Like Diamonds in the Ground
I wrote this Monday, after attending one of the best concerts I've been to... even though I've only been to a couple. It was simply amazing. There was a lot of shit to get to it, but it was beautiful.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Alright, so I think I can best describe the past 24 hours as the Good the Bad and the Ugly. Make that the AMAZING and the ABSOLUTELY SHITTY.
Everything besides the concert itself was an absolute nightmare, but the show was so just utterly beautiful, it was totally worth all the shit. It was like a gorgeous jewel wrapped in a piece of moldy bacon. Or well, you know, shit. DX Still beautiful, but it took some digging to get to.
Not sure if I'd go to DC again, but Covenant, I want to see you again. ;_;
Let me talk about all the shitty things first, so this ends on a high note. : ]
We started off late, it was raining, we hit traffic going up to DC at rush hour, so it was already off to a bad start. We were in the car from 4 - 8PM, roughly. x_x What was WORSE, though, was that Google maps fucked us in the ass, saying the club Covenant was playing at was at M and 8th streets. THERE WAS NOTHING FUCKING THERE. Driving around in the most asinine grid system known to man, with one way streets that made things impossible, hitting every single red light, and waiting on sluggish pedestrians and taxi cabs, we were trying to find the club for AT LEAST an hour.
We finally had to get out at a 7-11 and ask some cops where the fuck this place was, and they said it was on U and 8th. U!!! So shortly thereafter, we found it.
But then we still had to find the hotel - but it was comparably less disastrous, since those directions worked. It ended up being next to a shady as HELL looking... packing area? Loading? Storage? Transport? SOMEthing area, with lots of warehouses, so that was... comforting.
I swear... This town was WORSE than playing Silent Hill, with all the road blocks and asinine searching around. And I may love decrepit buildings, but I love RICHMOND's decrepit-ness - old, historical grunge. DC has some really ghetto, uncomfortably grungy areas that I wouldn't ever want to step out of the car to even photograph. x_x
But anyway.
We checked into the hotel, made it back to the club, and went to park, and we were stopped by a guy - who charged us $20!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TO PARK. FINANCIAL RAPE. We quickly found out DC IS financial rape in general - $3 to CHECK YOUR COAT in the club, and 5 cents for A PLASTIC BAG??? FFFFFFFFFFF.
But ANYWAYS, we thought the guy was joking. He wasn't. "You want your car to be safe, right?" he asked. That seemed... alarmingly threatening. I don't know what the fuck he was, IF that was even the official lot, because there was another fenced-off area to the side. I don't know. BUT, I get a thing from Facebook, saying that if you mentioned the event, you got a discount. WE sure as hell didn't, though, and if we did... I shudder to think.
He also said "It should be done around 12 or 12:30, right?" I don't know if I didn't hear it, or didn't take it that way, but this made Nisse and Erin pretty damn worried about the car past then, so... *sigh* What BULLshit.
There was nothing really awful about the prom/concert though, except the ONE CREEPY DRUNK GUY behind Nisse and I. He kept trying to grab for her, since she kept looking past him to look at a friend. With me, he tapped my shoulder, and I was just like "Hmm?" and looked back at him. Then he tapped me again, and I ignored it. THEN... I think he might've been trying to touch my ass. D: Because I kept feeling this 'tap... tap' every other beat, until I just swatted at thin air behind me. After that, it stopped, and he disappeared, replaced by another guy, so I think he might've shoved him aside. x_x Horribly distracting from the awesomeness going on in front of me. T_T
Nisse saw him later, too, and we were both like *shudder* NO.
Shit AFTER the show was when everyone was too tired and hungry to be able to stay for very long, and then, the subsequent hungry tired hunt for food. We ended up JUST as lost as before, driving around in circles, running into every closed restaurant DC had to offer... as well as several churches. It was midnight on a Sunday, and NOTHING was open 24 hours. We eventually had to stop at a 7-11 so we didn't DIE, and that's where they charged us 5 cents for a fucking plastic bag.
