Friday night was the Epica show, so here’s the novel about that.

( Warseid )

( Urn )

( Blackguard )

( Threat Signal )

( Epica )



We made Kim crawl under the merch booth to take a picture with us, but he didn’t seem to mind. ;) He unintentionally scared a lot of people doing this, though. They were literally screaming while I was trying not to die of laughter.

( + 3 more photos )

Sorry for the novel, but hey, it’s NaNoWriMo.

Last Saturday was the Monsters of Death show at The Rave. Even though I got there an hour ahead of time, the doors weren’t open yet for the show. Everyone else had to wait around for twenty minutes, but I was escorted into the bar, since I was on the guest list for winning a free ticket from The Rave’s online contest. I was surprised to see Swashbuckle doing their soundcheck, as it said online that they canceled before the show. John from Warbringer sat next to me at the bar, but while I was thinking of something non-fangirly to say to him, he left. :/

This has been the smallest room in The Rave I’ve seen a concert in. The stage is about fifteen feet wide and it’s only about twenty feet from the front of the stage to the back wall. The backstage area for most of the bands consisted of a small barricaded area to the left of the stage where their equipment was stored and the lights and sound system were operated. The merchandise area was directly on the other side of the stage and was so small you were practically in front of all the bands’ booths if you turned in a complete circle.

When I went over to the merch area to buy a Warbringer shirt, which I sadly never got around to due to certain distractions, Dominic from Augury immediately approached me. He explained that Swashbuckle was supposed to “crash the show”. I ended up talking to him for the next half hour until Swashbuckle came onstage about anything and everything. He’s from Montreal and speaks English as a second language, and it sounds like he’s only had a couple years’ worth, but he wasn’t too difficult to understand. I was also surprised how easy it was to talk to him compared to other people from bands I’ve met. I feel proud for teaching him the words for ‘goosebumps/gooseflesh’, ‘swimming pool’, and ‘shampoo’. He’s the only guy I’ve met who’s told me they use Redken conditioner, but doesn’t his hair look gorgeous? XD He also told me he was in the basement earlier and saw a type of shadow ghost that I’ve also had a few experiences with in my house. (I will post about that later, but we did finally get rid of it.) He said he was going to go back down there after the show and play a concert for the spirits, which I thought was nice. I’m so glad to have met someone who’s had an identical paranormal experience and doesn’t think I’m nuts.

( Swashbuckle )

( Augury )

( The Amenta )

( Warbringer )

( Decrepit Birth )

( Vader )

Stay tuned for part two, where the saga of Dominic and I continues as we go on a little adventure…

There isn’t really a lot to say about German Fest that I didn’t mention last year. All the performers there played polka and at least I could understand the performer from Austria, since it seems all the German speakers I’ve been meeting use different dialects than I’m used to. Everything was still very stereotypically Bavarian. I ended up buying a set of six shot glasses with various Bavarian/Oktoberfest-related sayings and pictures on them for only $15. There were also $3 desserts, which I generously indulged in. I didn’t remember the Dachshund Park, though, which was really cute. There were a couple of longhaired ones there and now I want one really bad. I also noticed a lot of Edelweiss-related things, including the flower itself you could purchase. Although they were a ton of vendors there and I mainly went for the shopping (and because admission was free), it’s still disappointing that there are more people in Milwaukee of German descent than anything else and yet other festivals outshine it every year. I didn’t take any pictures, since there weren’t a ton of people and those who were there were all locals. Irish Fest on the other hand had a crowd that made it seem like I was at Summerfest, and on a Sunday evening, too! I don’t know if it was because Gaelic Storm was filming for their DVD that night or what, but there were thousands of people there. However, there were much more drunk people at German Fest, but that’s probably because once you bought a boot, you could refill it all night for free.

