Girl at the Rock Shows

I was frustrated by the time I got to the PILLLAR Forum on Friday night. My timing was going to be impeccable, with some minutes to spare to find a good spot to photograph from in the intimate venue and sold-out show. That was all foiled by a stuck train. You can’t make this stuff up. I was stuck in traffic for forty-five minutes before the geniuses in front of me realized that the train was not going to move and it would be best to just whip around and find a different route. I felt helpless as I watched the bigger trucks around me off-road through the median to do this well before I got the chance, but with my little car, there was no way I could hop a curb without damaging something, so I had to be patient, and it killed me. By the time I finally got out of the parking lot of Central Avenue, did some weird zigs and zags throughout northeast Minneapolis, and parked just a few blocks away from the venue, I was discouraged, stressed, and, honestly, bummed. I knew I had missed the opening act whenthedustsettles, which broke my heart, but I wasn’t about to let that ruin the rest of my night.

As soon as I found a small spot in the sold-out club, it was time for Pointless Animal to take the stage. There were still people meandering all over the intimate stage when the music started, and that’s when I realized this band gives Slipknot a run for their money as far as members go. I couldn’t get a great count of how many people were on stage just due to being confined closer to the back for this set, but I can tell you that I counted at least ten people. From your standard guitar, drum, bass, and vocals to a slide guitar, tambourine, tom drum being held in a hand rather than perched on a drum set, and various other instruments and objects being used as instruments (there was one point where someone had a power drill of sorts?), this band felt chaotic and all over the place, but that’s what made their set so perfect.

I don’t know how to describe the music of Pointless Animal, but I was into it. Like the chaos ensuing on stage and off as the lead vocalist of this group seemed to be anti-stage on Friday night, spending most of their time in the audience, the sound of this band was all over the place. There were moments when you knew a breakdown of sorts was coming and others where you had no clue where the music would go, but you knew you were buckled up and ready for the ride. Insane swells of angst were mirrored by almost danceable moments, which just added to the chaos of the set but again, and I can not stress this enough, I was in love. It doesn’t matter how many members were on stage for Pointless Animal or what you would call their music. What this band gave the sold-out audience on Friday night made us all feel something; that was all I needed.

The whole reason that this show was on my radar was because of the next band, Missouri Executive Order 44. My buddy and fellow photographer has not shut up about this group since the first time he saw them perform. He claims that this group had the best release of 2024. Although this particular friend has led me astray once, telling me there’s a show I just can’t miss, he has been on point lately, so who was I to deny him? I was excited as muffled sounds of something that felt like bible verses took over the speakers. It was distorted to the point where I couldn’t hear everything being said (or maybe that’s just my hearing being shot), but it set the stage for the insanity that was about to ensue.

The story of the actual Missouri Executive Order 44 is dark. I won’t get super into it, but, long story short, in 1838, some dickhead decided that the Mormons were trying to take over the world, so he tried (and succeeded) to push a bunch of Mormons out of Missouri. Obviously, there is so much more to this story and so much more drama and death involved, but that gives you the groundwork for the meaning behind this band’s name. It also explains the costuming of this band. They are dressed like Mormons, complete with white shirts, black pants, bike helmets, and even name tags. What makes it super eerie is the use of black tights that cover their faces. It creates a super creepy image (and one that is super hard to photograph because of the already dim lights) but definitely adds to the weight of this band.

Much like the previous band and the one to follow them, the music of this band is pure chaos. The structure is loose, but the heart and fire that comes with every passing beat is immense. Their style dabbles between grindcore and hardcore and definitely has a slight noise-punk influence that prevails throughout. Again, the vocalist of this band seemed to be anti-stage, only stepping foot on the stage a couple of times throughout the set and opting to be with the people of the crowd for the rest. This just added to the intensity and chaos that was swirling throughout the room during their set but also just added to the magic of the underlying theme of the night. More on that later but, truly, I can not thank my friend enough for turning me onto this band. It was utterly and perfectly tumultuous.

Closing out the quick-paced Friday night show was Indiana-based Usurp Synapse. Although just as intense and chaotic as the previous two acts that I caught, this band focused a bit more on the noise-punk side of things with a strong grindcore influence. Their songs were short but packed a punch of intensity and unsettled sounds. Although I typically like full thoughts when it comes to the songs I latch onto, the shortness of these songs was about all I could take. They were just so intense and heavy in a way that having quick breathers here and there was absolutely necessary.

I thoroughly loved the intensity and creativity showcased throughout Usurp Synapse’s set, and I felt really bad as they came to the end of their set and made a comment about something they had heard earlier in the night. Apparently, a comment had been made about the ages of the members of this band. Usurp Synapse were clearly older than the majority of the all-ages crowd (hell, I think I was one of the oldest ones in the audience), and apparently, some people had some “jokes” to say about this. I don’t know if the intensity I felt from this band was them trying to prove those young punks wrong or if that’s just how they always are, but I loved the fact that this group made sure to drive the point home that you are never too old for punk. You are never too old for shows. You are never too old for music. You are never too old for passion.

I’ve been taking little videos of every band I see live for my Instagram, but I didn’t do that on Friday night. It wasn’t the place, wasn’t the time. Although I was lost in a sea of kids probably half my age, there wasn’t a cell phone in sight. There was something so magical about this that just added to the night. I’m so sick of people being on their phones during live concerts and spending all of their time taking videos that they will surely never go back and watch. It was so refreshing to be in a place where it felt like cell phones didn’t even exist. It was just people pushing, shoving, and pit-ninja-ing their way through an intense show. You know, living in the moment– the way a concert should be. Compared to Thursday night, when Paleface Swiss had to remind people to put their phones away, Friday night at PILAR Forum was like a dream. I’m sorry to anyone who wanted to see a video of the bands I got to see, but you should have just been there.

Line Up:

whenthedustsettles

Pointless Animal

Missouri Executive Order 44

Usurp Synapse

Venue: PILLLAR Forum

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 22

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 12 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)-

whenthedustsettles – -1

Pointless Animal – 0

Missouri Executive Order 44 – 0

Usurp Synpase – 0

Celebrity Sightings – Anita Velveeta

Overall Score – 9.1 out of 10

Show on Deck —Popstar / Smoke Free Home / Small Animal Hospital / Beggars

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