And after so SO long of frustration and anguish, we end up seeing the Wendys - near the hotel - that was STILL OPEN. AKDSHGAISDGHOASNGG.
The hotel had no batteries in the TV remote, no clock, no shampoo, only 2 towels, the drain in the tub didn't work, and the beds were impossible to relax on - "like a stone slab" Erin said. x_x
By this morning, everyone was ready to GTFO.
BUT. THAT'S ENOUGH OF THIS. GOOD STUFF NOW.
The show itself was fantastic. The 'prom' part wasn't so entertaining to me, but eh. We got there when the prom started, so hardly anyone was there to begin with.
OH
BUT.
When we first got there, first got to the second floor, where the bands were later going to play, I saw a man in a suit walk across the dance floor, smiling coolly. I thought he looked somewhat like the singer for Covenant, but I wasn't sure, only having seen him in pictures - but he definitely had this serene presence about him. I wanted to say something to you guys but didn't, half-stunned, half-unsure, and having him walk by too quickly for me TO say anything. T_T I'm sorry. Because it WAS him. D8 I walked right by him aaaaaaaaaaah.
But anyways, by the time the opening act, the Hellblinki Sextet, was halfway through, there was a sizable crowd forming, and for Covenant, there was a mob, and the place was bumping. SO GREAT.
The Hellblinki Sextet were a good group, but seemed to have a hard time getting the crowd to dance and be pumped up. But they were still pretty DAMN awesome. They were really a trio, where everyone played at least 2 instruments. XD There was the singer, with impeccable makeup and hair and a top hat, who also played guitar AND drums, another singer, a woman, with an absolutely beautiful voice, who also played accordian and toy piano, and a bassist AND key-tar-ist. :P They did some pretty clever songs, some good covers (they did Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and it was AWESOMMEE! - different, but sung very well.) And, their last song was about not going out in the woods, because there's something out there!!! and there was a "monster" with an awesome mask and long clawed hands, all white, in a jumpsuit, who came out, terrorized the band, and then moved menacingly through the crowd. It was pretty amazing, probably one of my favorites of theirs.
After them, there was a brief interlude of dancing. I really had gotten out of the groove of the whole goth-industrial dancing... thing... so I was hesitant to go out there, but wanted to, and finally did on a song where I could have fun with it and couldn't stand being on the sidelines anymore. : ] Thanks so much to Nisse and Erin! who danced with me, it was a lot of fun. I danced some by myself, but it was not as much fun as with you guys. : ]
We also camped out near the front of the stage to get good spots, and HOLY GOD YES, WE DID. We were on the far right (stage left) of the area, so much so that we kind of had our own corner. RIGHT NEXT TO THE STAGE. It was perfect until Tall Black Man with a Camera and his girlfriend-who-couldn't-stay-in-one-spot moved in front of us, but even then, they were tolerable. We were in a prime photography spot, so we had to deal with the photographers, but other than that, it was GREAT.
HOLY
GOD.
They were a little late to come to the stage, and so I was standing there in my ill-picked-out heeled boots, shaking with nerves and anticipation... and then lo and behold, they came out one by one, everyone cheering and screaming. Daniel Myer, the drummer/main beat guy, it seemed, who also did synth work, then Joakim Montelius, who I think did lead synth/keyboards, and some backup vocals, and then finally Eskil Simonsson, the lead singer. And so it began.
This is what I can remember from what they played, please inform me of anything I messed up, because I want to know x_x
(a new song?)
Invisible and Silent (his favorite ballad. :3)
(another new song about trains? FAIL on my part)
Ritual Noise (his favorite song)
We Stand Alone
We Want Revolution
Monochrome (I think? not sure)
Call our Ships to Port
*Stalker
Probably one or two more in there. x_x
Like Tears in Rain (with a brief bit of Der Leiermann!!)
(an "old school" B-side)
...SOMEthing else...
