With having more than a couple of days off from shows, I was clearly going through withdrawals. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was super nice to spend some time at home and get caught up on some work stuff but I could tell I was getting super anxious and crabby without having shows. There were multiple concerts going on last night that I wanted to go to so, out of frustration, I had decided to just not go out at all. Thankfully, I give into peer pressure easily and I quickly found myself at The Amsterdam in Saint Paul.
Unfortunately I didn’t make it in time to see the first band, Common Choir but it was clear from the chatter in the room that they freaking killed it. Missing a band perform gives me a huge feeling of guilt but I promise I will catch you soon Common Choir!
My friends and I walked into the venue just in time to see Milestone. These kids have been around for a little bit now and I try to catch them every time they play. Each time I see them play, they seem to get a little more polished but they’ve still always had that “young band” feel about them. Something was different about their set last night and I think it’s safe to say that these guys have graduated from one of the “young bands” in the scene to one of the “big boys”.
Their sound was cleaner than I had ever heard before. Their set last night made it clear that these guys are more than just a couple of kids with instruments, they are true musicians. It’s not like I didn’t know that these boys could shred before last night, but something just kind of clicked for me as they played through their all too short set. Not only did their music seem to be better than it had ever been before, their overall show was more professional that I had ever seen from them. With a legit light show going on behind them (nice job Sam!!!) and a sense of confidence that I had never seen them with before, I felt like I was watching a whole new band. Had I not known the boys personally, I would have put money on the idea that they were part of the touring package.
The perfection of Milestone’s set led perfectly into Auras’ set. Auras, from Canada, was the first of the three band touring package and (as if Milestone’s set wasn’t a clue) it was clear within the first song that coming to this show was the right choice. Their music had the passion and energy that I crave from a live show. Singer Eric Almeida didn’t have to try very hard to get the crowd moving as it seemed I was one of the few people in the venue who had never heard of Auras before last night. With a combination of technical guitars and an unmistakable sense of harmony between all instruments, it’s clear that these guys are on their way up in the scene and I hope that means more visits to Minnesota.
After Auras was Phinehas. They started their set off strong, like really strong. I was shocked to see how involved the crowd was within the first couple of songs. With the rowdier crowd came a new sense of energy and that all truly added to Phinehas’ already amazing set. Their music, like all of the other music of the night, was clean and clear but still had an element of fun to it. As the lights flashed and the crowd pushed and shoved their way through the set, everything was good and I felt at peace in a way to just be at a show like this surrounded by friends.
As you may know, I’m not a fan of preachy Christian bands. I don’t care if you’re a Christian band and honestly I listen to more Christian metal bands than I would like to admit, but I don’t want to hear about it. Go ahead and sing your songs about your love for Jesus Christ but don’t lecture a concert crowd on religion. In my mind, it’s just not the time or place. I’ll admit, Phinehas was nowhere near as preachy as some of the bands I’ve seen but as soon as the singer started talking about turning to Jesus if you’re feeling lost well, I was just done. Maybe I was just looking for a reason to socialize with friends and I’m sure the alcohol was making me over-react a bit but as soon as that Jesus talk started, I checked out. I totally get and respect the band’s stance and message it just isn’t for me.
Finishing off the night was Erra who I truly do enjoy. The catch with these guys is there was a time when it seemed like they were here every couple of months and I think I had kind of burned out on them. Last night was the first time in quite a while that I had seen them and I was quickly reminded of just how great they are. Even though the music sounded great and the energy in the crowd had remained high, I was feeling a bit sassy and more in the mood to socialize than be at a concert. I guess that’s what happens when you stay in every night for more than four days in a row or something. Again, not saying that Erra was boring or bad or anything about that because they absolutely killed it from what I could hear and I also heard from some friends that the crowd got a bit rowdy which is always the sign of a great set.
Last night seemed to be a bit more of a socializing type of night for me rather than a concert but I’m quite alright with that. I also think that’s kind of the charm of shows like last night. Everyone is everyone’s friend and, if you don’t know a couple people when walking into the venue, you probably ended up leaving with a couple of new friends. It was just one of those nights that I was quickly reminded of just how great the local metal scene is not only because of the music, but the true sense of family you get when you’re standing around with this crew.
Line Up:
Venue: Amsterdam
Sausage Fest Meter- 8 out of 10
Average Age of the Crowd- 22
Crowd Surfers- 7-10
Stage Divers- None
Broken Bones- 0
Fights-0
Pukers- 0
Passed Out People – 0
Celebrity Sightings- Jace of Gabriel & the Apocalypse; the Buried Above Ground boys; the By The Thousands boys; Lee of Mithya; Bill of Metalsota… oh man, I’m sure I’m missing some and I’m sorry!
Overall Score- 8 out of 10
Show on Deck- Mithya!
April 10, 2017 at 4:07 pm
Wait, so you’re cool with Senses Fail preaching about life for an easy 10 mins across their set, but Phinehas says something about Jesus, in the middle of a song no less, and all the sudden you have to make a whole paragraph bashing that?
April 10, 2017 at 4:10 pm
Preaching about life is something that’s accessible to all people. Preaching about Jesus can make a Jew in the crowd feel a bit alienated. Also, as I mentioned in my “bashing” it wasn’t as bad as some of the bands I have seen in the past and I admit to over reacting.
April 10, 2017 at 4:38 pm
This is getting so much crap on Facebook haha. Which it should because this is garbage. Not the time and place? Really? Of course it’s the time and place. And I was also at the show and it wasn’t a lecture. It’s a part of the song that they sing every night on tour. They did t stop the set to preach. It’s in their song. So they should not play that song right? If you believe in something, shout it from the rooftops! Why wouldn’t you want to share your passion? Don’t say it’s not the place or time. But I’m just laughing because all the people that agree and ripping this on social media. But you do you
April 10, 2017 at 6:12 pm
This is honestly a disgrace of an article. Not only are you extremely biased and it’s so obvious, but you didn’t even try to keep an open mind, and now you’ve upset a decent amount of people who identify with the Christian belief system. I was there. There was no “lecture” or “preaching” going on besides a couple lyrics.
If you’re trying to be someone with a title like “writer” or “journalist”, you need to start writing an acting like one. Your article was filled with mistakes, you didn’t even try to hide your bias, and your “ratings” and “sightings” at the end are completely childish. The worst part is, this seems to be a pattern for you, Miss Langen. Last time I checked, this isn’t LambGoat or The Hard Times. Find yourself some journalistic integrity and get yourself in check or just stop writing all together. You should be embarrassed to have your name attached to this.
April 10, 2017 at 6:35 pm
Copied from me sharing this article on Facebook:
“You can be a Christian band and sing about Jesus but I don’t think you should talk about it onstage, it’s not the place or time and your message just isn’t for me.”
Then what’s the point of having that message? There’s no better place or time than being onstage to share your message, whatever it may be, because people will listen to you. You’re under lights right in front of them. I don’t care if you agree or disagree, but to tell someone they shouldn’t share their message is extremely rude and disrespectful. That would be like me complaining that The Acacia Strain rants about there being no God at all.
In short, sit down. I have no patience today.