I said I was gonna do it and I actually am
So, Dethklok show!
Doors opened at 6, but 4 bands were playing, only one of which I cared about. I was feeling mighty unmotivated to even go, as it was a pajamas all day kinda Saturday, but I wasn't gonna not go because that would be a waste of good money. Instead I wasted too much time to get there when the show started and got there at like 7:20.
I walked into the concert area, took in just how large the place was, and then walked about because the first band was offending my senses.
I went to the merch table, bought a t-shirt, and then put it on under my hoodie, on top of my other shirt. I knew I would regret three layers, but it was shou ga nai.
While the first band, High on Fire, was still playing I called my sister because I needed to kill time until their set was over. We talked about the incredible feel-good subject of student loans for 20 minutes. By the time I hung up the second band, Converge, was playing. I went inside to the floor area and stood in the back. Normally when I go to shows I do kinda feel like I should clap for opening bands. It's not their fault they're not as awesome as the band I actually paid to see. But I was so far back it didn't matter. I'm used to club shows where my apathy is more noticeable. At the WaMu Theater my lack of reaction at the end of a song is hardly noteworthy.
Converge wasn't doing anything for me either. They played the kind of metal that involves unintelligible screaming, and if there's one thing I demand in my music more often than not, it's a nice voice.
When their set was over a lot of people left the floor to do things like go to the bathroom. I used this opportunity to move up a lot closer for Mastodon. I figured since they were sharing the heading with Dethklok, they were worth the effort.
I ended up a row behind the mosh pit (when I speak of rows in the context of concerts, I mean people's bodies). That was unintentional, but I managed to always have at least one guy in front of me so I didn't have to spend too much energy pushing guys out of my way. I decided that I need to write a sociological paper on homosocial behavior of mosh pits, the unspoken rules, and just the idea of a socially sanctioned space for behavior that men can't express in their average day. Unless dudes really do stand around and push each other all the time and no one's told me.
Mastodon was a vast improvement in the vocals department, and I did enjoy quite a few of their songs. Their bassist was rocking this fantastic anarchist mullet. Though I hate mullets, I have become a bit knowledgeable on the anarchist variety thanks to living in the pacific northwest. Also, I should Google this for comfirmation, but their drummer looked pretty hot. [Googled, opinion stands.] I was also mildly amused by how much one of their guitarists looked like a homeless guy. Oh, and the other guitarist was wearing a t-shirt with a unicorn head on it. I wasn't able to see if there was anything more than a head. But I figure all those things put together is certainly a band I can get behind.
After Mastodon finished a bunch of people left the floor again, which I was not expecting. I was able to get 2-3 rows from the barricades. I do kinda miss Japanese shows only in the sense that there were never any barricades (Japanese people are far too polite to do things like climb on stage, like an American would), so you could get even closer to the stage.
Dethklok used the same bit they used the last time with the premise that the show was a part of a Metalocalypse episode. The unfortunate thing was that they used the same FOOTAGE from the last time. This only bothered me in the sense that they surely could have made new footage in the last YEAR since they toured, but it had been a year since they did it after all, and it's really not the purpose for being at the show anyway, so I consider it a very minor indiscretion. A lot of the people in the audience laughed at stuff, so clearly they'd never seen it. One short dude got really huffy about it and started shouting "rerun! Rerun! This is from last season!" but I think someone finally told him to STFU cuz no one gave a shit.
Oh, I should mention all the marijuana. There were people smoking in the theater, and I considered being upset because obviously I hate tobacco, but no one was close enough for me to know for sure whether or not it really was tobacco. When I was closer to the stage, however, it was clear that it was weed that was being smoked by random people who were generally hard to pinpoint, and I am a-okay with that.
Anyway, so when Dethklok, or, Brendon Small ♥ & Co. came out everyone behind me immediately rushed towards to stage, which meant that me and everyone around knew exactly what it felt like to be a sardine. This is something I've experienced before, but with an audience bigger than I'm used to, all these normal floor behaviors were amplified.
