Girl at the Rock Shows

To say that the hours between my day job and going to bed on Friday night were a rollercoaster would be the year’s biggest understatement. When I left the day job, I was optimistic that I would be photographing the one and only FEAR later in the night. I texted my contact and waited for the final confirmation. Time ticked closer to the show, and I started to lose hope. It was okay, though; a few other shows were happening around town that I would have been more than happy to check out so instead of waiting by the phone any longer, the boyfriend and I headed out for dinner. We were waiting for our salads when I got the text that I was approved to shoot FEAR. My heart skipped a beat. We got our pizza to go, I shoved the boyfriend out of the car as I was passing the house, and I made my way to Uptown Minneapolis to the always lovely James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW Post 246 and waited for my dreams to come true. Spoiler alert: this isn’t where the rollercoaster ride ends.

I was winded by the time I got inside the venue. Parking was a task, as it is often in uptown, and I had to do many circles around a couple of blocks before finding a space. I power-walked my heart out to the venue and made it just in time to catch the opening act, Menstrual Tramps, take the stage. This local DIY Punk trio instantly stole my heart. Their songs, like their sound, were raw. Although I’m not sure that all of their songs were protest songs, they had that feeling. There was no shortage of angst radiating from the stage, and I only wish that the audience would have responded accurately. Instead of pushing and shoving their way through the set, most of the sold-out crowd just stood there and let their songs sink in (other than the moment when vocalist Chyna threw out a bird head mask that the audience was quick to “fight” over. I appreciated that this meant that getting some photos of the trio was easy, but I wish the crowd had gotten a bit more into it because these ladies were giving their all on that stage.

For some reason, the band felt the need to keep mentioning that they had only had one or two practices before this show. From what I could gather, Selena, the drummer, no longer lives in Minneapolis and came to town just for this show, giving the band limited time to really practice together. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that had it not been for them mentioning it. Sure, their set was raw, and there were plenty of times when something felt slightly off, but this trio was always able to recover, and it just added to the DIY ethos of the group. It ended up adding a sense of charm to an already amazing set and made Menstrual Tramps more than just a clever name– it made them the perfect way to get the night started.

After a super quick changeover, it was time for Bad Idea– another local punk band. I first caught this group in May of 2022 and have been trying to catch them for another performance ever since then. My calendar can get a bit insane, so, sadly, although this band has been grinding and playing fairly consistently, I haven’t had the chance until they took the stage on Friday night. It was like falling in love for the first time all over again. Bad Idea is very much a punk band, but their sound is just a bit more polished than that of Menstrual Tramps. That’s not a good or bad thing, but it just gave the night a nice flow. Much like the first time I saw them, I loved that this band was not trying to be anything more than what they were. Their power was intense, and their classic sound created a very calm yet energized feeling in the audience.

Another thing that hasn’t changed about this band, even though it’s been a few years since I have seen them, is their sense of humor. Although their set was ridiculously short, clocking in at right around twenty-five minutes, the band was able to fit quite a few jokes in. These jokes mostly revolved around thanking everyone for paying for a babysitter for the night, talking about how Uber was going to make a killing from this show, and how, yes, we should all have “beers with FEAR” but also “water with FEAR” because, as their guitarist pointed out, we are all too old and have too much to do to lose an entire weekend to a hangover. Again, Bad Idea isn’t trying to be anything other than what they are– some middle-aged guys playing solid punk tunes, and that’s what made their set on Friday night so perfect.

It was time for my dreams to come true. I’ve seen FEAR before, but it has always been at festivals. This was at a smaller, much more intimate club. Sure, it was a sold-out show with more than four hundred people in attendance, but it felt so intimate for such an insanely large and influential band. I stood there with two fellow photographers, ready to capture the magic of the night. The band started taking the stage. We all had our cameras up and ready to go, but that’s when the promoter of the night rushed into the photo pit and escorted us all out. Apparently, the manager had a change of heart, and he didn’t want to see any professional cameras. My heart broke, but it was what it was, and there was nothing I, the other photographers, or the promoter could do about it. Sure, I didn’t get to photograph FEAR but that can’t stop me from reviewing their set on Friday night.

Before I go any further, let me give you a quick background on this band. FEAR started in 1977 in Los Angeles, CA. Their sound is classic and truly formed the overall style of California hardcore punk to come. They became quite famous after a 1981 performance on Saturday Night Live. I’m not going to get into why that performance was so controversial or legendary (depending on how you want to look at it) but it’s one of the many reasons I love this band. That being said, the main reason I love them is their sound. It’s rough, it’s abrasive, it’s in-your-face and highly energized. It’s what punk should be: loud, fast, and hard- and it’s done oh so perfectly by this band. Sure, vocalist Lee Ving isn’t the spring chicken he used to be, but that won’t stop him from spreading the word of FEAR across the country.

Although it was great to hear FEAR play their classic hits like “Let’s Have a War” and “More Beer,” it was a bit heartbreaking to watch at the same time. At 74 years old, Lee struggled to do much of anything, like getting up the stairs to get on the stage or adjusting his microphone stand. It was almost uncomfortable to watch at times, but at others, when he was singing, you could tell that this kept him young. Sure, his voice doesn’t have the same intensity and push it once had, but he still had the punk fire and spirit, which helped smooth over any discomfort I felt when he was struggling. I wish I had been able to see this band in their heyday, but that heyday is long gone, and I was just more than honored to have the chance to catch such a monumental band in such an intimate setting, even if the performance was a little rough around the edges.

I still have so much more to say about the night. I haven’t even gotten into the fact that behind the drum kit was Oliver Shane Hawkins– the son of the late great Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters or talk about the audience’s response to seeing FEAR at this seemingly tiny show but, really, this was one of those, “Pinch me, this can’t be happening” kind of nights. Sure, I didn’t get to take photos of FEAR, but did I mention how cool it was to see this band on a Friday night at a cozy venue like the James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW Post 246? I hope you were there, and if not, I hope you find a show that is just as exciting and legendary to go to soon.

Line Up:

Menstrual Tramps

Bad Idea

FEAR

Venue: James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW Post 246

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 41

Crowd Surfers- None

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 9 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 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)-

Menstrual Tramps – 0

Bad Idea – 1

FEAR – 2

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 8.7 out of 10

Show on Deck — Selfish Teammate / Ficshe / Darkling I Listen / Ori the Ghost

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