Gaaaaah I wish I could remember. DX
aka a LOT of songs I knew, and some I didn't, which both were great! :D
It started off with more mellow songs, and the audience sort of swaying, and such, but as the concert went on, everyone got way more into it, and it was amazing. And Eskil Simonsson (the singer)... holy dear sweet god, he is a gorgeous man. XD A tall, thin man in an impeccable suit (when he lost the jacket, a lady behind me screamed "take it off, take it all off!" - to which he smiled! XD) and with blonde flippy hair, with a Swedish accent and a lovely voice!! *AHEM* but he was like the ring leader of this whole thing, and seemed to be enjoying it just as much as we were. He continually, continually said "Thank you," to which we all just screamed. Thank YOU, dear sir, for coming all this way! But he was always encouraging the audience to sing along (which I felt awful sometimes, knowing the general sound, but not the words, so I couldn't always.. D:) and dance. I began to follow his lead for when you were supposed to be still and and supposed to be dancing. It was pretty damn awesome.
Just so amazing. D:
And he'd throw in quips like "This is the new song from our album..." or "I'm going to sing my favorite ballad, from Northern Light," or "This is my favorite song." :3 It was kind of adorable. One time, he included "And thanks to all of you in the back there as well! I didn't mean to leave you out!" or something like that, and there was also a "Thank you all, you're beautiful." XD
NO YOU!
Also, Joakim kept horsing around with the other guys, which looked at first a bit intimate? XD BUT THEY'RE SWEDES so it's not a big deal. He kissed the drummer on the head, and once put Eskil's head in an arm lock, to where he was being dragged a little and flailing. XD Funny stuff.
Eskil also kept trying to get people to sing more loudly for "Invisible and Silent" and I tried. XD And on "Call our Ships to Port," he'd pause, I think so we'd fill in, but to no avail! Ah well.
I have to say, I was really skeptical to start, actually, of how this would go. I don't know a lot of their music, mostly things I heard from Erin, and, I haven't been to many concerts. The last (and only 'band' concert not involved with my school) I was at was MSI back in 2008? and they're super-hyperactive and crazy. Covenant seems much more methodical and low key, hypnotic, almost, in recorded form - not as angry or hyper as some groups - so I wasn't sure how it would go live. But it was just... totally incredible.
The combination of the loud music, the top-notch lighting in time with the show, and of course, the band operating all of the songs live, all the electronic bits, the singing, the dancing BY the singer, the drummer who was super-intense - I mean, literally beating the CRAP out of those drums... it all came together to make this beautiful performance.
I think I finally "got it" when they played Eskil's proclaimed favorite, "Ritual Noise." He just kept saying "We make ritual noise," over and over, in the lyrics, and it was on this song that the show got more amped up and intense, the drummer busted out his drums, the strobe lights went absolutely wild, and I started jumping and stomping like there was no tomorrow. It was like a ritual. It was something absolutely holy, very tribal, being played with electronic music - but it was electronic music with humans. A whole crowd of people swaying and jumping and dancing to a beat you could feel vibrating in your bones.
It was absolutely amazing.
I felt sorry for the photographers, standing still in the pulsating crowd, who weren't experiencing this incredible thing (and the girl I saw texting!!! D8). Sometimes, I wished I was more in the middle of the mob, but I wouldn't have traded our close as hell spots for the WORLD.
Once I took my coat off, too, and tied it around my waist, my arms were more eager to move, too - the singer would raise his hands, and we'd all follow suit, and the like. I found myself, towards the end, growing more and more... loose? would you call it? and not so concerned about what other people saw me as, my face and body just reacting to the whole show - I'd literally stand with my eyes bugging out, anticipating what was next. I felt every emotion be SUPER readable on my face - I'm like that anyway, but it seemed hyper-exaggerated, possibly because of the whole situation. And then, when they would start the next song, a giant smile would break out, everyone would cheer, and I'd find myself clapping along with the beat... Also, somewhere along the line, my legs just stopped hurting, probably from adrenaline or something. XD I was tired, dehydrated and hungry, but didn't feel it until later, after the music went away.