For instance, crowd swaying. I don't know how it happens, but I assume someone decides, hey, let's push everyone left! and then whoever's all the way on the left is like "get off me," and pushes the person next to them to their right. And this goes back and forth. And us in the middle have no control over the situation, and we spend a lot of time trying not to fall over.
And this show was the first time I ever fell down, and I went down with at least 10 other people. And I'm still trying to figure out the physics of it. Because as far as I recall, I was brought down from behind, but I fell backwards. Weird, right? My closest guess is that for whatever reason a bunch of people just ran out of places to put their feet, which obviously is a huge deal when you're trying to keep your balance while you're accosted from 10 different directions. Those people, unable to take a step back, just toppled over, and everyone in front of them also wanted to take a step back, but couldn't, with there being a body there and all, and also toppled over, which had a funny reverse domino effect that I got caught up in. Getting up has to be done hurriedly, because everyone has probably got a couple people on top of them, but it's a really awkward position to try and get up from. I definitely pulled myself up by grabbing onto the guy in front of me, and using some random thigh muscles I never use.
Other "occupational" hazards include crowd surfers, which I've had to talk about before, seeing as I was once kicked in the face by one. It's the kind of thing that can be hard to avoid, but there was enough chatter when one was coming overhead that I was able to duck and cover. My hair got messed up a bunch, but that was fine.
The other hazard was losing my glasses. I was quick to have my hands by my face, so if something unexpected occurred, like a crowd surfer, I could grab onto them and keep them in place. All in all I didn't have any close calls or anything with nearly losing them. I would say my height was a factor in that, but it really wasn't because the two times they were knocked off I was heads taller than everyone around me, and because at this show many, many of the people were around my height. At the end of the show I did spot two pairs of glasses on the floor, one of them smashed, so I count myself lucky. If I went to concerts a lot more often, I would consider getting contacts, though.
Dethklok played some songs I was less familiar with, as well as some fan favorites. I was in the center when the show started, but got moved closer to center-stage right, which is a perfectly good place to be in, as you get a lot of guitar action that way. Brendan Small ♥ and the other dude are obviously fantastic guitarists, so having them walk right up to the edge of the stage and play a solo is a thrill. Brendon Small would scan the crowd, which for some reason I love watching musicians do, and I think there was a point when I made some fleeting eye contact. I have yet to seduce him with my feminine wiles, as being pushed up against sweaty dudes and gasping for air isn't the best tactic for getting his attention, but I haven't given up hope.
I realized the level of mental and physical toll that these shows demand, as someone who chooses to put herself in the middle of the action. Physically, I'm being pushed, smushed, grabbed, sometimes elbowed, jostled, people are falling on my head, stealing my foot space, and I have to fight to stay in place and upright. Mentally I've got to pay attention to a number of things at once: where are my feet? Where do I grab? Where can I put my arm? My pants are falling down, can I reach them? Not to mention watching the band, watching the music video in the background, and singing along to the parts I know. I'm still sore today, but I think being sore from a concert is incredibly enjoyable. And I will say that after about 6 or so songs, the crowd's antics calmed down a LOT. I was super exhausted, and I'm sure everyone else was.
Another aspect of my lack of motivation was the lack of consideration I took in my appearance. I didn't wash my face, my hair or even shower. What would have been the point? With dudes falling on me every few minutes, my hair got all jacked up anyway. I was surrounded by sweaty guys, fortunately the majority of which didn't smell like sweat, and I was wearing three layers, so I was sweaty, too. Maybe if there was some ability for me to have sex with meet Brendon Small after the show, I would have gave a shit.
So, with all the risk I take getting pummeled and bruised why do I love going to concerts? Other than the obvious reasons (loving the music and loving to see bands perform live), I also love the outlet that being in the crowd affords me. As one of the nameless strangers, I can rock out as hard as I want to. When else do I get the chance to scream at the top of my lungs, jump around, and throw my fist into the air? When else can I shout along with hundreds (or dozens, I've been to some small shows) of other people? On the one hand there's the opportunity to be uninhibited in ways that I rarely get to experience in my daily life, on the other hand, who doesn't like to be a part of a like-minded collective sometimes?
It's midnight, and in a perfect world I would have been asleep an hour ago, so I'll leave it here. I think I've pretty much said everything I need to say anyway.
