Girl at the Rock Shows

What does a girl’s night look like for you? I know for a lot of people that means some drinks and chatting at a bar or out at a craft night of sorts, but for me, it’s a concert. It’s a weird way to have friends. People who know me know that if you want to see me, you’d better be ready to go to a show. It’s not for everyone, and I have definitely lost my share of friends because of it, but those that stick around for my crap and go to random shows with me if only to get a chance to hang out with me are truly my favorite people in the world, and I typically feel super close to them. There’s something about watching a friend experience what brings you joy. There’s something about taking a friend to see a band that they don’t know anything about and seeing it spark something in their soul. There’s an almost intimacy to it all, and it adds a dynamic to shows that I just don’t get when I go alone. I had two friends in tow on Thursday night, and although I’m sure this show would have been just as amazing had it just been me, having these two friends by my side made it hit just a bit harder and a bit more perfectly.

I had never heard of Flooding prior to this show, but after bumping into a friend at dinner before the show and hearing that this was the band he was excited for, I got excited. He didn’t ruin the set for me– he knew better– but did warn me that it was going to be loud. He wasn’t kidding. This band took the stage and instantly drenched the quickly growing audience in a wall of sound. The dynamics that swelled throughout their opening set didn’t get hit by your ears; they hit your heart. I don’t know how exactly to explain, but it was as if I could feel my heartbeat speed and slow depending on whether they were at a peak or valley of their sounds, but I wasn’t doing anything. It’s not like I was getting pushed around in a pit or anything like that; I was just standing there, but their music was making me feel multitudes of emotions and feelings. Born in Lawrence, Kansas, back in 2020, Flooding has released two full-length albums and two EPs at this point. I spend my day today, the day after the show, listening to all of these recordings to see how this feeling translates to recording. Although I have a feeling that their slightly slowcore, post-hardcore sound won’t hit as hard just sitting at my desk and listening to them than it did when watching them under the beautiful lights of First Avenue’s mainstage, I’m sure that it will bring me the same amount of sheer catharsis and, in this day and age when life never stops and it constantly seems to get a bit more messy, that’s exactly what I need.

In my mind, I had seen From Indian Lakes, the next band to take the stage, a few times before. On paper, it looks like I may have never seen them prior to Thursday night. Maybe I missed something in my records, or maybe I’ve just completely lost it. Either way, it was nice to see (and/or revisit) this California-born band. I wouldn’t call them an indie band. I wouldn’t call them a rock band. I definitely wouldn’t call them punk or metal, but I would call them a band that lives in the in-between of all of those genres. Much like Flooding and what was about to come from the headlining act of the night, From Indian Lakes put attention to detail in the spotlight. Their explosive set, although a bit slow-moving at times, was full of swells of sound and energy that translated into swells of emotion that you could visibly see the crowd get lost in. I’ll be the first to admit that, knowing what was coming up next, some of From Indian Lakes’ set lost me. As mentioned, there were moments that felt a bit slow-moving to me, but that being said, there’s no denying that I needed their peace and beauty and loved the way that those moments of slight meditation were abruptly interrupted by angular guitarwork and crashing drums. It felt like this band was offering me a sense of peace, but also wanted to remind me that we do not live in peaceful times. They wanted me to be comfortable but also alert, and they nailed all of that and then some. Whether this was truly my first time seeing From Indian Lakes live or not, I loved it and hope to experience their beautiful atmosphere and sound again soon.

I don’t listen to La Dispute (the headliner of Thursday night’s show at First Avenue) a lot in my free time. Honestly, their sound makes me too emotional. It’s been like that since the first time I heard a song from this Michigan-based post-hardcore band. I don’t remember what song it was or what particular line of lyrics sent me sailing over the edge, but I remember that I didn’t even make it through a single song before there were tears racing down my face, and I felt such an overpowering wave of emotion. None of this is a bad thing. I’m a huge advocate for crying. Although I don’t practice what I preach, you can find me with random “allergies” when a show hits me just right. That being said, I feel like hearing La Dispute perform is just overwhelming. I could be having a perfect day and be in the perfect kind of mindset, but the second a La Dispute song comes on, my day will tank in a way, and I will get all kinds of lost in my own feelings. All this being said, La Dispute is not a band I am willing to miss live. Their performances match the insane amount of energy that comes from their recordings, but it’s more than that. A La Dispute show is therapy. I know that I say all concerts are therapy, but this is something different.

I don’t know what songs the band played during their set on Thursday night. Part of that is because I truly don’t spend a lot of time with this band outside of a live setting, but the other part of that is because I just didn’t care. They could have gone up there and played Baby Shark over and over again, but with their signature amount of emotion and energy, it would have brought me to tears and brought other people in the audience to a religious experience of sorts. Maybe it’s the way vocalist Jordan Dreyer stalks the stage and dares you to try and follow along. Truly, I don’t think there was more than a minute when this guy was standing still. There were moments when it felt as if he was storming the stage with a sense of power and triumph, but other moments when it felt more like a nervous or anxious energy as he did this arc between sides of the stage while avoiding the front and center. It was nothing short of exhausting to watch and, at times, gave off this almost intimidating energy that I found absolutely irresistible.

It wasn’t just Jordan that you had to watch. Truly, all of the members of this band had some sort of quirk (for lack of a better term) about their stage presence that made them catch your eye at one point or another during La Dispute’s set. Beyond that, the sound would have been nothing without the rest of my band. Don’t get me wrong, it’s Jordan’s heart-on-sleeve and raw vocals that always get me stuck in my feelings with this band, but those words wouldn’t hit as hard if it weren’t for the sheer artistry and musicianship that comes with the other members of this band. My favorite parts of the show on Thursday night were when Jordan was getting words shouted back at him at a deafening level, but those moments when the rest of the band took off with a song and gave us those brief moments of ambient bliss were a close second favorite.

Normal girls go out for a couple of drinks to catch up on gossip and just life in general. I am not a normal girl. My friends know that if they want to see me and catch up, they’re going to have to come to a show. It’s par for the course, and I feel like a lot of my girlfriends have gotten used to it. That being said, Thursday night with La Dispute wasn’t just a night for catching up with my friends; it was like going to church with my friends. It was a night of explosive catharsis and heartfelt hugs– a slightly religious experience and a reminder of the sheer power of live music.

Line Up:

Flooding

From Indian Lakes

La Dispute

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 23

Crowd Surfers- Counted 15 but there were surely more

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 7 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Bodies

Fights- None

Pukers- 1

Passed Out People- 0

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

Flooding – 0

From Indian Lakes – 0

La Dispute – 2

Show on Deck – Yungblud

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