone was ringing. So, I answered the phone and he's all like, "Why's everyone meeting at my place?!" The best thing about that is we all pretty much agreed after some debate that Mike's(orochi_jounin) house was good meeting up point for all of us.
So, Jason(kamenriderfaiz), Eddie(theonetrueninja), and I met up with Julie(jewlee182), Jen(__shebop), Lisa(brutalbreakdown), and Katie(Andahint_Ofred). I had thought that Casey(dumshiet66) and Dustin(illuded) were going to meet up with us, as well. But, turns out Casey didn't feel like going and is stripped of all manlihood for missing a colossus show such as this. We ended up tormenting Mike for a little bit and ragging him on the show. I changed out of my fishnets, cause Mike said I smelled like ass, and when I took them off I smelled them and no doubt about it; they hadn't been washed! I put on some of Mike's cologne to hide any smell that still remained and felt much better. I've never wanted to be the smelly guy, so thanks for the blunt truth, Mike-san! So, after not getting a hold of Devin(dark_joker) and Casey, we decided to head out, because it was getting a little late.
As expected, the traffic was downright hideous and a cruel beast to all that dwelled within its constraints. I made Eddie and Jason listen to some of my righteously awesome rap, but we switched it to my "hXc mix" that Antoine made not long ago on my mp3 player. As we were getting onto I-275, I had Eddie call up Jen or Julie to ask where they were at, since we had lost sight of them somewhere on Fletcher. Eddie said they were already at "the exit" to St. Pete, so I was like WTF? How is that even possibly? Traffic is fucked; and, we got out onto Fletcher before them! So, I'm not upset, by any means, but definately perplexed as to how they managed such a feat within only ten minutes or so of driving! A little further on, Eddie called them again once we got to the exit where traffic was extremely blocked and compacted bumper-to-bumper. Then, we figured out that they must be behind us with what they told Eddie, or so we thought. A few more miles added and quite a few songs later, we are on the bridge that connects us from Tampa to St. Pete(can't recall the name right this moment) just riding along in our state of insouciance. When all of a sudden, I look into my left side-mirror and spot Lisa's psychotomimetic-colored hair and she's doing something like writing or reading. I wasn't sure of it, until they started passing us, which by I looked to my right to see three pairs of birds being flicked at us, along with a sign that reads "Bitch!" being held up to the window. Jen is a crazy driver, for sure. She loves speeding and swerving in and out of traffic, which is awesome! A few moments later, they call to say, "Now, we're ahead of you." Their own way of pouring salt on wounds.
We ended up turning the opposite direction of State Theatre, as we were getting off on the exit to 5th. We call the girls up to ask why they are heading the other direction, and they were like, "Yeah, we know that we're going the wrong way." So, we went our own way and got there, but the girls ended up there moments after we did, at any rate. So, we all walked to Daddy Kools, which is when I recalled that I had left my fucking ticket at home! So, I bought another one, cause I was not going to miss that show, for sure. We proceeded to where the line was and took our places where we would remain until they let us in. Jen and Lisa tried to make me more "scene" by adding flowers to my Atreyu hat, and they took some "scene" pics of their own for MySpace, I can only guess. While waiting for a bit, eventually Kirby(metalkirby) came with a hot asian chica and hung out with us for a little bit. I didn't get a chance to talk to him at the last show that TBDM played, but this time we talked for a bit and he's pretty bad ass. And, it wasn't too, too long after that that Jeff and Devin showed up. Jeff's new girlfriend, while not only hot, was pretty down-to-earth and just overall fun to talk around, so major props for nabbing hot, down-to-earth chicas! We were there for quite some time, and we were the first in line; however, we ended up being like 20th-odd in the damn place, because people just randomly cut in the front. Oh yeah... Jeff is a Republican! Ewww! But, to each their own, I told him we'd discuss politics online, and that all that mattered right now was the show. He agreed, no less.
Oh, by the way, Kirby asked me if I thought that now TBDM has a pretty good-sized following if they were too good to walk around before the show, and I replied with, "I hope not. They shouldn't be." Well, turns out they haven't jumped the band-wagon, as of yet. They were all walking around along with members from Remembering Never. I didn't get a chance to get my picture taken with them, but there'll always be more shows!
:@-%-@: During the Show :@-%-:
Alright, so we give the buff black man that drives the white Cobra Mustang our tickets to scan them through its system. I walked into the venue, and knew I must hit the merch table at the beginning. So, I did and I watched Lisa purchase a "Bukkake League" t-shirt. That was 0wnage. I glanced over the merch on Terror, but I had only heard their music a little bit. So, I didn't go through with getting their merch, and just looked through TBDM and Unearth. I picked up an Unearth hat along with the last TBDM shirt they had for this one design.
I forgot which intermission it was played during, but I think it was transitioning from RN to Terror, they played a little Atreyu over the speakers. I pretty much made Julie my merch-wearer. She donned the hat and wore my shirt, and it was totally sexy. Throughout the show, I went from being by the stage at the center with Dustin and Julie, to upstairs, back downstairs, the outer and mid-skirts of the mosh pit wall, and then on the actual inner wall of the mosh pit until Unearth's encore song.
Remembering Never:
Well, this part of the show was the lowest point. And, it wasn't really that low, because I enjoyed it thoroughly. It wasn't too hectic, yet it wasn't trite. It was the impeccable beginning to a show that most people ask for, something to get people warmed up and psyched for the oncoming slaughter of the next bands. I don't listen to RN that much in my free time, so I didn't know any lyrics or song titles that I could jot down for you guys. There was a little bit of everything during their performance, which consisted of: a few crowd-surfers, some decent mosh pits that formed, some spitting from the band to liven the experience(but no where near as much as the band Scarlet - they retain the title for most spitting ever in one show), a pretty good setlist was played from what I heard, and maybe a head-stomper or two. A little bit of singing was done, as expected, from hearing some of their stuff. I like that a lot, too. I like hardcore screaming mixed in with some singing, it's just more beautiful that way. This was the slowest part of the music that night, everything else became faster and faster. I enjoyed seeing RN for the first time, and I had heard they threw good live shows, and I agree completely.
Also, I think during the beginning, they played some rap music to intro their set - of which, some booty-dancing took place.
Terror:
This is where the line between normalcy and insanity was drawn in the sand, moreso, to the point of which it raped something called "decency" creating a little, lovechild thing we deemed as "fucking brutality." Terror was the start of total chaos in the last three bands. They were very energetic, for sure. The only other band that I've seen live that has had that many crowd-surfers and mostly head-stompers has been Curl Up and Die. This was the theoretical "If you weren't kicked in the face at the show, then you weren't really there" statement that was formed by a few of us. Because, honestly if you missed being kicked in the face, then you had to be upstairs, and even then I'm sure people got kicked in the face up there, too! I couldn't even keep count, but if I had to guess a good seven or eight times alone were direct shoes and boots to my face. I saw my merch-woman, Julie, getting rammed against the barricade and being kicked in the face more than myself, so Dustin and I took it upon ourselves to protect her. Though, he was protecting this other hot chica, which she helped me recover my Unearth hat that was kicked from Julie's head which in all its velocity bounced off my head down between the barricade and stage. During that first moment, during the first song or so, that was when it started getting hectic.
At one point, I was trying to shield Julie from the carnage that was being reaked all throughout the front stage, when admist a mid-turn I was kicked in the back of the head by a crowd surfer. I didn't think he was a threat, because he had jumped over us completely, but he got a good shot. Now, usually I don't hit people unless they deserve it. I know if things are accidents, and this one prolly was, but it angered me a great deal. So, I waited for his feet to land upon solid ground, then I kicked him in the back with a SWAT-esque break-down-the-locked-door kick, which sent him flying to the other side of the pit's wall. Then, I turned back around to help out Julie, when all of a sudden, like five or six people just laid against me from all the pushing. I couldn't move my arms at all to help block kicks, and was defenseless myself where I took the abuse from the head-stompers. Those are the fuckers that just run on top of people's heads trying to get to the stage, if they can manage to get enough air to perform such a feat.
I lost my Atreyu hat during one song. I thought it was gone for good, cause I did my best to locate it amongst all the legs. It was on the ground for an entire song. I was pushing and punching people to find it, to no avail. After the song ended, I found it under like three people's feet, so I yanked that shit from under their shoes and continued on.