And I was just so glad to see the songs I knew being performed, it was just so awesome. XD They'd start playing a familiar beat, and everyone would just scream!!
AAAAAH IT WAS AWESOME.
They said they were going to "end it on a high note" and they did, playing... gah, one I knew, a good one. x_x I was stoked - they LEFT us stoked. And the crowd stomped and screamed for an encore... and nothing happened.
We were all starting to wonder if they'd come back out, as cheering continued.
Then the drummer came back, and said "We couldn't really hear you all back there..." to which everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. "Now we can hear you." XD And he scuttled off backstage, and then everyone came back out slowly - and it was "Der Leiermann." D: One of my favorites, and Erin's. Eskil starts singing and-
The sound stops. D8 Everyone just kind of laughs, the band included, and the tech crew comes right by us to fix a cord that got unplugged. XD While this is happening, the singer goes a cappella (someone in the audience shouted "Beatbox!!") but oh my god - a cappella German singing? Beautifully, while he smiled doing it?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
When the sound came back, they tried picking it up, and then it stopped again. Eskil says "We're going to start over. So when I make my entrance... none of this ever happened." XD And he goes backstage, and we cheer for him again when he returns. XD
And the encore was great as well - on some songs Eskil even leaned over the audience, and had someone sing into the microphone D8 (LUCKY!) - my god, even when he looked in my/our general direction, I was like AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! <3 XD. And on at least one song, he let the synth guys take over and solo, and they were amazing as well. Just super awesome. D: I'm sorry I keep slipping into superlatives, but I can't describe it very well otherwise.
We were also right near a speaker, so it was very very loud. My ears are still ringing today. x_x But it was great while we were there. XD
The show ended with Eskil parting ways with the instrumentalists, and then them going off on a crazy awesome solo tangent, and bringing everything back down, and then ending it on one fantastic note. And then they were gone.
We tried for an encore, but the emcee stopped us, pretty much telling us the show was over. We'd hoped for another 20 minutes, but we did get a solid hour and a half of pure electronica awesomeness, so I'm not that unhappy about it. ; ]
We'd also hoped for merch and autographs, but they were sold out of T-shirts by the time we FOUND the vendor, and after climbing up and down the stairs looking all over for where they were signing, we couldn't find the band. Nisse asked Miko, a DJ, if he knew what was going on, and he said he'd ask around, but we didn't see him before we were about to pass out and the car was possibly going to be in trouble. D: And the prom... well, looked like a prom where everyone was goth. XD Fun to watch, but not my cup of tea. So we had to leave.
But, I did get to snag a souvenir flyer/card (which is lovely) on the way out. I'm going to see if they have merch for sale online, since they didn't there. x_x And I think I'm going to write them a letter, since I didn't get to say it in person, just about how much I appreciated and enjoyed the show, and I hope they come back. D:
For all its trouble, it was just a beautiful, lovely show. And it was so... sincere. It was straight from the gut and heart of the performers, it was like an experience to be shared, something lovely. The thanks Eskil gave us weren't false - it was a profoundly honest performance. I really loved how it was in this small, dark venue, with the lights just so, how close we were, how close everyone was. It was a very intimate, loud, gorgeous thing.
When the music would build, a few words would be sung, then the beat would just explode, the lights would strobe, and we'd all jump and dance at once - that split second, that moment, is what I'll take with me from this forever.
Thank you so much, Covenant, for coming here, from the bottom of my heart.
We want Revolution - from the show. This is the only video I can find from our particular show, I just wish it didn't show how fail everyone was at singing along. XD Come on, people!
We Stand Alone - This was more or less how the show looked. I was standing in roughly the same spot aaagh! XD Except there was no bar there, so we were standing riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight next to the stage, practically... this place looks a bit bigger, but it's similar.
