Adventures in Jackassery

A couple weeks ago I was listening to the radio and heard a advertisement for a concert in which two of my favorite bands (Finger Eleven and Strata) would be playing. A couple years ago they were on tour together and I saw them both times they were in Toledo that year. I was pretty stoked that they were going to be in town again, so my esteemed colleague, Colonel Eggroll, and I got ourselves some tickets. Oh and Chevelle was headlining.

The concert was last night. The experience was...interesting?...blogworthy? First, once we got inside everyone was standing around in the lobby in a sort of psuedo-line. We walked around them and went up front to the doors to wait. You've heard the phrase "the crowd got ugly" right? Well this crowd started out ugly, and I don't just mean figuratively. We were definitely the prettiest. I don't mean to be cruel, but these people were mutants. After they opened the doors we sedately walked amidst the charge and still got spots three and a half people back form the stage.

Behind us on the right were a handful of short, chunky frat-type dudes. One of them began telling this crazy story about some guy chasing him with a knife. "And then I was running, but everybody was locking their doors and rolling up their car windows man." I think it was the same one of the group who fiddled with one of my ponytails and said "nice tails dude". (I have short hair and I can't pull it back into just one ponytail, so I wear two right now, okay?) In front of them was a short couple with two little kids. Who brings eight-year-olds to a rock concert? In front of us were some people smoking pot. And they weren't even being discreet. The lights were still on and everything. On my left we had the two random drunk/stoned girls who showed up with an armload of beers. Nobody knew them, they just showed up. I was weighing the odds that they were actually old enough to drink. The one says, "the last time these guys were in town they played at Savage hall." I said, "Actually, they played two shows that year, the second one was here at Headliners." This was too much information for her, so she ignored me. "So after the show we, like, went to the bar. And, like, the guy from Finger Eleven was there and my ex-boyfriend, like had some weed, so we were like, do you wanna smoke with us, and they were like yeah. So we went back to the tour bus and like, hung out with them and Strata, and like, the lead singer of Trapt. So this time I called my ex-boyfriend because he's the father of my child, and he was like you only met them because of my chronic..." I was silently wishing I knew how to do a Vulcan nerve pinch so I could put her out of my misery. Things were not boding well.

Strata was opening, and they started their set late. Which, barring a technical problem, is kind of annoying. So anyway, the finally came out and started. And...okay, before there were these four guys playing pretty decent music. Decent jeans and t-shirts type dudes. Their lead singer had good stage presence and was cracking jokes with the crowd. They had a sound and talent, and they might not have been the best things since sliced bread, but I liked them.

Well, something happened.

We're talking that side swept, too-long in the front, bangs in the face hair going on. The lead singer had this Charlie-from-Lost-on-a-fatal-overdose-of-emo look. Diva pants, which is not a good look on guys, hand pressed against the sky while singing. Uck, pretentious, effeminate, nancing about. And all their new material was all emo BS that sounded like all that other crap out there. Of course, they didn't play any of their old material. The guy even said "we won't apologize for our music not being heavy" So obviously you're aware of the change in style, but you don't care what your fans think?

So, they sold out. Shit.

Then Finger Eleven came on. They put on a really good show. It would have been perfect except behind us some teabags decided to start picking people up and tossing them onto the crowd. I don't know about you, but I got to a concert for the show not to have random limbs of strangers hitting me in the face. I got smacked in the nose, twice! Thankfully, I wasn't hit hard enough to break it, but even today it's still pretty tender. After the second time I got hit we decided to retreat away from the stage. Not to mention the drunk/stoned girls started jumping up and down while holding lit cigarettes. On our way back some douche landed practically on top of Julia. We watched the rest of the show from a slightly safer distance.

Chevelle came on last, I like a couple of their singles, but the rest of their stuff all runs together of me. I don't care, I'm not that old, I like some of the heavier music, but the bass was way too loud. The loose fabric of our clothes was vibrating. Also we saw some guy grab some chick's butt (she was not happy) right before I overheard this charming tidbit, "Dude, I need to get some, but I want to fuck a whore right now!". Even back where we were things were getting ramped up. We only stayed for three songs of their set before we decided that we'd had enough.

All in all, it was not the greatest concert experience of my life. The vibe in that crowd was not pleasant, the kind of group that's one thrown missile away from being a mob. I don't know if it's the people in Toledo, Chevelle fans, just the crowd that the venue, Headliners, seems to attract, or some combination there of. Last time we were at Headliners things got a a little rowdy too, but nothing on this. On the drive back we pretty much decided to avoid any future events there.

I think it's somewhat disturbing that people go to these things with the intention of doing violence to other people. It's dark, and there's a crowd, so I guess that they usually get away with it. The word "moshing" is used to dress up what is essentially a brawl. Shoving, punching, and just throwing each other to the ground. Julia said, "Maybe I'm just getting old but..." I don't think it's that we're getting too old for it to be cool. I've never found being attacked by strangers to be terribly cool. ;)

[I apologize if this is a bit rambling or doesn't make sense. Chalk it up to longer work days and a need for sleep right now.]