You Are All I Dream About

Twenty years ago feels like a distant past at times, but at others, it feels just like yesterday. It’s hard to believe that it has been twenty years since the first time I heard ‘Suck Out The Poison’ from He Is Legend. I don’t remember how I stumbled onto the album, but I stumbled, tripped, and fell into this band’s world and have yet to leave. Tuesday night, the band made a stop at The Underground Music Cafe & Venue in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate the accomplishment. Not just the accomplishment of a twenty-year album, but the accomplishment of still being a band after all of these years, and a band that has always worked for every fan they’ve gained and every song they’ve put out. Yeah, I was excited for a taste of nostalgia, but I think I was more excited to see this band and feel the grit and tenacity that make them who they are.

Before I get into He Is Legend’s set, let’s talk about the openers, starting with Lost in Separation. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sold when this Fort Worth, Texas-based band got started. Their sound leaned a bit more toward radio-friendly hard rock than the metalcore I had expected, but about halfway through their set, they played a song that instantly sold me. I don’t remember the name of the song, and it doesn’t seem like it’s out yet (they have an album dropping very soon, so I assume it will be on that), but it was a heavier-than-heavy kind of song. It was intense and brutal, yet there was a flair for perfection behind it that I absolutely loved. Once I heard that song, I got it. This band wasn’t what I’d call a butt rock band (which is what I thought at first), but more of a band with many different sides. A band with a whole lot of emotion, but also a lot of angst, and the way they put it out there is this genius blend of all of those things tied up in a bow of just sheer musicianship. Sure, there were some songs from this group that weren’t for me, but as a whole, I loved feeling like I could really see this band during their short opening set.

I don’t know how A Lot Like Birds flew under my radar for so long. They ran in the same scene that I did when they started in 2009, yet Tuesday night was my first time hearing this band, and it was a lot like seeing God. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I knew I was going to love this band as they set up, and I noticed there were two vocal microphones being placed on the stage. What can I say? I’m a sucker for dual vocals, especially when said vocals have as much contrast as they do in this band. Honestly, A Lot Like Birds is the closest I’ve ever felt to having The Blood Brothers back (yes, I know The Blood Brothers played a handful of shows, but none of them were up here, and I couldn’t make it to anything they did). A Lot Like Birds’ sound is chaotic, and it’s artistic. There are moments when nothing seems to make sense about their compositions, and at times, you may even feel like it’s about to crash, but that’s when this band brings it together. When their chaos turns to harmonious perfection. I was locked into A Lot Like Birds’ world to the point where I forgot I had a job to do. I forgot that I was supposed to be taking notes, snapping photos, and creating an article to describe their magic to you. Okay, maybe my forgetting is wrong. I think this was more of a case where I was completely and utterly blown away by a new-to-me band that I didn’t care about anything other than being in the moment and taking it all in.

Sure, it’s been twenty years since He Is Legend released their iconic ‘Suck Out The Poison’ album, which is a feat for sure, but can we talk about how this band has been around since 2003? I won’t make you do the math– it’s been twenty-three years of He Is Legend. Twenty-three years of next to constant touring, relentlessly releasing music, and just all around being a fixture in the music scene (albeit a niche corner, but still, a fixture). As I mentioned, I don’t know how I stumbled into He Is Legend’s world. I don’t remember if an album came first or if I caught them at a show and fell in love, but none of that matters. This band has been a staple in my life for literal decades, and it always feels like a super special treat when I get to catch them live.

Since this is an anniversary tour, the band powered through that 2006 album. Being one of my favorite albums from this group, this was a dream come true. I got to hear my favorites like “Suck Out the Poison” and “Dixie Wolf (The Seduction Of…)”, but also got to hear songs like “Serpent Sickness” and “The Pot Bellied Goddess” —songs I don’t think I’ve heard live before. I love album playthroughs because it’s like you’re seeing a soundtrack from some point in your life come to life. Does that make sense? Like, sure, you can see bands play your favorite songs, and that’s cool, but to see them play an entire album, from front to back. An album that you obsessed over at one time and remember every crease you put into the liner notes as you read along to the lyrics, every pause between those songs and how long that pause felt, every intricate detail of every second. There’s just something truly magical, and I loved how He Is Legend was able to take me back to the days when their CD was the only one in my car (because I am that old and remember listening to full CDs in my car). At the same time, their set felt fresh. The music may have been a bit dated, but the delivery was not. This band had the same amount of southern swagger-infused charm and energy that they always have had, and that just added to the magic of the night.

I mentioned it briefly at the beginning of this post, but before I let you go, I have to expand a bit on the fact that this is a fan’s band. What I mean by that is that He Is Legend never bought likes. They haven’t dealt with bots because, as vocalist Schuylar Croom admitted, they’re just too dumb to figure it out. He Is Legend is only still a thing because people told people. Twenty-three years of being a band lifted up by the community they have created, not the community they have bought. That couldn’t have been easy, and I’m sure it’s still more difficult than not for this band, but they haven’t stopped. There’s something about that that feels so beautifully poetic to me. They’re a band for the people, by the people, and, no matter how many years pass, they will never forget that, just as fans will never forget just how magical this band is, and I feel like that’s what makes seeing this band live so much more special than just another show.