Doors opened at 6, but 4 bands were playing, only one of which I cared about. I was feeling mighty unmotivated to even go, as it was a pajamas all day kinda Saturday, but I wasn't gonna not go because that would be a waste of good money. Instead I wasted too much time to get there when the show started and got there at like 7:20.
I walked into the concert area, took in just how large the place was, and then walked about because the first band was offending my senses.
I went to the merch table, bought a t-shirt, and then put it on under my hoodie, on top of my other shirt. I knew I would regret three layers, but it was shou ga nai.
While the first band, High on Fire, was still playing I called my sister because I needed to kill time until their set was over. We talked about the incredible feel-good subject of student loans for 20 minutes. By the time I hung up the second band, Converge, was playing. I went inside to the floor area and stood in the back. Normally when I go to shows I do kinda feel like I should clap for opening bands. It's not their fault they're not as awesome as the band I actually paid to see. But I was so far back it didn't matter. I'm used to club shows where my apathy is more noticeable. At the WaMu Theater my lack of reaction at the end of a song is hardly noteworthy.
Converge wasn't doing anything for me either. They played the kind of metal that involves unintelligible screaming, and if there's one thing I demand in my music more often than not, it's a nice voice.
When their set was over a lot of people left the floor to do things like go to the bathroom. I used this opportunity to move up a lot closer for Mastodon. I figured since they were sharing the heading with Dethklok, they were worth the effort.
I ended up a row behind the mosh pit (when I speak of rows in the context of concerts, I mean people's bodies). That was unintentional, but I managed to always have at least one guy in front of me so I didn't have to spend too much energy pushing guys out of my way. I decided that I need to write a sociological paper on homosocial behavior of mosh pits, the unspoken rules, and just the idea of a socially sanctioned space for behavior that men can't express in their average day. Unless dudes really do stand around and push each other all the time and no one's told me.
Mastodon was a vast improvement in the vocals department, and I did enjoy quite a few of their songs. Their bassist was rocking this fantastic anarchist mullet. Though I hate mullets, I have become a bit knowledgeable on the anarchist variety thanks to living in the pacific northwest. Also, I should Google this for comfirmation, but their drummer looked pretty hot. [Googled, opinion stands.] I was also mildly amused by how much one of their guitarists looked like a homeless guy. Oh, and the other guitarist was wearing a t-shirt with a unicorn head on it. I wasn't able to see if there was anything more than a head. But I figure all those things put together is certainly a band I can get behind.
After Mastodon finished a bunch of people left the floor again, which I was not expecting. I was able to get 2-3 rows from the barricades. I do kinda miss Japanese shows only in the sense that there were never any barricades (Japanese people are far too polite to do things like climb on stage, like an American would), so you could get even closer to the stage.
Dethklok used the same bit they used the last time with the premise that the show was a part of a Metalocalypse episode. The unfortunate thing was that they used the same FOOTAGE from the last time. This only bothered me in the sense that they surely could have made new footage in the last YEAR since they toured, but it had been a year since they did it after all, and it's really not the purpose for being at the show anyway, so I consider it a very minor indiscretion. A lot of the people in the audience laughed at stuff, so clearly they'd never seen it. One short dude got really huffy about it and started shouting "rerun! Rerun! This is from last season!" but I think someone finally told him to STFU cuz no one gave a shit.
Oh, I should mention all the marijuana. There were people smoking in the theater, and I considered being upset because obviously I hate tobacco, but no one was close enough for me to know for sure whether or not it really was tobacco. When I was closer to the stage, however, it was clear that it was weed that was being smoked by random people who were generally hard to pinpoint, and I am a-okay with that.
Anyway, so when Dethklok, or, Brendon Small ♥ & Co. came out everyone behind me immediately rushed towards to stage, which meant that me and everyone around knew exactly what it felt like to be a sardine. This is something I've experienced before, but with an audience bigger than I'm used to, all these normal floor behaviors were amplified.
For instance, crowd swaying. I don't know how it happens, but I assume someone decides, hey, let's push everyone left! and then whoever's all the way on the left is like "get off me," and pushes the person next to them to their right. And this goes back and forth. And us in the middle have no control over the situation, and we spend a lot of time trying not to fall over.
