I got kinda busy this past week and forgot to post a recap from the Unsane show last Friday but here goes. I heard through the wire that the show sold out and they only had 30 tix left at the door. First of all I had no idea that there were even advance tix to begin with. So now at 7PM I rush over to Union Pool to make sure I get in. No one was there yet! I'm in right?
I struck up a conversation with the barkeep and he informed me that there were actually only 20 tickets left. That's when I noticed Chris Spencer, vocalist of Unsane, was sitting next to me at the bar. He told me that he set aside 10 of the 30 for people he knew. Shit, me chances of getting in just dropped a bit but I was still the only one there. My buddy Carlos showed up soon after and we had a few beers. We kept asking when the ticket dude was going to get there but to no avail. Dude, just wasn't around yet.
So we drank and kept an eye on the outside for a line to form. People were filling in now and we were watching the yard. We noticed people out there but from the inside it in no way looked like a line so we had another beer. A friend who was involved with the show told us since we were the first ones there we'd get in, even if tix sold out. I've heard this before and had it not workout so I kept watching the line anyway. I wasn't missing Unsane even if I had to fight my way in.
I ran out of cash and headed outside to hit the ATM in the yard and noticed the people outside were in fact in line. Fuck! They were about 25 deep or so. I jumped in and shot Carlos a text to get outside. He came out and the line started moving. after what only looked like 7 or 8 people through they told the rest of the line tough shit and fuck off. We were worried, very worried.
Then we heard a "Yo!" and looked up to a waving hand...we're in! We got our wristband and grabbed another brew in the saloon (that's what I call the band room). The first band started up soon after. We weren't impressed so we headed to Fette Sau for some food. When we got back Made Out Of Babies were just starting. The singer is a very cute chick but again, we weren't feeling it. Some of the songs were cool but a lot were a bit too "90's metal" for our liking. Back to drinking in the main bar!
We had a few and stumbled back into the saloon for Unsane. Fucking UN-fucking-SANE! We were super excited. Carlos had never seen them before and I hadn't for 2 years. This band inspired the hell out of me in the mid-90's and were one of the bands that got me playing music in the first place. The video for "Scrape" made them instant legends amongst metalheads, punks, and skaters alike. I was stoked to put it mildly.
The crowd was older then I expected and was a curious mix of aging hardcore dudes, beardos, Joe Schmoes in Mets hats, and hipsters rediscovering their inner metalhead. When they started the set everyone kinda just stood there - no pit, no pushing, no stage diving goons - nothing. It was fucking refreshing.
The vibe of the show was more like being at a practice in the Unsane garage then a proper show. They were cracking jokes with friends in the crowd and just having a good time. It was so laid back and they seemed so happy to playing together again.
The intro to "Alleged" was about 10 minutes longer then normal because Chris couldn't find his harmonica. When he finally did he came over to the mic and took a minute to remember how to play his part. Once he finally blew into that thing an unfamiliar sound came through the mic. Chris got a big smile on his face and his band mates just laughed, "Wrong key guys, sorry" Chris said into the mic. The crowd got a good laugh out of it while Chris went back and found the proper key harmonica. This time he got it right and one of the best Unsane songs ever was rolling along.
They played quite a few songs from Scattered, Smothered, and Covered, which is one of my all-time favorite albums. Halfway through the set as they played classics like "Alleged" and "Scrape" the crowd started getting wild. It wasn't much of a pit but some pushing and pogoing going down. The closed the set with my absolute favorite Unsane Sang ever, "Get Off My Back." If you've never heard it well it builds up for a few minutes and then explodes with the only 4 words of the song, you guessed it, "Get off my back!" Then after the tension is released it mellows out only to go at it one more time. It's the perfect closer and they extended it out an extra ten minutes or so and just jammed. It was amazing. The whole damn set was amazing and I feel honored to have been part of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment