Okay so this blogmas post is mostly unrelated to the holiday season.
About a month or so ago, Chris won tickets from one of the local radio stations for the Pop Evil and Ded concert.
Something Chris and I both have in common is our love for music and going to concerts. It seems like, though, ticket prices have been increasing substantially over the years so we don’t have as many opportunities to go as we would like. However, since he did win the tickets, the only thing we had to pay for was the gas to get there and back.
This concert was at the Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bourbon Theatre is a building in the downtown area, surrounded by pubs and a taco place. It has an “old” fashion theatre feel on the outside; with a brick exterior and is wall to wall with it’s neighbors.
From the outside, it would seem like only a handful of people would be able to fit in. We wondered how many people it truly could hold at capacity. Having never been there before, we were both curious as to the inside and how it might compare to some of the other local venues we had been to.
We wound up getting there early and having to stand outside in line for a little over an hour. It was a little cold, but not terrible; I’d say probably in the 40s. We talked while we waited. On the other side of the two lane road, there was a teenager practicing his parkour tricks. Some of the other people in line started yelling “hardcore parkour” at him.
We noticed we were standing directly next to a large van that was towing a trailer. My first thought was, “I wonder which band this belongs to.” Now, as I have gotten older, I have been less involved in names of people in bands. I just can’t keep up. A few guys came out of the building and got into the van. I figured they were at least one of the bands. Some seemingly young guy, came up to them and started talking. It seemed like they knew each other because the guy thanked him for coming to the show (you will hear more about this in a minute).
5 minutes before the doors opened, a man in a yellow shirt with suspenders stood on the fence and started yelling about tickets and id’s. I didn’t bring my id because I don’t drink, so why carry it around? The doors were finally open and one by one this woman was checking people, patting them down, for weapons and miscellaneous things. I saw her pull a large switchblade from some man’s pocket.
Then it was our turn. I didn’t have anything on me and Chris only had his keys, wallet, and phone, easy enough. We get into the doors and they are taking tickets and checking id’s. Chris handed our tickets over and the woman asked to see our id’s. I said, “I don’t have mine with me, but I am not drinking.” The lady told me that was fine, but she would have to mark me as a minor. I wound up getting a stamp on both hands, declaring me a minor. Though, I am not and haven’t been for nearly a decade. I thought it was funny.
We get inside and immediately I felt cramped. I wasn’t sure where to go. You couldn’t see a stage, nor were there any visible signs directing to the stage area. The inside was pretty dark. It seemed like the walls were painted black, the lighting was low, and there were stickers and posters covering all the walls. There was a bar right when you walk in as well.
We both had to use the restroom so we had to bypass the bar and go down the steps. There was a small area where tables of merch were set up. On either side of the tables were the restrooms. I went to the women’s side. I had to walk down a few stairs and a little hallway. It seemed weird to me.
After going to the bathroom, I went to the sink to wash my hands (because yes I am a good girl who doesn’t like sharing germs). There was a sign on the counter that said something like:
Hi my name is Joy. Your safety is our top priority. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation just go to one of the employees and tell them you’re looking for your friend Joy, that’s me.
Basically, if someone is bothering you and won’t go away tell an employee that you’re looking for Joy and they will handle it. My first thought was, “it is sad we have to put these signs up and worry about these things”. My second thought was, “I wonder if the men’s bathroom has one, too”.
Then Chris went to the bathroom. When he came back, I asked him if there was a sign in there, too. He told me there wasn’t one. I guess that’s assuming that no woman has ever harassed a man, making him uncomfortable and unable to get himself out of the situation. I’m sure some men have felt that way. Before I get into a tangent here, let’s get back on track.
After our bladders were emptied, we decided to go find the stage. We went up a little ramp and through a hallway, still covered in black paint and stickers. We were a bit surprised when we got in there as the spacing seemed larger than we thought. There was a bar area smack dab in the middle. There also was an upper area where you could sit if you so choose. It looked like someone took an old movie theatre and and taken all the steats out.I thought it was pretty neat.
When I go to concerts, I do not like to sit. I normally try to get as close to the stage as possible. On this day, my legs were already sore from working a full shift so I didn’t think I wanted to be fully submerged in the crowd.