And this show was the first time I ever fell down, and I went down with at least 10 other people. And I'm still trying to figure out the physics of it. Because as far as I recall, I was brought down from behind, but I fell backwards. Weird, right? My closest guess is that for whatever reason a bunch of people just ran out of places to put their feet, which obviously is a huge deal when you're trying to keep your balance while you're accosted from 10 different directions. Those people, unable to take a step back, just toppled over, and everyone in front of them also wanted to take a step back, but couldn't, with there being a body there and all, and also toppled over, which had a funny reverse domino effect that I got caught up in. Getting up has to be done hurriedly, because everyone has probably got a couple people on top of them, but it's a really awkward position to try and get up from. I definitely pulled myself up by grabbing onto the guy in front of me, and using some random thigh muscles I never use.
Other "occupational" hazards include crowd surfers, which I've had to talk about before, seeing as I was once kicked in the face by one. It's the kind of thing that can be hard to avoid, but there was enough chatter when one was coming overhead that I was able to duck and cover. My hair got messed up a bunch, but that was fine.
The other hazard was losing my glasses. I was quick to have my hands by my face, so if something unexpected occurred, like a crowd surfer, I could grab onto them and keep them in place. All in all I didn't have any close calls or anything with nearly losing them. I would say my height was a factor in that, but it really wasn't because the two times they were knocked off I was heads taller than everyone around me, and because at this show many, many of the people were around my height. At the end of the show I did spot two pairs of glasses on the floor, one of them smashed, so I count myself lucky. If I went to concerts a lot more often, I would consider getting contacts, though.
Dethklok played some songs I was less familiar with, as well as some fan favorites. I was in the center when the show started, but got moved closer to center-stage right, which is a perfectly good place to be in, as you get a lot of guitar action that way. Brendan Small ♥ and the other dude are obviously fantastic guitarists, so having them walk right up to the edge of the stage and play a solo is a thrill. Brendon Small would scan the crowd, which for some reason I love watching musicians do, and I think there was a point when I made some fleeting eye contact. I have yet to seduce him with my feminine wiles, as being pushed up against sweaty dudes and gasping for air isn't the best tactic for getting his attention, but I haven't given up hope.
I realized the level of mental and physical toll that these shows demand, as someone who chooses to put herself in the middle of the action. Physically, I'm being pushed, smushed, grabbed, sometimes elbowed, jostled, people are falling on my head, stealing my foot space, and I have to fight to stay in place and upright. Mentally I've got to pay attention to a number of things at once: where are my feet? Where do I grab? Where can I put my arm? My pants are falling down, can I reach them? Not to mention watching the band, watching the music video in the background, and singing along to the parts I know. I'm still sore today, but I think being sore from a concert is incredibly enjoyable. And I will say that after about 6 or so songs, the crowd's antics calmed down a LOT. I was super exhausted, and I'm sure everyone else was.
Another aspect of my lack of motivation was the lack of consideration I took in my appearance. I didn't wash my face, my hair or even shower. What would have been the point? With dudes falling on me every few minutes, my hair got all jacked up anyway. I was surrounded by sweaty guys, fortunately the majority of which didn't smell like sweat, and I was wearing three layers, so I was sweaty, too. Maybe if there was some ability for me to have sex with meet Brendon Small after the show, I would have gave a shit.
So, with all the risk I take getting pummeled and bruised why do I love going to concerts? Other than the obvious reasons (loving the music and loving to see bands perform live), I also love the outlet that being in the crowd affords me. As one of the nameless strangers, I can rock out as hard as I want to. When else do I get the chance to scream at the top of my lungs, jump around, and throw my fist into the air? When else can I shout along with hundreds (or dozens, I've been to some small shows) of other people? On the one hand there's the opportunity to be uninhibited in ways that I rarely get to experience in my daily life, on the other hand, who doesn't like to be a part of a like-minded collective sometimes?
It's midnight, and in a perfect world I would have been asleep an hour ago, so I'll leave it here. I think I've pretty much said everything I need to say anyway.