Ritual Noise - THIS one's really professionally done, and you get lots of lovely pictures of Eskil singing. <3
Also, this song is where the drummer first busted out the drums like that, so haaah. : ] So cool. XD
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
Alright, so I think I can best describe the past 24 hours as the Good the Bad and the Ugly. Make that the AMAZING and the ABSOLUTELY SHITTY.
Everything besides the concert itself was an absolute nightmare, but the show was so just utterly beautiful, it was totally worth all the shit. It was like a gorgeous jewel wrapped in a piece of moldy bacon. Or well, you know, shit. DX Still beautiful, but it took some digging to get to.
Not sure if I'd go to DC again, but Covenant, I want to see you again. ;_;
Let me talk about all the shitty things first, so this ends on a high note. : ]
We started off late, it was raining, we hit traffic going up to DC at rush hour, so it was already off to a bad start. We were in the car from 4 - 8PM, roughly. x_x What was WORSE, though, was that Google maps fucked us in the ass, saying the club Covenant was playing at was at M and 8th streets. THERE WAS NOTHING FUCKING THERE. Driving around in the most asinine grid system known to man, with one way streets that made things impossible, hitting every single red light, and waiting on sluggish pedestrians and taxi cabs, we were trying to find the club for AT LEAST an hour.
We finally had to get out at a 7-11 and ask some cops where the fuck this place was, and they said it was on U and 8th. U!!! So shortly thereafter, we found it.
But then we still had to find the hotel - but it was comparably less disastrous, since those directions worked. It ended up being next to a shady as HELL looking... packing area? Loading? Storage? Transport? SOMEthing area, with lots of warehouses, so that was... comforting.
I swear... This town was WORSE than playing Silent Hill, with all the road blocks and asinine searching around. And I may love decrepit buildings, but I love RICHMOND's decrepit-ness - old, historical grunge. DC has some really ghetto, uncomfortably grungy areas that I wouldn't ever want to step out of the car to even photograph. x_x
But anyway.
We checked into the hotel, made it back to the club, and went to park, and we were stopped by a guy - who charged us $20!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TO PARK. FINANCIAL RAPE. We quickly found out DC IS financial rape in general - $3 to CHECK YOUR COAT in the club, and 5 cents for A PLASTIC BAG??? FFFFFFFFFFF.
But ANYWAYS, we thought the guy was joking. He wasn't. "You want your car to be safe, right?" he asked. That seemed... alarmingly threatening. I don't know what the fuck he was, IF that was even the official lot, because there was another fenced-off area to the side. I don't know. BUT, I get a thing from Facebook, saying that if you mentioned the event, you got a discount. WE sure as hell didn't, though, and if we did... I shudder to think.
He also said "It should be done around 12 or 12:30, right?" I don't know if I didn't hear it, or didn't take it that way, but this made Nisse and Erin pretty damn worried about the car past then, so... *sigh* What BULLshit.
There was nothing really awful about the prom/concert though, except the ONE CREEPY DRUNK GUY behind Nisse and I. He kept trying to grab for her, since she kept looking past him to look at a friend. With me, he tapped my shoulder, and I was just like "Hmm?" and looked back at him. Then he tapped me again, and I ignored it. THEN... I think he might've been trying to touch my ass. D: Because I kept feeling this 'tap... tap' every other beat, until I just swatted at thin air behind me. After that, it stopped, and he disappeared, replaced by another guy, so I think he might've shoved him aside. x_x Horribly distracting from the awesomeness going on in front of me. T_T
Nisse saw him later, too, and we were both like *shudder* NO.
Shit AFTER the show was when everyone was too tired and hungry to be able to stay for very long, and then, the subsequent hungry tired hunt for food. We ended up JUST as lost as before, driving around in circles, running into every closed restaurant DC had to offer... as well as several churches. It was midnight on a Sunday, and NOTHING was open 24 hours. We eventually had to stop at a 7-11 so we didn't DIE, and that's where they charged us 5 cents for a fucking plastic bag.
And after so SO long of frustration and anguish, we end up seeing the Wendys - near the hotel - that was STILL OPEN. AKDSHGAISDGHOASNGG.
