Last night was a show unlike any other show I have ever been to.
The light show was amazing. The crowd was energetic. The music… well the music was different to me.
All I knew about the bands last night was the logo for the headliner. I had seen those white, bold letters spelling KMFDM on t-shirts at other shows before, but never really dug into it. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, it was that that’s just not my world. My world is full of skinny boys with ear gauges, tight jeans, and power chords. Not computers and light shows.
Last night was definitely an experience for me. It seemed like I was literally the only one in the crowd who did not know the headlining act, KMFDM. The crowd was head banging, moshing, jumping and I was just standing there trying to take it all in.
Even the opening acts were mesmerizing. Especially Chant. Chant is a three piece band from Texas with enough drums on stage for 14 drummers. Their live show was amazing. I couldn’t stop watching lead member Bradley Bills as he pounded his heart out on the various drums in front of him all the while staring intensely into the crowd. There was a row of beams of light that surrounded the main drum set that was in the forefront of the stage. They seemed to flash every time a drum was hit, which was just about the whole set. So not only did you have the heart thumping bass in your ears, now you have the bright flashing lights in your eyes. Talk about sensory overload!
I have never been a fan of computerized music. I don’t understand the idea of paying money to see someone hit a spacebar at a concert. I had a feeling that that’s how last night was going to be like. I could not have been more wrong. Yeah, there were computers for every band but it was more than that. If anything, it added an awesome sound and a cool stage prop for the bands to play around with.
KMFDM are legends in the scene. I definitely didn’t know that being that that’s not really my scene. They demanded control from the second they took the stage. The crowd was into it. The band was into it. Hell, I was into it. It was hard to understand the words. Usually I’m all about the lyrics. Last night made me take a step back and be about the beat and the music. The flashing lights and smoke machine were working over time. Usually that can be a distraction but with industrial music, it worked. It made the atmosphere what it was.
Last night was not my cup of tea but walking out of the show, I have a new appreciation for the whole industrial scene. I will definitely be at the next KMFDM show.
Line Up:
Venue: Mill City Nights
Sausage Fest Meter- 7 out of 10
Average Age of the Crowd- 30-35
Crowd Surfers- None
Spotted Flying Through The Sky- Nothing
Broken Bones- None
Drunkards Taken Out By Security- None
Found in the Pit- 1 phone
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