Girl at the Rock Shows

It will never fail to surprise me how a single show can completely transport you to another time. That’s exactly what happened on Sunday night at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. I was super excited for this show and knew it was going to be one full of nostalgia but was not prepared for the emotional hit that I was going to take. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was standing next to my little brother for some of the show, maybe it was the people around me– regardless, I was hit right in the feels by all three bands that performed and although I left the show an emotional wreck and mentally exhausted, it was one hell of a way to kick off my week.

First on stage was The Spill Canvas. This is one of those “cold nights, sad songs” kind of bands for me. Although from South Dakota, Minneapolis has almost clamed The Spill Canvas as their own. At least, that’s how it felt as the band played through their opening set. Typically a four-piece, The Spill Canvas came in the form of a trio on Sunday as one of their members just welcomed a baby into the world. Even with that, the band played their hearts out and left it all on stage on Sunday night. Their set list contained old-school bangers mixed with new songs that felt like old-school bangers.

It was about half way through The Spill Canvas’ set where my little brother turned me and said, “You know– I think this was one of the first shows you ever took me to at the House of Bricks.” My heart melted and, from there on out, I was a bit of an emotional mess. I was already taking a one-two punch of nostalgia from hearing The Spill Canvas’ songs but to hear my little brother share that little memory with me just put me over the edge. It was at that moment where my Sunday night shifted from a nostalgic show to a next-to religious experience.

Following The Spill Canvas was The Early November. The Early November was never quite my band but I absolutely have a soft spot for them. They were one of the few acts that I saw my brother get into when growing up so, again, here came the one-two punch of nostalgia mixed with the joy of standing next to him while the band played through their iconic 2003 release, ‘The Room’s Too Cold’. Instead of doing the typical album playthrough, The Early November chose to play through the album backwards which just made it hit differently. It was an interesting choice but was so impactful especially as the set closed with vocalist Ace Enders performing “Ever So Sweet” without the band. Honestly, the entire set was full of power and passion which has been a signature move of this band since day one but it was that final song that had me searching for all of the reasons why I shouldn’t cry at that moment.

All of Sunday night was a sing-a-long. Every song performed by a band on stage was being echoed throughout the audience. Some people were just mouthing along to the words, others were shouting, a few were clearly trying to contain themselves and just quietly whisper along but that all changed as headliners Armor For Sleep took the stage. Anyone who had just been mouthing or whispering along to the words stepped up leading to the headlining set feeling more like a karaoke even than anything else. That was no surprise to me. Armor For Sleep is one of the terribly underrated bands from the early 2000s emo scene but one that, if you know, you know. Their lyrics hit harder than most due to the heart-on-sleeve and raw word choice. Stylistically they are definitely run of the mill emo music but there has always just been something special about this band for me and, clearly, for many other people.

Much like The Early November, Armor For Sleep is taking this tour to celebrate twenty years of their debut album, ‘Dream To Make Believe’. Had I done any research on this tour, I would have known that prior to heading to the show and I may have been more mentally prepared but, being me, I was going in semi-blind and had no clue that this was going to be an album playthrough kind of set. When the band kicked off with “Armor For Sleep” and then quickly transitioned into “Dream to Make Believe”, it was all over for me. I was instantly taken away from the gorgeous Varsity Theater and plopped down in my teenage bedroom at my dad’s house. It was as if time wasn’t real and I was back to being that angsty teenager who surrounded herself with Alternative Press magazine clippings stapled to her walls and the constant ear-deafening blare of music. Those moments would hit me like waves with certain lines of words but, with others, I would have this flashback of seeing people doing photos at a show and thinking, “How do I do that?”. I was doing photos on Sunday night so that mixed with those flashbacks led to a complete mental breakdown in all of the best ways.

After playing their their 2003 album, Armor For Sleep continued on giving the audience a handful of songs from their various other releases but it wasn’t enough for me. They honestly could have played through all four of their albums and it wouldn’t have been enough for me or others in the audience. There’s just something so powerful and beautiful about being lost in a haze of nostalgia while also realizing that you have grown so much since those angsty days when you were listening to these same songs. It’s a feeling that you never want to end but you know has to come to a close eventually.

I only cried once on Sunday night but I was on the verge multiple times. It’s almost a little embarrassing to admit that but I feel like me acknowledging that shows you just how much the show on Sunday meant to me and everyone else in attendance as I was not the only one having a next-to religious experience.

Line Up:

The Spill Canvas

The Early November

Armor for Sleep

Venue: Varsity Theater

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 35

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- 0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out Kids- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Irritated I Was With The Audience – 0 out of 10

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

The Spill Canvas– 8

The Early November – 6

Armor for Sleep – 5

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score –10 out of 10

Show on Deck — GAYLE

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