The hotel had no batteries in the TV remote, no clock, no shampoo, only 2 towels, the drain in the tub didn't work, and the beds were impossible to relax on - "like a stone slab" Erin said. x_x
By this morning, everyone was ready to GTFO.
BUT. THAT'S ENOUGH OF THIS. GOOD STUFF NOW.
The show itself was fantastic. The 'prom' part wasn't so entertaining to me, but eh. We got there when the prom started, so hardly anyone was there to begin with.
OH
BUT.
When we first got there, first got to the second floor, where the bands were later going to play, I saw a man in a suit walk across the dance floor, smiling coolly. I thought he looked somewhat like the singer for Covenant, but I wasn't sure, only having seen him in pictures - but he definitely had this serene presence about him. I wanted to say something to you guys but didn't, half-stunned, half-unsure, and having him walk by too quickly for me TO say anything. T_T I'm sorry. Because it WAS him. D8 I walked right by him aaaaaaaaaaah.
But anyways, by the time the opening act, the Hellblinki Sextet, was halfway through, there was a sizable crowd forming, and for Covenant, there was a mob, and the place was bumping. SO GREAT.
The Hellblinki Sextet were a good group, but seemed to have a hard time getting the crowd to dance and be pumped up. But they were still pretty DAMN awesome. They were really a trio, where everyone played at least 2 instruments. XD There was the singer, with impeccable makeup and hair and a top hat, who also played guitar AND drums, another singer, a woman, with an absolutely beautiful voice, who also played accordian and toy piano, and a bassist AND key-tar-ist. :P They did some pretty clever songs, some good covers (they did Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and it was AWESOMMEE! - different, but sung very well.) And, their last song was about not going out in the woods, because there's something out there!!! and there was a "monster" with an awesome mask and long clawed hands, all white, in a jumpsuit, who came out, terrorized the band, and then moved menacingly through the crowd. It was pretty amazing, probably one of my favorites of theirs.
After them, there was a brief interlude of dancing. I really had gotten out of the groove of the whole goth-industrial dancing... thing... so I was hesitant to go out there, but wanted to, and finally did on a song where I could have fun with it and couldn't stand being on the sidelines anymore. : ] Thanks so much to Nisse and Erin! who danced with me, it was a lot of fun. I danced some by myself, but it was not as much fun as with you guys. : ]
We also camped out near the front of the stage to get good spots, and HOLY GOD YES, WE DID. We were on the far right (stage left) of the area, so much so that we kind of had our own corner. RIGHT NEXT TO THE STAGE. It was perfect until Tall Black Man with a Camera and his girlfriend-who-couldn't-stay-in-one-spot moved in front of us, but even then, they were tolerable. We were in a prime photography spot, so we had to deal with the photographers, but other than that, it was GREAT.
HOLY
GOD.
They were a little late to come to the stage, and so I was standing there in my ill-picked-out heeled boots, shaking with nerves and anticipation... and then lo and behold, they came out one by one, everyone cheering and screaming. Daniel Myer, the drummer/main beat guy, it seemed, who also did synth work, then Joakim Montelius, who I think did lead synth/keyboards, and some backup vocals, and then finally Eskil Simonsson, the lead singer. And so it began.
This is what I can remember from what they played, please inform me of anything I messed up, because I want to know x_x
(a new song?)
Invisible and Silent (his favorite ballad. :3)
(another new song about trains? FAIL on my part)
Ritual Noise (his favorite song)
We Stand Alone
We Want Revolution
Monochrome (I think? not sure)
Call our Ships to Port
*Stalker
Probably one or two more in there. x_x
Like Tears in Rain (with a brief bit of Der Leiermann!!)
(an "old school" B-side)
...SOMEthing else...
