(This was originally written for school and has been posted here. Enjoy)
Very
rarely am I compelled to spend money to go to a show, even if it’s a band I
actually care about to a modest-to-high degree. In fact, it was mainly because
of this out-of-class assignment that finally got me to get out of my house and
go to this show in the first place, even though the venue (The Epicentre) is
located only 15 minutes away from my house on bicycle. Furthermore, out of the
several bands on the bill, only two of them I actually wanted to see; my
buddy’s “beatdown hardcore” band Impale Thy Neighbor, and Pamona’s sludgecore
band Xibalba (who also fit under the beatdown banner.) And if we’re being
honest, the live metal/hardcore show is really a flawed proposition to begin
with (which I've mentioned here before). Metal bands are almost always better in the studio (to say the least) and
most metal bands I've seen live, while somewhat enjoyable, just don't deliver
their best. Regardless, this out-of-class assignment gave me an excuse to
emerge from my hermit den and attempt to have a good time being a scrawny,
bespectacled metal nerd surrounded by beefy straightedge hardcore dudes who
could kick me across the parking lot for wearing the “wrong” band’s shirt,
which I was.