Although more expensive than any other lakefront festival in Milwaukee (including Summerfest), Irish Fest is always a great time. Once again, it was another hot day and I didn’t go until later in the afternoon. I got there just in time for the parade and only saw two of the dozens of bands playing - the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who were actually from Scotland, and Gaelic Storm - but both put on amazing shows. There’s nothing like hearing the guitar intro to “Thunderstruck” being played by three pipers! I was really impressed with RHCP’s choreographed dancing and ability to work the crowd. Those guys were as hilarious as they were talented. If I see them again, I’ll stick around for their entire set. I really would’ve liked to, but I wanted to get a decent spot for Gaelic Storm. They even had a piping competition and their frontman said the only reason he didn’t win was because Kevin MacDonald (pictured below) invited all his Irish relatives to cheer for him. It’s funny because it’s true! Other than my mom and I, I’m sure there were plenty others from Clan Donald representin’. ;) I also had to laugh that among the numerous rows of vendors, you could actually purchase dirt and peat moss from Ireland! Absolutely ridiculous.

Anyway, here are some of the better shots from the day. Not very dial-up friendly, I’m afraid.



( Irish Fest Parade & Grounds: + 18 )

( Red Hot Chilli Pipers: + 9 )

( Gaelic Storm: + 9 )

( Unintentionally amusing photos: + 6 )

Wednesday was my third time seeing the Rev (second at the Mirarmar) and the first time I’ve seen Nekromantix. Unfortunately, I didn’t know cameras were allowed this time until I arrived. (Last time we were warned before entering that even cell phone pics were strictly forbidden and all cameras would be confiscated, so I had to bring mine back to the car.) I was in front of Kim Nekroman for Nekromantix’s set and in the second row for the Rev and would have been able to get some amazing shots. Oh well. Luckily, plenty of others took pictures, including corvar! I was very surprised and glad to finally meet him after Nekromantix was finished playing, since we’ve both been to quite a few of the same shows. I love the pic he took of me singing along with Nekromantix:

( ... )

Nekromantix was great live and played a good mix of old and new material. They even played the intro to “Billy Jean” before they segued into “Haunted Cathouse”. Half their set list included some of my all time favorites: “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen”, “Horny in a Hearse”, “Nice Day for a Resurrection”, “Nekrofelia”, and “Subcultural Girl”. Believe it or not, there were more people on the floor for these guys than the Rev and more of the punk rock crowd came out. It was nice not being one of the youngest at a RHH show for once. In particular, there was this really annoying punk kid who kept shoving past me to gesture at Kim with weird, rapid hand movements. I also didn’t get why people were making circle pits (maybe it was the alcohol). Nekromantix can be a bit humorous, but they’re still more rockabilly/psychobilly than punk. The stage was knee height, so I now have many lovely bruises on my legs as a result of the pit pushing too far forward. Although I’ve had much more irritating things happen to me at concerts, I was glad when the security guard pushed the overdressed punk rocker off of me because the close proximity and lack of air conditioning made me a sweaty mess by the time Nekromantix was finished.

corvar also got some great shots of the Rev and the gorgeous green car parked across the street. I didn’t get close enough to see the make and model, but it looked like it was from the early ‘60s.

Even though the Reverend Horton Heat comes around here every year, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing them. They’re all incredibly talented musicians in their own right, and anyone who plays guitar or Guitar Hero knows how amazing Jim Heath is. To this day, he still is one of my main influences and I can’t wait until they day when I can afford a decent Gretsch of my own. One thing I really like about seeing the Rev is that they do something fun and different with their show each time. Last time, they played covers of songs from “Greensleeves” to each decade starting with the ‘50s through the ‘90s. The time before, it was one Elvis and two Johnny Cash covers. This time Jim told a few stories and promoted their new album by playing several songs off it. My personal favorites were “There Ain’t No Saguaro in Texas” and the swing number. However, when Jimbo was introducing Jim at the end, he played the solo from “Folsom Prison Blues”. The Reverend Horton Heat will be opening for Motorhead on their next tour, so they brought out their lighting engineer to do the vocals while they played “Ace of Spades”. I don’t know whether Jim’s story about Eddie van Halen not being able to do Travis picking was true, but I still have to agree with Jim when he admitted that Brian Setzer is probably still a better guitarist than Eddie. Jim also completely nailed it when he said, “I’m going to tell you who killed Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson killed Michael Jackson.” Thank you! As usual, there was Jim and Jimbo switching hands on instruments while playing, Jimbo playing bass on his side while Jim stands on it during “The Devil’s Chasing Me”, and Jimbo “surfing” on the side of the bass in “I Can’t Surf”. Before the encore, I finally got to shake Jimbo’s hand! As a matter of fact, there was so much love for Jimbo that night. Between songs and during intermissions, there was always at some point a request for “Jimbo Song” or a chant spelling out his name.

Once again, another solid performance by the Rev and a pleasure to finally be able to see Nekromantix after being a fan for years. I can’t wait to see the Rev again on a headlining tour!

TL;DR Version:

• Got there early, made an ass of myself by running up to the stage during Blackguard’s sound check, got yelled at by security. Watched Markus from Ensiferum rock out next to me, couldn’t remember his name at the time, as I was completely starstruck.
• Blackguard was amazing. Met Paul (vocalist) at the merch booth and the rest of the band eventually showed up. Apologized for my previous idiocy. Hung out with him for a while between bands’ performances. He found me in the crowd to say goodbye when he left to go weightlifting.
• Lots of waiting for shitty metalcore bands to get their sets over with and trying to chase away lame guys who were hitting on me. Finally found Stacie from my Norse mythology class with her boyfriend and another friend.
• Ensiferum slaughtered. Everything was perfect. Was up front the entire time and was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a pushpit.
• Found Stacie and the guys outside while stalking Ensiferum. Hung out with roadies, Darkest Hour, and Blackguard behind the buses. Waited for Ensiferum guys to stop going back and forth so we could get pictures with them. Finally succeeded, but Petri unfortunately went and put a shirt on. At least he put on a good show through the bus window. ;) Hung out with him and Markus for a while. Made an ass out of myself with my fangirling and lamenting over his departure from Norther. Random guy who thought he was a rapper showed up and made some hilarious rhymes about Markus and I talked him into doing one for Petri. Hopefully redeemed myself for previous retardation. Stacie and the guys left, and the drummer from Decrepit Birth came out, hit on me and tried to talk me into coming on their bus. He got mad when I refused, so I left because he was starting to scare me. As I was leaving, Paul from Blackguard stopped me to say goodbye and gave me a hug and a kiss.

( Read on for the whole story and to find out the truth behind Petri leaving Norther… )

( Blackguard )

( Set List )

( Hanging with Paul from Blackguard and waiting for Ensiferum )

( Ensiferum )

( Set List )

( Finally getting to meet Ensiferum after the show )


Me with Petri fuckin’ Lindroos! I’m wearing heels here, which makes me about six feet tall, and Pete still makes me look short. And since when did he get that awful tattoo of a flaming acoustic guitar on his bicep and when the hell did he get engaged!? My fangirl is totally slain now. :'(


Markus Toivonen and I. What the hell were we looking at!?

( More pictures that Stacie took during the show and after, including the random guy rapping about how Petri is a baller (shot caller, twenty-inch blades on the Impala) )

Sunday night was the free Yeah Yeah Yeahs show at The Rave from the contest I won on Twitter. I know it’s nearly been a week, but alas, I’ve been busy working. Just like the last time I saw them in 2006, Catherine decided to come along. We got there about an hour early to get a good spot and I was pleasantly surprised they played a bunch of rockabilly songs while the bands were setting up with Joan Jett’s “Cherry Bomb” thrown in.

I was very confused when I expected Grand Ole Party to go on first and some guy with an acoustic guitar showed up and said he was going to play a few Misfits covers. I totally forgot that he also helps the Yeah Yeah Yeahs out with their live shows. I was pretty excited about this, since I’ve been a Misfits fan since my early teens, but his mike and amp were turned down so low he could barely even be heard over the soft conversations in the crowd. If I’m right in front of him in the third row and couldn’t even recognize which songs he played, the rest of the crowd probably didn’t hear much if anything at all. He had a nice melodic voice and I liked the concept of slowing down some punk rock staples and translating them into acoustic folk rock, but it was in vain.

Grand Ole Party completely blew me away. I’d heard of them but didn’t actually bother listening to them before Sunday. They were like nothing I’ve ever heard. Kristin’s clear, vibrato-filled, sultry jazz vocals as she stood pounding away on the drums coupled with the guitarist and bassist’s psychedelic and surf rock riffs that resonated from their vintage Fender strat and telecaster had me captivated for their entire set. Everyone looked the part, too. Kristin was wearing a large-sequined black dress with red lipstick and the guys had button-down shirts and corduroy pants in various shades of brown and tan with shaggy ‘60s haircuts to top it off. Kristin also handled various other percussion instruments and some songs had a dark, gritty rockabilly feel. No two songs sounded the same, although they were all thoughtfully composed. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing these guys again.

( Misanthropic ramblings about the crowd...and pictures! )

Although the audience sucked, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs put on a great show. I absolutely adore their new album and the electronic influence they added to their music. I loved the black and blue glittery backdrop with the giant inflated eyeball and Karen O’s outfit. I especially liked the acoustic version they did of “Maps”. Like last time, she was full of energy, constantly moving around stage and dancing. Toward the end, she held the microphone in her mouth as she tilted her head back and screamed, spewed whiskey into the air, and threw a bottle of water on the crowd. She even gave the mike to the crowd a few times during “Cheated Hearts”. I couldn’t see much of their drummer or the Misfits covers guy. Nick was shoegazing most of the time, and I was lusting over all the different kinds of pedals he had to create their new sound live. My favorite part was at the end where all this shiny red y-shaped confetti rained down and I grabbed three for Catherine and myself. All in all, I’d say it was an okay show, even though it wasn’t quite as good as the first time I saw them. They played for about half the time they did three years ago, but the performance was still fresh and exciting.

( Set List )

I know I’m getting around to this kind of late, but this was my last week of classes and things were a bit hairy. I’ll try to keep this short, since it won’t make sense to the people who haven’t watched their television show. So, last Saturday was the Flight of the Conchords show at The Riverside. Both shows were sold out, which is a first for one I’ve gone to (although the Backstreet Boys concert I saw in fourth grade may have been). I had gone to the earlier show, thinking it would be best, since everyone should be feeling fresh and more motivated the first time around. But no, the later show got to hear “Business Time”…

Eugene Mirman opened for them, and not recognizing his name prior to the show, I was rather surprised that it was none other than the landlord/Saruman/guy from the Lake FM commercial. I loved how everyone cheered really loud for Bret who was simply introducing Eugene over the PA. Eugene was really funny and was able to poke fun at Jews, autism, and raping bears without offending the audience. There was a lot of interaction with them and joking about the bar fight the night before. The best part was his rant about Delta Airlines that made the fiasco my family had with Northwestworst seem like nothing. (Basically, they flew our luggage to Orlando after our flight had been canceled due to a storm and left a suitcase of my clothes behind in Detroit that was shipped to me a week after I got back.) Eugene made angry postcards for them and handed them out to the audience. I was sitting in the eighth row, so I got one before the stack ran out. On the front is a crayon drawing of him as a stick figure, crying, with an airplane in the sky, and reads, “I HATE YOU!” ( The back says… )

This was my first time seeing Flight of the Conchords, so I couldn’t help but thoroughly enjoy them. I’d heard at last year’s show there was a lot of heckling from the audience, but other than the “I love you, Jemaine!”s vs. the “I love you, Bret!”s that the guys quickly placated, it was fine. The only complaint I have is their set list. I liked the new songs from season two that I hadn’t heard yet (basic cable = no HBO), but most of the songs they played from the first season weren’t really the fan favorites. In fact, I love the guy who yelled a request of “She’s so Hot…Boom!” because they played mostly slower songs. It’s not that they weren’t funny, but I don’t think they have the same effect as the shorter, more ridiculous ones. They opened really strong with “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor” in cheap robot outfits (with shiny codpieces!) and then it kind of dwindled until they played “Mutha'uckas”, “Sugalumps” and finally the encore, which was complete with glam rock outfits and plenty of gold spandex from Jemaine.

( Set List )

( Highlights )

No lowlights, since I’m just being overly picky about song choices and need to get over it because honestly, everything was very well done from the amusing stage banter to the raw musical talent they displayed. Even though they claim this is their last season for the show, I hope they’ll still tour so I’ll hopefully be able to hear some of the songs they missed this time around.

Pictures are here!

My mom decided to tag along and use the free tickets we got at Morrissey and chill at the bar with her discounted 7 and 7 and Bailey’s drinks on Wednesday night. I am very much looking forward to the end of summer when I’ll finally be old enough to take advantage of this deal. A ticket to the show and two full-size drinks for $25? I’m on it! Believe it or not, we still managed to get there 45 minutes early after my mom took a wrong turn, ended up on the freeway going in the opposite direction, got off and got lost on the north side, and finally made it back to downtown all because you couldn’t make a left onto the street the venue is on. Good Lord! I was just grateful I had a ride and didn’t have to waste an hour round trip taking the bus. The good news is I still got a spot in the second row, a bit off to the left side.

( Born Ruffians Review )

It took half an hour for Franz’s equipment to get set up, and the wait was so worth it. Their sound was incredibly loud and clear – even when the entire crowd was shouting the lyrics. I’ve never felt my entire skeleton vibrate to the bass, including the times I’ve sat in front of timpanis and concert bass drums. I could mainly feel it in my ribs and sternum as it beat along with my heart. I haven’t felt this alive since I saw Morrissey, and even then, it wasn’t quite to this degree. This was by far one of the top three shows I’ve ever been to. I’m a pretty big fan of the band and consider them to be an important band for my generation, so it takes a lot to surprise me, and they achieved just that.

Although it’s a bit shaky at first, this is the best video from the show I found on YouTube of the awesome intro and “No You Girls”. I’m the one with the hands up, clapping in front of Nick.

( Video in high definintion )

I was so shocked when they first came out and saw Nick hobbling on crutches with his foot and leg in a boot. I had no idea he got hurt during the tour! Despite this, he still had great stage presence by just barely leaning on the chair. He even made his way over with Alex to Paul’s drum kit where the three of them and another person were simultaneously drumming. Alex also came by Nick where they had a guitar battle right in front of me. They really proved themselves to be excellent musicians. Alex not only played guitar behind his back, but also played an old-school synth on the other side of Nick’s keyboard as well as the maracas. His voice was flawless and even sounded better while jumping around than some of the recordings. Paul and Bob played great as well, but I couldn’t see much of them as Nick’s keyboard and Alex’s body were in the way (not that I’m complaining!).

I feel I don’t really need to describe in detail how everything looked, since pictures have already been posted here. I really enjoyed the different videos playing during each song on the small LCD screens behind them. They even showed their video for “Ulysses” as they played the song. I also have to mention that I’m totally in love with Alex’s bright red patent leather shoes, short hair with longer fringe/bangs, and his vintage Great Lakes t-shirt. The world needs more men like him! Anyway, enough of my fangirling.

This was definitely the biggest crowd I’ve seen at any show in the club. They were also really well behaved. The only complaint I had was that the guy in front of me and the one beside me were playing air guitar and drums during the show, elbowing me in the process. Otherwise, it was great to be a part of an audience that was very enthusiastic about the band. There was a lot of pogo-ing going on, particularly to the beat of “Take Me Out”. Everyone was singing along and Alex did a long call and response session during “40’” with variations with the “la la la’s” and it was perfect each time. No one got bored or tired when the band encouraged us to rhythmically clap along. People cheered and whistled upon immediately recognizing the intro to any and every song they played. I was surprised at how much Alex interacted with the audience, including mentioning the two girls with faces painted like cats and the muscular guy who looked like Tarzan and ended up onstage during the invasion. He was very humble, and after he repeatedly said how “fucking insane” we were, he announced that they would definitely be returning to Milwaukee. “Lucid Dreams” was the climax of the show as crowd surfers from the front center were pulled onto the stage to dance and play instruments along with the band. Even the guys from Born Ruffians came out to jam during the epic synth outro.

