I left last night’s Reflections show feeling a little down. I was so bummed about that being the last time I will ever get to see them live. I felt lost and, as cliche as it sounds, a small part of me died while that last note rang out.  I needed a little pick-me-up so I went to another show because… well… why not?

I was trying to escape the heartbreak that I felt from the Reflections show by going to see Impaler and my plan definitely worked… but not at first.

I walked into the Uptown VFW expecting to be greeted by bunches of people in a sweaty, old-man mosh pit (and I mean that in the best way possible!). Instead, I was greeted by a tired crowd of probably no more than two dozen people. My broken heart seemed to break just a little bit more. Here I was at an Impaler show, Impaler, you know, the legendary shock rock band from the 80’s, and the crowd was damn near non-existent.

I just don’t get it. It blows my mind. Impaler is a legendary band yet there was nobody there. I felt terrible, absolutely freaking terrible. That’s when I realized… it didn’t matter how many people were surrounding me, I was at a rock show. That is what I do, that is what makes me feel alive, that is me. I could be the only one in the damn room and I wouldn’t care. I was going to support the band I was seeing and I was going to have a damn good time.

Impaler got on that stage and did exactly what I wanted them to do. They played their thrashy-metal songs with all the gore that you would expect from Impaler and it was nothing short of a perfect ending for a super sad and depressing night.

At some point in the night, my buddy showed up at the concert with two friends of his that had not been to many metal shows before. It was absolutely amazing to watch them just stand there and take Impaler in and see what they are all about. Yeah, I’m sure watching Bill, the singer, and Dr. Corpse, the back-up singer, rip apart the neck of a head on a stick with blood pouring everywhere was a bit unsettling for someone who didn’t know it was coming, but I looked at the two girls and they were smiling and laughing.

That’s the greatest thing about Impaler and why I’m so in love with them. Sure, they have this extreme stage show full of fake blood and the nightly “disembowelment” of a band member but when you take that away, Impaler is really just a group of older guys, doing what they love, and showing off their talents. They prove that even though you have to grow up eventually, you don’t have to stop doing what you love or what you have a passion for.

Bill, the singer, messaged me this morning thanking me for the pictures I took last night. I told him thank you for putting on a great show and doing everything like normal even though the size of the crowd left a bit to be desired. He responded with a statement that made me fall in love with this band even more. He explained to me that every show is a show and that they do it for people like me who bust their butts and do two shows in one night. They do it for the people that actually get off their butts and support their friends and the amazing music scene the Twin Cities has to offer. It doesn’t matter how many people come to your show. People took time out of their busy, busy lives to come see you play and it was so refreshing to see a band respect that.

My heart was broken last night when I saw Reflections for the last time. I didn’t want to end my night on that note so I did the only thing I could think of and went to another show. Impaler cheered me right up and I ended my night on a high note.

I love the fact that concerts can make me feel so much.

Line Up:

IMPALER
JOE LYON: MAGICIAN OF THE LIVING DEAD
HEX VORTICES

Venue: Uptown VFW

Sausage Fest Meter- 8 out of 10

Average Age of the Crowd- 35

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers-0

Broken Bones- None

Drunkards Taken Out By Security- None

Celebrity Sightings-None

Overall Score- 6 out of 10

Show on Deck- Goblincock