Girl at the Rock Shows

I’ve talked about how concerts are like journeys for me. I don’t travel much, but I know that on any given night, I can enter an entirely new world through a concert. That was especially true with the three bands that performed at First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis on Monday night. I explored three completely different worlds and, even though some of it may not have been for me, the journeys were insanely epic to the point where I’m able to look past the fact that maybe some of the music I heard at this show wasn’t quite my cup of tea.

Italian power-metal band Frozen Crown opened the night. With only about thirty minutes in the spotlight, the band didn’t have time to waste, and it felt like they knew it. They powered through song after song with a sense of drama and ferocity that was impossible not to get lost in. I’ll be honest: this band and this scene overall aren’t what I typically get lost in, so I don’t know much about the band’s history, but I do know Frozen Crown has been through some stuff. They started in 2017, which, in the grand scheme of the music industry, isn’t that long ago, yet they have gone through a multitude of line-up changes. I wouldn’t have known that by watching them on Monday night. This group was cohesive and beautifully put together in every way, from the music to the look. I loved how they effortlessly balanced something super soft, tender, and intimate with edges that felt sharp, intense, and brutal. I mean, that’s the whole point of this symphonic-leaning power-metal scene, right? Beauty hidden within dark imagery, all held together by power ballads? Okay, I’m dumbing it down; I know that, but it was my biggest takeaway from Dark Crown’s set and a recurring theme throughout the night.

Another recurring theme of the night was pageantry. We got a little bit of it from Frozen Crown, but it really came to fruition with Visions of Atlantis. A symphonic metal band from Austria, Visions of Atlantis isn’t just a band, and their concert isn’t just a concert; they are a troupe, and their concert is a performance. Visions of Atlantis brings pirate life to life in their set. It’s not hard to see. From the outfits to the set design, everything about this band screams pirate life, but it’s only when you look closely that you see how much time and thought they clearly put into it all. There were flickering lanterns on stage. The small boxes the members used to elevate themselves for solos and whatnot were actually super intricate chests, and you could find fishing nets hanging from some of the banister-like pieces lining the back of the stage. Everything was cluttered, and it was really a lot to take in, but when mixed with the beautiful costumes of the band members, it took you away to a faraway fantasy land, and that’s the kind of thing I live for.

Maybe the whole revolving-door-of-musicians thing is a signature of this scene. Again, I really don’t know it well, but Visions of Atlantis is another group that seems to be constantly changing. Drummer Thomas Caser is the only original member of this group, dating back to 2000, but you wouldn’t have known that based on their performance. There was just such a stunning connection between the members of this band. You believed that they had all been playing together for decades. You even believed that they were leading a pirate ship, in a way, and that is something that you can not learn or teach. That’s something that comes from doing what you love with people you truly appreciate and respect. Maybe the operatic vocals paired with more severe, metal-inspired instrumentation isn’t quite my thing, but the feeling I got watching this group do their thing was absolutely up my alley and had me hooked the whole time they were on stage.

Closing out Monday night’s show at First Avenue was Florida-based Kamelot. This band kept the dramatic imagery set by the first two bands but dropped the pirate act and added something with a slightly more industrial feel. It was intense. It had a dark and dangerous feel, but it was also comforting in a way. The way vocalist Tommy Karevik seemed to spend most of the band’s time on stage, dipping in and out of the crowd from a small platform that jutted out from the stage into the audience, told me everything I needed to know. Maybe I didn’t have the connection with Kamelot that other people around me did. Their sound, although intriguing and unique, didn’t put butterflies in my stomach or anything like that, and I couldn’t sing along to every word like other people, but that didn’t stop me from feeling connected to this band purely because of the tearing down of the fourth wall between the band and the audience that Tommy led.

So why was I at this show when the music clearly wasn’t quite my thing? I’ll be honest, there were moments on Monday night that I questioned that. I try to find something I like in everything I listen to, and although I could definitely find glimmers of a metal influence in all three bands that performed, those moments were fleeting. Everything had a bit more of a symphonic influence behind it than the punk or hardcore edge I look for, and, truthfully, there were moments when I felt like what was hitting my ears was boring at best. That said, the creativity and passion all three bands brought to the stage had me floored. There was attention to detail that I feel even plays and musicals don’t catch. The costumes were museum-worthy, and most importantly, the imagination was there. I like to use concerts as an escape, a way to explore new worlds, and there is no denying that Frozen Crown, Visions of Atlantis, and Kamelot took me on three very epic journeys all in one night.

Line Up:

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Frozen Crown

Visions of Atlantis

Kamelot

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 47

Crowd Surfers- 0

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 1 out of 10

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

Broken Bones- None

Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Sausage-Fest Meter – 14 out of 10

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

Frozen Crown – 0

Visions of Atlantis – 0

Kamelot – 1

Show on Deck – Thesaurus Rex / Marie’s Island / Secret Menu

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