( Set List )

First of all, The Rave’s Twitter held a contest where the first person to guess which “three-piece band with a unique sound” is coming to Milwaukee but hasn’t been announced yet would win two tickets to the show. Even though I responded half an hour after it was asked, I was the first to guess the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and who would have thought I’d win!? In the meantime, everyone was guessing Blink 182, Green Day, and Chevelle (who already have been booked at that venue, duh). Come on you guys, how are any of those bands remotely “unique”? I’ve never won any significant prizes, so I’m very pleased. It was just a random guess, since I figured the Yeah Yeah Yeahs might be touring in support of their new album (which is very cool, by the way). It’s really nice to receive this after being out the money for the DragonForce show I never went to because the opening bands this time around sucked just as much as the headliner. Secondly…

ENSIFERUM IS COMING TO MILWAUKEE IN JULY! WITH BLACKGUARD! IT’LL BE LIKE A MINI-PAGANFEST WITH A BUNCH OF DEATH METAL BANDS THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE. I hope they’re still wearing the kilts! Petri better watch out 'cause I’ll be lurking by the buses, ready to unleash my fangirl upon him. The best part about this is that a certain person will be out of the country so I won’t have to worry about running into him and I can bask in the glory of Summer Slaughter 2009. Call me overexcited, but this kind of stuff doesn’t happen in Milwaukee everyday.

I’m also actually motivated to get work for my classes done thoroughly and ahead of time because there are less than two weeks until finals and I am determined to get nothing lower than a B. I also feel a bit better about Children of Bodom only being a two and a half hour’s drive south of here on Friday and me not being there, since Robbie is going and he’s promised that if he sees Janne, he will speak to him on my behalf.

Franz Ferdinand tomorrow! Just to warn you, I'm sure there will be even more fangirling after this.

ETA: "I had a really bad dream. It lasted 20 years, 7 months, and 27 days". ;)

Those of you who have been reading this for a while know how much he means to me (you know, being a socially awkward loner and all), so getting to see him in person is always a big deal. Tonight’s performance was the second time I’ve seen him and hopefully not the last.

I got my mom into him and The Smiths over the years, so she insisted we go together, again. I compromised with getting there an hour and a half before it started, but once I got there, I realized it should’ve been earlier as there were already four rows of people lined up in front of the stage. I was able to get even closer during the show, and I still feel lucky I was able to get that close to him.

The Courteeners have to be the best band Moz has ever picked to open for him. I hadn’t heard their music before, but I was damn well impressed. They’re also from Manchester and although I’ve heard that they sound a lot like The Cribs, I also heard quite a bit of Joy Division and Chameleons influence, especially in the guitar. All the guys were cute and looked to be about my age, so I was very impressed how honed-in their sound was for being so young. Great vocals, cool keyboard sounds, and a shoegazing bassist. What else can I say? These guys were fantastic, and I’m definitely going to check out more of their music.

Morrissey’s overall show was an improvement from the last time I saw him. He seemed to be in a much better mood and his stage banter was witty and actually made sense. I loved how he changed around lyrics in “How Soon is Now?”. He also paid more attention to his band, even showcasing members on their instruments, and made more eye contact with the audience. His voice sounded immaculate and even clearer and perfectly on-key than last time. One thing I was confused about was that he was wearing a crucifix around his neck. Was it meant to be ironic or is he Christian now? I obviously didn’t get the memo, but if no one knows, maybe he’ll clear it up in the autobiography he’s writing.

( Quotes )

( Highlights )

( Lowlights )

( Set List )

All in all a great show, though. I pray there will be a next time, and the plan for that is to be right up against the stage and to the right, hoping I’ll be able to shake his hand. Then I can die happy. I also love how I just typed three pages on Morrissey when I have a huge midterm paper to write by Sunday, which I haven’t even started yet. It’s all about priorities. ;)

Pictures will be posted once The Rave’s photographer uploads them to the website.