During a song's intermission, I could only see the back of Julie, but Dustin had noticed her head hanging low. He was talking to her, and she needed to get out of there. She handled herself well, for sure. Most chicks would have gone into shock from that many kicks to the head, so definite props, which ties with Dalex having stayed in the pits at the Atreyu show longer than I did. So, Dustin and I shielded her from the front by the stage to upstairs so she could relax and not fear being punched or kicked by random, rabid aficionados. We tried finding Eddie and Jason but to no avail. I bought some water for us, because we were all fucking thirsty. I proposed to go upstairs so we could get a better look. As our chargin would have it, Eddie and Jason were on the opposite side upstairs. We didn't know till later. Anyways, I stayed up there for a little bit, until a song by TBDM went by and I knew I had to get back in there. So with that, I left Julie and Dustin to go experience the pits.
The Black Dahlia Murder:
This guys are so fucking amazing. The only bad thing was that I couldn't get to the inner walls of the pit until like their last song. They played my favorite song "Funeral Thirst." That solo was better than the last time I heard it, and I think everyone agrees with that. I didn't experience too much other than tons of pushing. The main block I had from getting to the inner walls was the two security guards standing side-by-side waiting for someone to get carried away so they could throw said person into a sleeper hold to yank them from the pit. I did get to watch the actual performance a little bit. Trevor's voice is so flexible that it enshrines the potential of having the perfect screaming voice, in my opinion. The dynamics of its intricacy is stunning, and I can only imagine his vocal cords are just being ripped apart; but, he hasn't, yet, lost his harshness in it. I noticed Trevor's shoes were pink, hah! I don't have much to say about it, other than they owned, with only Unearth beating their performance. Can't wait for their next show.
Also, before I forget to mention it, I saw a few other people including Matt(madmatt) and his brother that plays in The Mosaic. I saw Matt Barret with one of his friends, which I always forget his name. I've seen him at a few other shows, too. But, I talked to them for the duration of the intermission until it transitioned from TBDM to Unearth. I saw Meade's brother, Neo, along with a few of his friends next to him. I chatted with him for a little bit.
Unearth:
This dominated the rest of the show. This time, I was able to get in the inner wall of the pit so I could have a little fun. There were quite a bit of head-stompers and crowd-surfers from what I witnessed by glancing every so often. Most notably though, the types of moshing that took place in the pit. There were a few circle pits which is self-explainitory. I've never seen a Walls of Death at a live show. I've seen them in videos on my comp, but never one at a show. This show was going to be my first, but not enough people conformed to it. It started out people calling for it, and the vocalist trying to get it started, and it looked as though it was going to happen. They tried a variation of the walls of death where everyone holds each other's hands. But, that one didn't last either, and was broken up to my dismay.
For an entire song, they had a fucking dance off. Though, it would have been made complete if they had gotten the disco ball to spin and flash. The dance off had some pretty good moshers. There were a few good breakdance moves that a two-front teeth toothless guy did. Some fat kids joined in doing some "El Roboto" moves in it. I saw a ninja or two, but they didn't have an interest in showing off their moves unless it meant a chance to kick someone in the throat. That was pretty fun and different; and, everyone respected each other's space. Actually, the women in the pit weren't horribly aggressive as I've seen in past shows, but were determined to fuck anyone up that messed with them.
I was kicked in the stomach by one kid that had finished a little stint he did in the pit. I went up to him to punch him in the face, but he gave me a "hold on a minute" signal and look. So, I knew he didn't mean to on purpose, and patted him on the chest as my approvement for a truce then went back to knocking people into the pit. Another point, I had elbowed/forearmed a guy in the back of the head, since he was getting dangerously close to hitting me with wild fists. When I hit him, my class ring flew off my hand, and I immediately caught sight of it. I charged the crowd of people next to it, swinging my arms and creating miniscule chaos enough to acquire and attain my ring once again. Some of the songs that were played were: "The Great Dividers," "This Lying World," "Endless," "Predetermined Sky." They played a few older songs from The Stings of Conscience. All in all, they were amazing. Everything I had expected and anticipated.
:@-%-@: After the Show :@-%-@:
After the encore song for Unearth, I left to head outside so I could meet up with everyone. On the way out, I was right by the two-front teeth toothless guy, and complimented him that he had some really good dance moves out there. He said he had just got his two front teeth kicked in/out a month ago. He had his stitches taken out on Tuesday and was back in for tonight to mosh a little. Then, I talked to Matt(Maelin's Dream) and his brother(The Mosaic) for a little bit. Then, I retired outside to wait for everyone. I saw Matt Barrett outside and went to talk to him for a little bit.
