“Big boys to the front! Big boys to the front!”
The lights flashed, and a stampede of men raced to the foot of the stage.
“Wow, that’s a little rude,” my friend Ashley Faber said. “What if we want to go to the front?”
I nodded in agreement because, let’s be real, nobody would have been able to hear my response with all of the background noise, anyway.
Then we remembered we were at a metal concert, and this was the main act. We watched as the crowd that we had originally surrounded ourselves with — tame in comparison to the moshers in the middle — hurriedly made their way to the opposite end of the venue, further from the stage and closer to the exit. The first notes hit, and, unsurprisingly, Ashley and I were immediately launched backward into a cold, brick wall.
As someone who has little to no background in metal music and its subculture, I was not entirely sure what to expect when I first bought my tickets for the show. Rose Music Hall presents Locked Shut, Saturday, Jan. 27. But, I enjoy trying new things, Locked Shut was a local band, and tickets were only $8 on Ticketmaster. That was enough for me; I was sold.
I proposed the concert to Ashley, an avid concert-goer in her own right with just about the same amount of metal experience as I do, and she bit. So, two pairs of fishnet tights, two pairs of combat boots, and four expertly drawn eyeliner wings later, there we were at Rose.
We would soon realize that we signed up for not one, not two, but four acts. As the first band shuffled off the stage, the next was announced. Realizing that the next band was not, in fact, Locked Shut either, we pulled up the schedule for the night. The acts were listed as follows: RDMR, Gorehound, Direct Measure and Locked Shut. Neither of us had done much, if any, research on the event beforehand. We were thrilled; Ashley and I had accidentally stumbled upon a concert junkie’s greatest dream and an otolaryngologist’s worst nightmare.
Dipping my toes into the metal genre was invigorating, to say the least. Could I understand any of the words? No. Was I enthusiastically screaming along regardless? Yes. Because I did not know the meaning of the lyrics prior, I was able to assign my own meaning. If I were to sum the experience up in one word, it would be freedom. Every note resonated with me, vibrating through my body. I am still vibrating, just at a lower frequency. Post-concert depression goes hard, but this? This is another beast.
“The metal show was just so much fun,” said Ashley. “There was a real sense of community in the crowd and you could really feel the music. Something about it makes you want to headbang and jump along.”
So, the music was phenomenal — life-changing, even — but here are some of my other greatest takeaways from the experience.
The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere. The energy was electric, and not just because of the guitars (haha). I got myself a drink right off the bat, and honestly, I didn’t even need it. Everything was abuzz, and I am a firm believer that it would have been just as good of a time sober. I don’t mean just buzzing, think, about how you feel after a first kiss, how it feels when someone with a cool outfit says you have a cool outfit, or even how it feels when you get the parking spot on the first try buzzing. Or at least, that’s how it felt for me.
With that, be sure that you drink plenty of water. Not only were we standing and jumping around the whole time, but it was hot and sweaty, and Ashley and I were headbanging like crazy. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
On the hot and sweaty note, yes, it smelled. But! Ashley always carries a small, portable perfume. The scent of choice? Brazilian Crush Cherirosa 71 perfume mist by Sol de Janeiro. Genuinely, I think it saved our lives.
“I took matters into my own hands,” Ashley said when I explained why I was asking for the exact type of perfume she brought to the concert a full week after I last basked in its scent. “You know how it goes.”
I love live music. If I have the opportunity to see a show, I will take it. Because of that, I am comparing this experience to previous experiences I have had. The crowd was probably the most respectful, most polite crowd that I have ever seen at a concert. Genuinely. There were so many “Please’s” and “Thank you’s” and “Excuse me’’s” that it caught me off guard — from what I have experienced at Rose and elsewhere, this was not the norm. Which, actually, juxtaposed perfectly with the moshers.
A mosher is “a person who dances energetically and violently to rock music,” according to the Cambridge English Dictionary, which I think hits the nail on the head. There was a circle at the foot of the stage that grew and grew as the acts went on, crescendoing at its largest with Locked Shut themselves. The group was energetic, moving past a simple headbang. They slammed into each other at full speed, they were lively and chaotic, and some even rushed the stage only to jump into the crowd, surfing until they hit the barrier of steadfast individuals separating the moshers from the rest of the metal crowd. I found this endearing; these people were willing to become a wall, or maybe even a bridge between two worlds, just to ensure that everyone could have a good time. I saw one man intervene several times when certain moshers became too rowdy in their designated circle. He would grab them by the shoulders, pull them to the side, and speak to them gently (or as gently as he could with the volume), likely letting them know that they were getting out of hand. I am used to watching security guards throw rambunctious concert-goers out; I feel like everyone has something to learn from the metal crowd.
There was less of a dress code at this metal concert, too — you had some attendees in attire similar to Ashley and me (think: all black, your stereotypical “Metalhead Outfit” Pinterest search), but you also had others dressed for a date night (formal), others dressed in jeans and a tee shirt (casual), and even others dressed in sweats (comfortable). You can truly, genuinely, wear whatever makes you happy, be whatever makes you happy.
Finally, WEAR EARPLUGS! If you have some at home, bring them. If they are offered at the venue, take them. They were free at Rose and Ashley took a pair. I did not. Be like Ashley. Take the earplugs. Your ears will thank you, I promise.
So, contrary to how my introduction may have sounded, the concert was an incredible time and I would do it again ten times over. I tried something new, I was able to support a local show, and I found some new music to listen to, all for the low, low price of $8 (yes, I’m still on that). Would I have considered myself a fan of metal music beforehand? Probably not. Now? Why is that even a question?