I hadn’t been to a show since Sunday. I was going through withdrawals. I didn’t know much about the bands playing last night but I knew I needed a concert so I took my sunburnt self to the show and just hoped for the best.
Like I said, I didn’t really know much about any of the bands. There was one local band that I typically enjoyed on the bill but other than that, I was kind of clueless. I had a couple of friends that would not shut up about The Ongoing Concept, one of the two touring acts playing. They were sending me videos during the day but I refused to watch or listen. I wanted to be surprised and that’s exactly what I was…. pleasantly surprised.
By the time I got to the show, I had already missed the first local band. I hate when that happens but when you have a full time job and have already used up all of your PO for random trips to Wisconsin, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois for shows, you really can’t just leave work early to get to a show. My apologies to the kids in The Atlantis Theorem. I promise to catch you guys soon and actually make it in time to see you!
The second local band to play really caught my attention. I would like to think that I stay pretty current with the local scene. I feel like I know a lot of the people in the scene and have seen almost as many local bands as is humanly possible but I had never heard of HumanForm before last night. They blew me away. They were clean and polished or at least as clean and polished as you could hope for a local band to be. Since I had never heard of them before, I could have easily been fooled that they were on the touring package but I know how the promoter of the show works and he never breaks up the touring acts. This was just the first act of a show I knew nothing about and I was already blown away…. it’s the kind of show I live for.
During HumanForm’s set I noticed some friends I hadn’t seen in years go outside and into the bar directly next door so, of course, as soon as the set was done I walked over there only to be greeted by slaps and hugs right on top of my sunburn (thanks for that guys). I justified missing a few songs of the next band just because I hadn’t seen these kids in awhile and there was a free drink with my name on it but I didn’t want to miss all of Stillbreather’s set so I headed back over to the show after only fifteen minutes. I walked into the venue only to find that the band had gotten up, played their set, and were already tearing down. I was disappointed. At first I was super mad at myself for missing them because I am all about supporting local bands. At the same time, if your set is shorter than the time it takes me to chug one mixed drink, well, I regrettably can’t feel bad for missing your set.
The next band up was the last of the locals, Nanashi. When I was at Warped Tour on Sunday waiting for the first act on my list, The Maine, the play, these guys were playing on the stage right next door. I honestly thought they were a nationally touring band but came to find out later in the day that they were nothing more than a local band that had won the battle of the bands to play on mainstage for Warped Tour. Unfortunately, I didn’t really pay close attention to them on Sunday. I was more concerned about putting my gallon of sunscreen on and not missing a spot (which was apparently no help against the sun). I did hear enough to turn to my buddy and ask if he knew who it was. Neither of us had a clue but I walked away from Sunday with a new band on my list to check out. Luckily, it didn’t take long for them to hit my radar again and I was more than stoked to see them taking the stage last night.
Much like Human Form, these guys sounded just too clean and polished to be a local band. They came up on that stage and had me completely in the palm of their hand for their entire set. I think their set was the only one where I had no desire to check my phone or anything. I just couldn’t peel myself away from them. Their music, as I said, was clean and definitely the hardcore-ish sound that I love. Their energy was great for being a local band in front of a fairly modest crowd. Before Sunday I had never heard of Nanashi but after Sunday and now last night, these guys have taken the spot of my favorite local band of the month (HumanForm definitely gave them a run for their money).
The Ongoing Concept was the band that I had a bunch of friends talking to me about. They were nervous because apparently all of the band members left except for the singer and had all been replaced. They were worried what was going to happen to the sound and intense live show they had fallen in love with. I wouldn’t have known anything about the mass exodus of original members of this band had they not told me because their set was flawless. It seemed like the members had been playing together for years and they all had the same crazy amount of energy.
Before they had even finished with their first song, I was in love. Dawson, the singer, was absolutely mesmerizing to watch as he ran all over the stage and eventually made his way down into the crowd to get a little mosh pit going. I’m pretty sure TJ, the bassist, never really had 100% control of his instrument. That bass was flying everywhere and even when his cord became unplugged, he didn’t stop and just kept flailing around as he struggled to get it plugged back in. The music matched the energy. It was funky, different and perfect. It reminded me of He Is Legend when it came to the southern feel of it but it was harder and had a hell of a lot more energy. (No offense to He Is Legend. I love those guys.)
From Concept to Chronicle and Oh, Sleeper also played but I feel like I’ve said enough for one post. Neither of them were terrible by any means and, all in all, it was a near perfect show.
Like usual, I knew nothing about the bands playing last night and like usual, I walked out of the venue last night with a few new favorite bands.
What’s your excuse for missing the show last night? Shame on you.
Line Up:
Venue: The Cabooze
Sausage Fest Meter- 31 out of 10
Average Age of the Crowd- 22
Crowd Surfers- None
Stage Divers-None
Moshability- Moderate but the crowd sucked throughout majority of the show and didn’t do much
Broken Bones- None
Pokemon Caught- 2
Drunkards Taken Out By Security- None Notcied
Celebrity Sightings- Jerrid of Royal’z, Multiple members of Rivkit (R.I.P)
Overall Score- 9.85 out of 10
Show on Deck- Weekend Nachos
July 28, 2016 at 6:15 pm
Why is it the bands fault for following schedule and playing their planned set?
Also, nobody cares how many states you’ve seen shows in. Write some fucking detailed content about the show you wrote an entire blog about. You’re literally just telling us that you thought a band was good. I like bands and I don’t write a blog about it.
July 28, 2016 at 7:27 pm
Hey BarbecueJerry, I urge you to check out some of my other postings as I’m not your typical concert reviewer. I like to write about more than what people in the mainstream media would write about. Also, if you like bands, maybe you should write a blog about it! I would love to see how yours would differ from mine! Thanks for checking the post out!!