I talked with the guitarist from TBDM for some time. He was extremely humble and nice, and it wasn't that I expected him to not be like that, just kinda shocked. I was tempted to ask him for his guitar pic, but didn't cross the line, though I'm sure he would have given it being as nice as he was. He wore the exact same attire that he did for his last show! I went back to talk to Matt Barrett and was sitting on a white Mustang, and the big, black beefstick came over to me and asked politely that I don't sit on his car. I immediately got up and didn't sit back on it again or ever will I. I parted with Matt and his friend, then headed to my car to wait for everyone there. A huge ass truck blows his horn at me, and I think he's being an ass though he could get around me in the middle of the street. I didn't get a good look, but next I know they park ahead of where I was walking, so I get all huffed up about ready to fight whoever it is. Turns out that it was Jeff, his g/f, Dustin, and one of their friends in the backseat with Dustin.
Eddie and Jason with Julie make their way to me as I got pretty close to where my car was parked. Julie was freezing, so I had her sit in the car with the heater on, while I talked with Jeff. After a while, Jen, Lisa, and Katie come strolling up and we all talk for a little bit. We had decided to go to Taco Bell on Fowler after the show to eat some fine cuisine. Jeff didn't end up going, since he had to take everyone home and they lived pretty far out of the way.
We get to Taco Bell, and the lady tells us we can only have two orders per car. So, I buy Julie's food with my order and Eddie gets some food. Jason wasn't hungry for some reason, that dieting bastard! Lisa flashed us her ass while she was in the car, because it was too cold outside. After we were done eating, we all went to Mike's house. Jen and Lisa dropped off Katie. I dropped off Julie, so she could drive home. I had a glass of water at Mike's, we talked about the show a little bit. Then, I took Eddie and Jason to their houses.
:@-%-@: After-Thoughts :@-%-@:
Just a quick run-through for the people that don't feel like reading about my life or my experience:
- Remembering Never
These guys were great live. I thought they might be a little harder than they were, but, no doubt, were still pretty fun to watch onstage. Their performance was above-average for their hardcore metal roots. Also, these guys are out of Florida, too. So give these guys some support. Their site is: http://www.rememberingnever.net. Their show will give you a taste of a little bit of everything that a show has to offer.
- Terror
Terror will kick your ass in the pits and by the front stage. They have as much energy as The Fear Before the March of Flames and Curl Up and Die. I don't think their music beats either of the previously said bands, but they definately liven up any show experience, for sure. Give these Californian guys some love at: http://www.terrorhc.com. They will be the ones that the crowd-surfers and head-stompers masturbate to at night, no doubt.
- The Black Dahlia Murder
If you still haven't decided to check these guys out, then start now. They sport an all-star cast with Trevor leading as frontman to their dark side, vocalist talents, and their thrash death metal style. Their site can be reached by going here: http://www.theblackdahliamurder.com/. If you've heard a more flexible screaming voice than Trevor's, then you're instanteously wrong on every level. I know you will NOT find a more flexible voice, for sure.
- Unearth
They are sooo good to me. I love everything about these guys. Their new CD has been out for a few months, but it is easily the best CD out this year. The Oncoming Storm is just amazing, and sounds like a harsher version of KSE's new material. If you do nothing else, just please support these hunks of Metal and Hardcore: http://www.unearth.tv/.
Yeah, this was taken like a week ago; you can see my farmer's tan, for sure.
Yet, another one taken a week ago or so.
This one was taken yesterday, before I went to see The Grudge with some friends.
I was so not ready for this picture to be taken, just look at my facial expression!
My beautiful Unearth hat. <3333.
When I purchased this shirt, it was the last one they had of it at the merch table.
I felt like such a dumbass when I arrived at the show. I had bought my ticket a month to two
months in advance and forgot it! As you can see, the bottom one is crumpled showing its
wear-and-tear from the show along with its branded "37" by the barcode.
Other Stuff:
I saw "The Grudge" with Young Ben, Mike, Alex, and his g/f, and I thought it was pretty good. A lot of the movie reminded me of parts from The Ring. And, speaking of The Ring, part two is coming out soon and it looks pretty good from the previews they showed in the theater.
I went to the Bucs game versus the Bears, and it was a pretty satisfying experience. This makes the second time I've seen a professional game in private suite box seats, where all the food and drinks were amazing and free!
I'd like to thank Mike for making my newest Squall icon, cause we all know Squall owns Cloud. Forever and always...