We stood around talking. Chris had a rum and coke and I had a water. I jokingly said to Chris, “mmm I am getting so drunk on my water, I feel so hydrated right now!” I’m a bit of a goofball (thanks to my mom).
Finally, the first band came out. It was a local band that had won a poll contest on Facebook for who should be the opening act. The Rewind.
We hadn’t heard of them before. It was an all male band. Their sound was like an old rock feel, they sounded pretty good. Now, I told you, I am an observer. I watch people. I was watching the lead singer to start. He didn’t have the greatest movement, but you could tell he was really into it. Then I looked at the guitarists. One of them seemed stiff, he wasn’t moving much. I figured maybe he was nervous. Maybe he was very focused, I don’t know. Then I saw the other guitarist, he, in my opinion, seemed like he was trying too hard. He was into the song, which is cool. I guess it was just the fact that watching them together, as a whole, they didn’t seem in sync. Though, I know they are still new to the scene, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.
They finished their set with a cover of Boys of Summer. They did a pretty good job. Thumbs up.
The next band was Ded. I, personally, have not heard their songs, other than the few I had heard on Pandora. I wasn’t sure what to expect. The little intro played and they all came to the stage. When they came out you could immediately feel their stage presence.
They are an all male band. Their sound is more metal with screaming vocals. Though I didn’t know their songs I still was fully participating. At one point the lead singer told us all to get on the ground. He had to repeat himself a few times, but eventually everyone went down. He instructed us to jump up and get crazy on his call.
Everyone, at the same time, jumped up and started jumping with their fists in the air. I liked the way they interacted with the crowd.
As they were playing, Chris tapped my arm and pointed over to the side of the stage. The guy that had talked to the band at the van was up there, head banging pretty hardcore.
One of the songs they played was more mellow. They made everyone get their cell phones out, turn on the flashlight, and sway it back and forth. There were a lot of phones in there.
Near the end of their set the singer says, “okay we are going to do a cover song. This song is by Rihanna”. I told Chris it better not be that annoying Diamonds song. Then they started playing and we realized he was just kidding.
Though I had not really listened to them before, they left the stage and I was left wanting them to play more. They had set the bar pretty high in my book. Some of their songs I liked was, “anti-everything” and “FMFY”.
During intermission as they set up the final bands equipment, they were playing music (they had been previously as well). The song My Own Worse Enemy by Lit came on. Literally everyone in the crowd was singing the song. That’s the first time we have ever heard a crowd sing to the intermission music. It was pretty cool to see everyone singing together, without anyone on stage.
Then it was time for the headliner, Pop Evil. I knew a couple of their songs that I had heard on the radio. This band consisted of the lead singer (male), 3 guitarists (male), and the drummer (female). It was refreshing to see a woman on the drums! This is the first time I had seen one in person. Let me tell you, she did not disappoint!
The band itself has a rock sound, with less screaming than Ded. They seemed to be in sync with each other, but I am not going to lie I really wanted to see some more of Ded. It wasn’t that I didn’t like what Pop Evil was doing, but for some reason I guess I wanted to hear the screaming metal band more.
Even though I wanted more of Ded, I still fully participated jumping, throwing my fist in the air, all while trying to keep my pants from falling down.
At one point, they did a short version cover of the Eye of the Tiger, to which everyone in the crowd participated in. Towards the end of their set, the singer talked about how this was their last show for the year and they were going to take a longer break off than they ever had. He also said it is weird not playing up until a couple of days before Christmas. He had the rest of the band sit down and then we sang Silent Night with him.
They left the stage, but the lights didn’t come on. Usually, when the lights stay off that means they will play more if the crowd calls them back out. Naturally, we all started cheering and slow clapping, trying to get the encore to start. It took a few minutes, but they came back out and did a few more songs.
By the time the concert was over, our legs and feet were sore. Of course now our hearing was also off, it sounded like I was talking with headphones on. I knew I wanted to sit down as I had been on my feet all day, so we headed to the car.
All in all, I am glad he won the tickets and I got to experience something new. A new place and new bands. The problem with concerts though, is they become addicting. Now I am left wanting to go to more.
Until tomorrow,
Jenn
Reclaiming My Sanity 