No pre-show shenanigans this time around…

The Venue

Much like the Static X show a few days before I got to the House of Blues early to stand in line with the masses. I spotted a person I knew from a local band and chatted him up while we waited for them to allow people to be trickled into the venue after passing through security.  I find it interesting that strangers make automatic assumptions that I came with someone and am their significant other purely for the fact that I am female and show up to a metal show and talk to them like a human  being.

I apologize to the male populace of show attendees for not bringing the required male escort with me to appropriately enjoy this live music experience. For shame , how will I enjoy a show without some dude man-splaining loudly in my ear about the background of the lyrics and what the song means to them and how they met one of the band members one time 10 years ago like a dying animal. (I’m good)

Anywhooooo….Talk about a packed house. This was a sold out show. Standing room on the floor only and you could barely squeeze through people to get anywhere. I was able to find a spot at the base of the stairs where I knew I  would be safe from people pushing through a crowd and/or a mosh pit if it broke out as I am still on the mend and was ordered to do so. (sometimes I listen …but only when my health is concerned). I spoke to a father and son duo who ended up situating themselves next to me for the first band before the lights went down and my euphoria began.

The Show

Hemlock definitely had an off night. There were several songs where everything just wasn’t syncing up and sounded off but overall not the worst performance I’ve heard.  And I LOVE these guys. I don’t just get any band tattooed on my body.

Despite the issues I found with the fluidity of their set, I was glad I got to see them. They were an unexpected opener that were also set to play on August 23rd while I was out of town for another show I was sponsoring. They pushed through a challenging performance all smiles, hyping up the crowd as they continued. It was great to see a local band who has thrived come back and open such a great show so close to their headlining gig. They epitomize that down to earth still touring in a van vibe that I love to see in the music scene. They played one of my personal favorites from their discography “My Eyes Itch” following their set with schmoozing with fans, complete with selfies and sweaty hugs.

After giving up my spot down on the floor to meet up with friends top side while they got their nicotine fix and stopping to chat with some fans who said hello it was difficult to find a spot where I could comfortably squeeze back through the crowd and avoid a mosh pit. I ended up staying around the bar area and ran into I, Pariahs very own Steve Poff and company. Despite all of that I don’t think it would have mattered where I stood.  there was no hope of decent pictures or even the ability to see most of the show. I was either stuck behind super tall people or there was a pillar that blocked the view of half of the stage in the way.

Now, true torture is being told you are not allowed to head bang or mosh for a year the day before this show goes down and then seeing an amazing pit break out. I stared into the pit with envy periodically when I could actually see through the massive amount of tall people and just tried to absorb the music.

I got to witness security making efforts to kick out a dude who had lit up a joint and then successfully hid it away. It isn’t my place to intervene for either side so I backed away further to excuse myself from any involvement in that situation. I have broken up fights before but that’s a different matter entirely. snitches get stitches

As for the music, the band played through 15 years worth of their discography from  The Link Alive (2004) , From Mars to Sirius (2005) , The Way of all Flesh (2008)  all the way to Magma (2016) . Complete with a 4 song encore that included a pretty awesome drum solo and fan favorite “The Gift of Guilt”.

The Headbang-Over

The energy itself for the show was great. But the night was an off night for me. I am a very visual person so not being able to see almost anything without risking violating doctors orders was a big struggle for me and a major bummer. All and all I was happy to see the faces and enjoy the energy of the bands and the crowd but there was no “Wow” moment for me this time around.

What photos I was able to salvage coming soon …