Gaaaaah I wish I could remember. DX
aka a LOT of songs I knew, and some I didn't, which both were great! :D
It started off with more mellow songs, and the audience sort of swaying, and such, but as the concert went on, everyone got way more into it, and it was amazing. And Eskil Simonsson (the singer)... holy dear sweet god, he is a gorgeous man. XD A tall, thin man in an impeccable suit (when he lost the jacket, a lady behind me screamed "take it off, take it all off!" - to which he smiled! XD) and with blonde flippy hair, with a Swedish accent and a lovely voice!! *AHEM* but he was like the ring leader of this whole thing, and seemed to be enjoying it just as much as we were. He continually, continually said "Thank you," to which we all just screamed. Thank YOU, dear sir, for coming all this way! But he was always encouraging the audience to sing along (which I felt awful sometimes, knowing the general sound, but not the words, so I couldn't always.. D:) and dance. I began to follow his lead for when you were supposed to be still and and supposed to be dancing. It was pretty damn awesome.
Just so amazing. D:
And he'd throw in quips like "This is the new song from our album..." or "I'm going to sing my favorite ballad, from Northern Light," or "This is my favorite song." :3 It was kind of adorable. One time, he included "And thanks to all of you in the back there as well! I didn't mean to leave you out!" or something like that, and there was also a "Thank you all, you're beautiful." XD
NO YOU!
Also, Joakim kept horsing around with the other guys, which looked at first a bit intimate? XD BUT THEY'RE SWEDES so it's not a big deal. He kissed the drummer on the head, and once put Eskil's head in an arm lock, to where he was being dragged a little and flailing. XD Funny stuff.
Eskil also kept trying to get people to sing more loudly for "Invisible and Silent" and I tried. XD And on "Call our Ships to Port," he'd pause, I think so we'd fill in, but to no avail! Ah well.
I have to say, I was really skeptical to start, actually, of how this would go. I don't know a lot of their music, mostly things I heard from Erin, and, I haven't been to many concerts. The last (and only 'band' concert not involved with my school) I was at was MSI back in 2008? and they're super-hyperactive and crazy. Covenant seems much more methodical and low key, hypnotic, almost, in recorded form - not as angry or hyper as some groups - so I wasn't sure how it would go live. But it was just... totally incredible.
The combination of the loud music, the top-notch lighting in time with the show, and of course, the band operating all of the songs live, all the electronic bits, the singing, the dancing BY the singer, the drummer who was super-intense - I mean, literally beating the CRAP out of those drums... it all came together to make this beautiful performance.
I think I finally "got it" when they played Eskil's proclaimed favorite, "Ritual Noise." He just kept saying "We make ritual noise," over and over, in the lyrics, and it was on this song that the show got more amped up and intense, the drummer busted out his drums, the strobe lights went absolutely wild, and I started jumping and stomping like there was no tomorrow. It was like a ritual. It was something absolutely holy, very tribal, being played with electronic music - but it was electronic music with humans. A whole crowd of people swaying and jumping and dancing to a beat you could feel vibrating in your bones.
It was absolutely amazing.
I felt sorry for the photographers, standing still in the pulsating crowd, who weren't experiencing this incredible thing (and the girl I saw texting!!! D8). Sometimes, I wished I was more in the middle of the mob, but I wouldn't have traded our close as hell spots for the WORLD.
Once I took my coat off, too, and tied it around my waist, my arms were more eager to move, too - the singer would raise his hands, and we'd all follow suit, and the like. I found myself, towards the end, growing more and more... loose? would you call it? and not so concerned about what other people saw me as, my face and body just reacting to the whole show - I'd literally stand with my eyes bugging out, anticipating what was next. I felt every emotion be SUPER readable on my face - I'm like that anyway, but it seemed hyper-exaggerated, possibly because of the whole situation. And then, when they would start the next song, a giant smile would break out, everyone would cheer, and I'd find myself clapping along with the beat... Also, somewhere along the line, my legs just stopped hurting, probably from adrenaline or something. XD I was tired, dehydrated and hungry, but didn't feel it until later, after the music went away.
