Girl at the Rock Shows

Most of my Sunday was spent celebrating the first birthday of one of my best friend’s kids. It was great and so good to celebrate such a fantastic thing, but it also definitely got me in my feelings a little bit. I’ll be honest: I never wanted kids and still don’t, even as my clock is ticking to have the chance to do so. That being said, seeing all of my friends starting to create families and have parties that revolve around failed cake smashes rather than alcohol has me wondering if I made the right choice in this game called life. I know, deep, dark, and rather twisty, but there I was, watching my friend’s son waddle around the house as everyone else swooned over him, and I obsessed over the clock because I knew I would have to leave soon to make it to my show. It wasn’t until I was sitting in my seat at The Xcel Energy Center and felt the wave of anticipation that hits when the house lights go down, and a band takes the stage that I felt okay with my decision. At the end of the day, I’m a concert lady, not a soccer mom, and I know that that will never change.

Spiritbox was first up at the packed arena show on Sunday night. Hailing from Canada, his group has been taking the scene by storm lately, and, honestly, it’s about time. Spiritbox has been creating sub-genre bending metal music since 2016. Their sound ranges from metalcore to progressive metal, with stops in between, showcasing this band’s versatility. The group put it all in the spotlight as they opened up Sunday night’s show with a quick, thirty-minute performance, but, have no fear, the group packed all they could into those thirty minutes. Although there are some songs from this band that really don’t do much for me, there are others that hit me hard. Their setlist on Sunday had a mix of both kinds of songs, yet, somehow, every track they played hit me like a ton of bricks. I was floored by the power and sheer passion that radiated from vocalist Courtney LaPlante.

The response that Spiritbox got from the audience was what thrilled me the most about their opening set. Obviously, people were pumped for the night in general. I mean, you don’t see subpar bands at giant arena shows, but there was something special about the reception during this opener. People were excited about them, which made me excited about the future of music. Sure, Spiritbox isn’t my favorite band or anything like that, but there were people in the excited audience that were treating them like pure royalty and, with the amount of talent in this band, that’s how they should be treated. The band took some time to acknowledge this before leaving the stage, and I loved how it showed just how genuinely passionate the group is about not only their music but their devoted following. Spiritbox may be taking the scene by storm right now, but it’s apparent that they are only getting started, and I can’t wait to see this band absolutely blow up over the next few years.

French metalheads Gojira were up next. Does that name sound familiar? It should! This band had the honor of being the first ever heavy metal band to perform at an Olympics opening ceremony this past summer in France. It had people talking in both good and bad ways about this band. Some people didn’t understand why a metal band would have such a prominent feature in the Olympics. They may have said things like the music didn’t fit the occasion or that it was too dark and heavy for the masses. Then you had the metal fans who were left thinking, dang, the world is finally catching on, and what a great band to catch on with.

Like Spiritbox, Gojira isn’t quite my band, but they had me absolutely captivated throughout their twelve-song set of heavy yet well-thought-out tracks. This band is more than just loud noises strung together with screams. It’s a band made up of thoughtful and activism-driven lyrics with complicated yet approachable riffs and beats. Their set came with an explosive energy highlighted by balls of fire flying through the air above the stage. Even with the sheer amount of energy that Gojira had, there was something oddly laid back about their performance. There was something super chill about how vocalist Joe Duplantier approached the microphone throughout the track, yet also something so determined about it. Joe and the rest of the band clearly wanted to open up the eyes of those in the audience to many of the injustices plaguing the world these days, and I think they did a lovely job of doing that while also making sure people had a chance to enjoy themselves.

Gojira honestly probably could have headlined this show on their own with the star power brought on by playing at the Olympics, but that is not where my Sunday ended. My Sunday night ended with the one and only Korn as they celebrated thirty years of being a band. Just think about that– thirty years. To put that into perspective, the average length of a marriage here in the U.S. is eight years. This band has been together nearly four times as long and only short five years of my entire life. It’s wild to think about but also amazing to put into perspective, especially as you watch this band absolutely kill it on stage as they did on Sunday.

Love them or hate them, Korn is a name that you know and they have a sound that you recognize instantly. From vocalist Jonathan Davis’ distinct style to the unmistakable bass sound of this band, Korn has absolutely lasted throughout the years, and, although their fame seems to rise and fall throughout the decades, they are at a high peak right now as nu-metal seems to be having a resurgence and, at the end of the day, Korn is one of the OG nu-metal bands. Seeing them do the same thing they have been doing over the past three decades but with a sense of professionalism that only comes with time and practice. Even with that sense of professionalism, I loved watching this band clearly have the time of their lives performing. It could have easily been one of those sets where it felt like the band was just going through the motions they have been going through year after year, but, instead, I got a sense of excitement and joy from Korn that was just the cherry on top of the set.

My Sunday was spent with mixed emotions as I tried to figure out if I had chosen the right path for my life when most of my friends had chosen other paths. As I drove home from the show on Sunday night, I couldn’t shake that giant smile from my face and that told me all I needed to know. Everyone’s path is a little different and my may be a bit more out of the norm than others with the way it’s paved by concert after concert but, at the end of the day, it’s what makes me happy and, when it all comes down to it, isn’t that all that matters?

Line Up:

Spiritbox

Gojira

Korn

Venue: Xcel Energy Center

Smell-O-Meter: Weed

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- 6 counted but I honestly wasn’t paying super close attention

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 7 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None Spotted

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 1

Passed Out People- 1

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

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

Spiritbox – 0

Gojira – 4

Korn- 7

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 7.5 out of 10

Show on Deck — Mx Lonely / Interlay / Casual / Linus

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