Girl at the Rock Shows

Growing up, and even to this day, I love seeing “pop-up” shows happen. These typically consist of a huge band playing in a super intimate space. Maybe an Alkaline Trio show at a Denny’s or an Operation Ivy jam at a random house in California. I love seeing it and have always dreamed about being at those kinds of shows. I got a taste the other week when I saw two members of Metallica join Pantera at First Avenue, but that wasn’t a super intimate venue. Don’t get me wrong, I know what I saw that night was special, but I was still surrounded by 1,500 other people who shared that same experience. Saturday night was my first time being at one of these pop-up shows, and feeling like I was truly experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I could only share this memory with the other 199 people in the room.

How did post-hardcore legends Thursday end up playing the super intimate Zhora Darling in Northeast Minneapolis? Most easily put, their show in Sioux City, Iowa, had been canceled, and the drummer of the Thursday is really good friends with the owner of Zhora Darling, so– wah-lah– surprise last minute and super intimate show from this mega-band. It was honestly surreal. My boyfriend and I were driving home from a show on Thursday night and talking about Thursday. My boyfriend ended up checking out their socials and saw the announcement about this show. We both low-key thought it was a joke but, without hesitation, we bought two tickets. We didn’t know what we would do with his kids (who we had for the weekend) or anything like that, but we both knew we would not miss this show.

This was a bit of a weird situation as there was already a show at Zhora Darling on Saturday night. Because of this, Thursday was just thrown on top of the bill (for lack of a better phrase). Like they always say, the show must go on, and the first three acts of the night (Sleepwalk, Lockstep, and Prize Horse) still played like normal, but, really, nothing about Saturday night was normal.

Chicago-based Sleepwalk got the night started off. I liked their overall sound but felt they didn’t really appreciate that their set was being outshined by the last-minute addition to the bill. The vocalist of this band felt more annoyed than excited about what had happened. Honestly, I don’t know what the deal was with the venue or anything like that, but had I been in that position, I would have used the stage to really wow those people who were obviously just there for the final act. Instead, I felt like Sleepwalk sleepwalked through their set. It felt lazy and tired when it came to the vocals and although I liked their shoegazey instrumentation, the vocals just killed it as did the apparent attitude of the vocalist. Again, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the audience and the bands. I feel like Sleepwalk didn’t appreciate it for what it was and ended up giving a lackluster performance for an audience that just wanted to get caught by something.

Following Sleepwalk was Nashville, Tennessee-based Lockstep. I really liked this group’s sludgy shoegazey sound. It was dark, but there was thought put into every beat of this group’s quick set. This trio has a sound that draws you in. Even if you, like me, found it a bit sleepy for what you were in the mood for on Saturday, there was something about their understated set that had you caught in the palm of their hands. It was an emotionally heavy set that made you feel everything and anything. Had it been any other night, I would have been falling head over heels for this band, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to be lost in the room, not my head. I hope Lockstep returns soon so I can take in all of their magic and give them my full attention.

Unfortunately, things were moving fast due to a late start and the addition of a band. Prize Horse took the stage next, but I missed their set due to the quick pace of the night and the fact that I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a hot minute. I feel terrible, but it was one of those nights where, throughout the night, I felt as if my head was in the clouds, and although I thought I had only been talking to this friend for a few minutes, it ended up that we had talked throughout Prize Horse’s set and didn’t catch a single note. My biggest apologies to this local band. I owe them one and promise to make it up to them.

As Thursday took the stage, it was almost like I didn’t believe this was happening. Obviously, I saw the members, I saw the gear, and I saw them get ready for the downbeat of their opening song, “For the Workforce, Drowning,” but it was as if I couldn’t really fathom what was about to happen until I heard the first few notes of the track. Once I heard it and saw that this was a real show and that this was really happening, my entire body went into this weird state where I was there, but I wasn’t.

The smell in the room was that of heat and sweat. Not BO, not heat like the smell an oven may give off, more just this musty smell that instantly transported me back to all of those years of going to small club shows at House of Bricks in Des Moines, Iowa (which is probably one of the many small clubs I saw Thursday play at back before they were the giants they are today). There was something about getting a whiff of that smell that sent my heart into a flight or fight response. Okay, maybe not the correct wording there, but as soon as that hit me, it was as if nothing mattered. This blog, the words I was going to say, the photos I was going to get, what those around me thought of me… anything. It was me, Thursday, and a super intimate club show that I genuinely didn’t feel worthy of being at.

Thursday played eleven songs. Some of them were predictable, but others were not. The only cover they played was “If It’s Here When We Get Back It’s Ours” from Texas Is the Reason (the other act of guitarist Norman Brannon). Beyond that, it was hit after hit from this iconic band. “Signals Over the Air,” “Cross Out the Eyes,” “Understanding in a Car Crash”… we heard them all. Well, kind of. Obviously, a band like this would never be able to play everything everyone in an audience would want to hear, as that would take hours, but I feel like they did a great job of playing their hits and a few b-sides that mean the world to so many fans.

I want to say so much more about this show because it was truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of experiences, but, at the end of the day, I was so lost throughout their set. I couldn’t believe I was seeing and hearing, and even the morning after, I still find it hard to believe that it all happened.

I feel like I’ve been posting a lot of things on my socials, saying things like “Life is crazy” and “All you can really do is buckle up and see what happens.” I feel that both of those things, along with many other cheesy phrases, came to fruition on Saturday night. Never did I ever think it would be 2024 and I was seeing Thursday in a 200-person capacity venue, yet there I was, living in the moment with nothing more than 199 other people, Thursday, and some of the songs that have been staples in the daily playlist of my life for decades.

Excuse my French, but what a fucking insanely amazing night. This is one that I will never forget.

Line Up:

Sleepwalk

Lockstep

Prize Horse

Thursday

Venue: Zhora Darling

Smell-O-Meter: That weird musty smell that I talked about

Average Age of the Crowd: 38

Crowd Surfers- 3

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 9 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- A few drinks, a few bodies

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

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

Sleepwalk– 0

Lockstep – 0

Prize Horse – 0

Thursday – Maybe 16?

Celebrity Sightings – Ryan of Unstable Shapes / James Taylor of Lamaar

Overall Score – 12 out of 10

Show on Deck — Rob Zombie / Alice Cooper / Ministry / Filter

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