Last night was heavy. It was heavy and amazing. It was amazing.
Parkway Drive took over The Cabooze and won over my heart last night.
They hit the stage with more energy than pretty much any other metalcore band I have seen. From the second singer Winston McCally walked up on stage, the crowd was going nuts. It’s such an amazing thing to see a band literally feed off the crowd and the crowd feed off the band.
I think the members of Parkway Drive, and all of the other bands to be honest, were a little shocked when they realized that all of the kids crowd surfing really had nowhere to go. You see, there is no barricade at The Cabooze like there is at other venues. There’s barely a separation between stage and floor other than a step that it maybe two feet high. Because of this, there is no space for security guards to catch the crowd surfers and lead them to safety. What does this mean? It means that when kids are crowd surfing, they have nowhere to go except for on stage.
You have to understand, Parkway Drive is a huge band in the metalcore world. They are legendary and, being from Australia, have not been in the Twin Cities for five years (at least!). Majority of the venues they are playing on this current tour are huge and there’s definitely no way a member of the crowd would be able to get on stage with these legendary gentlemen. That’s all different up here in the Twin Cities and that’s why I love it here.
Kids ended up on stage with these legends but it didn’t phase them. The music never stopped. Winston never stopped singing. The kids would get up on stage and then jump right back out to the crowd. Other than the occasional drunken bro that would try and take a selfie on stage, or the few skanky girls that would try to grab at the musicians, it was perfect. Those who tried to linger on stage were nudged off by other crowd surfers or Parkway Drive’s tech. It was all in good fun and no matter if they fell on stage feet first or head first, they had a smile on their face. They were on the stage with legends. People would kill for that moment but up here in the Twin Cities, it was just another concert.
I know I preach this over and over again but shows are different up here. There’s no separation between crowd and band when you’re at a club show up here (the arena shows are a different story but let’s be honest, who even goes to those anymore?). You can meet any band you want at shows up here as long as you get involved. You want to get on stage with Parkway Drive? You can do it! You want to touch Anthony Green’s hand? You can do it! I have so much love for this scene and the way shows up here work, it’s unreal.
Last night was amazing and the music from all of the bands was great. The energy throughout the night was off the charts. It was a perfect night except for two small things which (of course) I would like to rant about a wee bit.
1.) I hold grudges against bands that piss me off. Yeah, yeah, it’s not good for you, I know. Thy Art Is Murder is one of those bands that I have a grudge against. Unfortunately, the last time I saw them, they were not so nice to my friend that was running their sound. They were yelling at him from on stage and it was really unfair and unprofessional. I walked out on their set that night and swore I’d never see them play live again. I didn’t even realize they were on the bill for last night but then I saw their singer take the stage and realized who it was. I was going to walk out but then the music started and honestly, it was too good to leave. Not only was the music amazing, but the singer’s attitude was completely different than the last time I saw him. He was giving hugs to the crowd surfers that found themselves stranded on the stage and he was encouraging the crowd to move. All in all, their set blew me away. As much as I hated them for berating my friend at the last show, they redeemed themselves. Every band has off nights, unfortunately, those are the nights that stick with me. Thy Art Is Murder- I’m sorry I ever tried to boycott you guys, you killed it last night.
2.) It is an unspoken rule that you do not wear a t-shirt of the band you’re going to see to their concert. You just don’t do it. So what happens when a band member is wearing their own band’s t-shirt? Hello grudge time. Dear Miss May I, why the hell are you wearing your own merch on stage? You make more than enough to afford clothes… don’t try and tell me you can’t afford laundry or clean clothes. Concerts are a great place to learn about new bands and groups. One of the best ways to learn about these groups is by the t-shirts that the crowd and the band members are wearing. It makes you seem cocky and arrogant to wear your own shirt on stage. I’m sorry Miss May I, but I lost any respect I had for you guys. Feel free to try and redeem yourselves next time you’re in town.
All in all it was a good night. Thy Art is Murder made me change my mind on a year old grudge. In Heart’s Wake, the opening band, was amazing and I finally got to see Parkway Drive live.
This week is off to a great start!
Line Up:
Venue- Cabooze
Sausage Fest Meter- 354684684 our of 10
Broken Bones/ Injuries- I didn’t see any but I’m sure there were some
Average Age- 20
Found in the Pit- Shoes, Hats, Sweatshirts, Shirts, Confetti, Ice, Cups
Crowd Surfers- Too Many to Count
Stage Divers- Too Many to Count
Spotted Flying Through The Sky- Bodies, Beach Balls, Confetti (that I am still finding in my purse)
“Celebrity” Sightings in the Crowd- Dustin and Carlos from By The Thousands; Lee from Mithya
Bands that Redeemed Themselves- 1- Thy Art Is Murder
Bands That I Now Hold A Grudge Against- 1- Miss May I
Overall Score- 9.5 out of 10
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