Show In Review: First Night @ The Dive Bar…Bruises for Days

The Dive Bar  is an adventurous place to catch some great live music. Known more for being a “biker bar”; This not so hidden gem is one of the best small venues in town to see a good punk or metal show without the usually barring from moshing.  They don’t really close down. Which is a plus if you don’t want to be shoved out of a bar by bouncers at 4 am.

Covers are usually less than $30 bucks. and they constantly have free shows. Not to mention the occasional lube wrestling nights. The price of drink is very reasonable. You will see all kinds of people here from the regulars to the out-of-towners to the random locals that have never been.

My first time here was a grand adventure of a night. One of the best moshing experiences of the last year. My girlfriend invited me to come see a show there in June so we could see BiPolar play again.   My favorite thing was the  bathrooms. They are decorated with band stickers, fliers and graffiti. I immediately thought this was going to be my new spot.

Cirka: Sik  opened the show, followed by a killer set with Charlie and her band BiPolar . The crowd started to come in halfway through BiPolar’s set. Then, as soon as N.E. Last Words started their set, the mosh broke out. It was unexpected, there was no warning as usual, but my Sailor Jerry and Coke was one of the first casualties. Alcohol abuse is not okay. So to avenge my fallen adult beverage I targeted the gent, who had violated me with such impertinence, in the pit for the rest of the night.

Motograter came onto the stage in ominous skeletal black and white body paint. The sound of their guitars hit me in the chest in all the right ways. Then as if it couldn’t get any better…Aaron Nordstrom ,the lead singer for Gemini Syndrome , walked on stage to join them during their set.

There were people rushing the stage. The stage here is about 2 feet up and there is no barrier protecting the musicians or equipment on it from knuckleheads that knock into or land on them. Quite a few people got kicked out / politely asked to leave after being warned and having poor listening skills.

I was enforcing the outer rim of the mosh pit with a few bigger guys. Pushing people back in as they pummeled toward us. I fell once or twice. I was dripping in sweat. It …was….AMAZING!!!!! I went in and pushed down my target with a vengeance over and over again. One of the regulars brought me ice water. I was so hot I just asked her to poor it over me. My hair and shirt were soaked with the refreshing coolness and back to the pit I went for more.

There was one guy that got pushed directly into my face. The two dudes on either side of me looked like they were in a panic thinking I was hurt. I asked them if my nose was bleeding and when they said no I started pushing people again. There were some gents who actually tried to pull me out of the pit after that, thinking they were “protecting” me.

Hed P.E. came out  to close the show. Those guys have a ridiculous stage presence. The crowd was allllllll about them. I’m not a huge Rasta and Reggae fan so it took me a few songs to decide if I liked their stuff. They hooked me by their 3rd song and I’ve gone back to see them play again since then.

By the time all was said and done we left The Dive Bar around 3 or 4 am.  It was a night of many new friendships formed. When I woke up the next day to assess my battle wounds I had bruises everywhere. Chest, back, arms, legs. I even had a bruise that was an imprint of the brads from some guy’s jacket. I wore them with pride like battle scars of a victorious barbarian she-warrior. Most did not go away for 2 to 3 weeks.

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