And I was just so glad to see the songs I knew being performed, it was just so awesome. XD They'd start playing a familiar beat, and everyone would just scream!!
AAAAAH IT WAS AWESOME.
They said they were going to "end it on a high note" and they did, playing... gah, one I knew, a good one. x_x I was stoked - they LEFT us stoked. And the crowd stomped and screamed for an encore... and nothing happened.
We were all starting to wonder if they'd come back out, as cheering continued.
Then the drummer came back, and said "We couldn't really hear you all back there..." to which everyone screamed at the top of their lungs. "Now we can hear you." XD And he scuttled off backstage, and then everyone came back out slowly - and it was "Der Leiermann." D: One of my favorites, and Erin's. Eskil starts singing and-
The sound stops. D8 Everyone just kind of laughs, the band included, and the tech crew comes right by us to fix a cord that got unplugged. XD While this is happening, the singer goes a cappella (someone in the audience shouted "Beatbox!!") but oh my god - a cappella German singing? Beautifully, while he smiled doing it?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
When the sound came back, they tried picking it up, and then it stopped again. Eskil says "We're going to start over. So when I make my entrance... none of this ever happened." XD And he goes backstage, and we cheer for him again when he returns. XD
And the encore was great as well - on some songs Eskil even leaned over the audience, and had someone sing into the microphone D8 (LUCKY!) - my god, even when he looked in my/our general direction, I was like AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! <3 XD. And on at least one song, he let the synth guys take over and solo, and they were amazing as well. Just super awesome. D: I'm sorry I keep slipping into superlatives, but I can't describe it very well otherwise.
We were also right near a speaker, so it was very very loud. My ears are still ringing today. x_x But it was great while we were there. XD
The show ended with Eskil parting ways with the instrumentalists, and then them going off on a crazy awesome solo tangent, and bringing everything back down, and then ending it on one fantastic note. And then they were gone.
We tried for an encore, but the emcee stopped us, pretty much telling us the show was over. We'd hoped for another 20 minutes, but we did get a solid hour and a half of pure electronica awesomeness, so I'm not that unhappy about it. ; ]
We'd also hoped for merch and autographs, but they were sold out of T-shirts by the time we FOUND the vendor, and after climbing up and down the stairs looking all over for where they were signing, we couldn't find the band. Nisse asked Miko, a DJ, if he knew what was going on, and he said he'd ask around, but we didn't see him before we were about to pass out and the car was possibly going to be in trouble. D: And the prom... well, looked like a prom where everyone was goth. XD Fun to watch, but not my cup of tea. So we had to leave.
But, I did get to snag a souvenir flyer/card (which is lovely) on the way out. I'm going to see if they have merch for sale online, since they didn't there. x_x And I think I'm going to write them a letter, since I didn't get to say it in person, just about how much I appreciated and enjoyed the show, and I hope they come back. D:
For all its trouble, it was just a beautiful, lovely show. And it was so... sincere. It was straight from the gut and heart of the performers, it was like an experience to be shared, something lovely. The thanks Eskil gave us weren't false - it was a profoundly honest performance. I really loved how it was in this small, dark venue, with the lights just so, how close we were, how close everyone was. It was a very intimate, loud, gorgeous thing.
When the music would build, a few words would be sung, then the beat would just explode, the lights would strobe, and we'd all jump and dance at once - that split second, that moment, is what I'll take with me from this forever.
Thank you so much, Covenant, for coming here, from the bottom of my heart.
We want Revolution - from the show. This is the only video I can find from our particular show, I just wish it didn't show how fail everyone was at singing along. XD Come on, people!
Click to viewWe Stand Alone - This was more or less how the show looked. I was standing in roughly the same spot aaagh! XD Except there was no bar there, so we were standing riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight next to the stage, practically... this place looks a bit bigger, but it's similar.
Ritual Noise - THIS one's really professionally done, and you get lots of lovely pictures of Eskil singing. <3
Also, this song is where the drummer first busted out the drums like that, so haaah. : ] So cool. XD