Devils Dance Tour 2014

I had built up a lot of anticipation leading up to this show and when the night finally came I was worried that I would be let down because of it. I had never been to a show at the Murray Theater and I imagined it being as horrible as the Avalon was that one time Small Town Trap, a band Tyrone used to be in, opened for New Politics (before they were big; you can even see on that post where my friend Jenni predicts that they will be and now they are, pretty much.) Well, Murray Theater turned out to be a much better venue for so many reasons. There are no benches and the entire place is GA. They have A/C (what a concept!) and the sound is great. Another thing I particularly liked is that the stage sits really high so that short people like me can see it better. Although, I will say with screamo/emo/post-hardcore shows there tend to be a lot of shorter people there so not getting stuck behind some 6'3" higschool dickhead isn't bound to happen. It's an observation I may have just imagined in my head but I swear to Mother Mary it is true. It might just be all of the little girls who flock to them as well. Also, I'm old enough to not clearly understand exactly which genre of music the bands on this tour fall into and just old enough to not care either. I grew up in the 90's where everything was thrown into the "Alternative" category and that's where it all stays.

Once Tyrone and I were finally off work and back home getting ready I could tell that Tyrone was getting excited too, which made me really excited. Usually when I'm listening to screaming little boys in the house Tyrone always has to start screaming "I hate my Father!!!" "My childhood sucked and now I'm soooooo angry!!" This usually leads to sharp objects (or anything within grabbing distance) being flung at his head and me screaming back at him "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME!!"

Classic teen outburst.

We were late. I didn't care because I get way too annoyed at opening bands and I'm getting too old to stand on a cement floor for 3 hours before MY BAND even starts. We missed the '68 but we got there in time to see Our Last Night and I really enjoyed them. They were fun, sounded great and Tyrone liked them too. We stood in the foyer for most of Hands Like Houses. I don't know if it was their sound guy or what but something was off for them. They are a good band but they don't really do it for me. I made sure we got up close for Emarosa and I found a nice little spot behind a large group of shorter-than-me teens. Bradley's voice is beautiful. I'm guessing he could rock a Mariah Carey song like a motherfucker. He has an R&B vibe that slips out every now and then. I'm not saying that to be a jerk I actually like it. The band sounded great too and they were really entertaining to watch. I was finally feeling energized again and couldn't wait for THE NEXT BAND to start.

I looked over at Tyrone and said, "If you thought that was good, just wait. It's going to get insane in here." I had a gut feeling the dynamic of the show would change drastically once Chiodos came out and my gut was not wrong. I did pre-warn Tyrone about Craig Owens. I said, he's a pretty boy with a killer voice. He's going to annoy you, I just know it. And I wasn't wrong about that either. When Craig walked out on stage it was like he gave every other human in the room a tiny orgasm just to get things started. I just stood there and laughed. I can't take his face. His "gracious" looks just kill me. I know that sounds harsh and I'm really not trying to be rude I just can't help it. His "God-stances" are the WORST. (read that post I just linked to) BUT it only bothered me for a second and the moment he starts screaming I don't even care anymore. The dynamic changed. The sound got better. It got louder and more clear. The energy in the room shifted. It was so fun and insane. The crowd was having so much fun too. The pit was CRAZY!! At one point this big guy got thrown out of it and smacked right into this blonde chick who fell SO HARD into my leg I almost fell over. It's a good thing my legs are like tree roots. I asked her if she was okay but she was so dazed she didn't even care.

Tommy stood front stage and just motioned his hand in a circle and that was all it took to make the entire main floor run around in a violent circle. It was great.

I loved every song they played even Under Your Halo (which is my least fav on Devil) it didn't sound cheesy live at all.

I couldn't WAIT for Expensive Conversations In Cheap Motels to play and Craig's "big brother" intro before it started didn't even bother me. He said, "I know you don't get a lot of chances in your life to scream. So I am giving you this moment right now to SCREAM!" And that was all it took for the room to erupt!

SO I SCREAMED!! And jumped and gave myself a tiny concussion. You can love a song and have it speak to your soul never having hearing it live but when you do hear it live and it makes you fall in love with it even more it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Not far from us the entire show were a few Mongols (real life scary biker gang) who were enjoying the show as well. I mean, it just speaks to the power that a lead singer can have on various types of people; little girls and even grown-ass men. At one point during the Chiodos set one of the Mongols climbed up a railing and was hanging over the crowd to try to get Craig's attention. I was a little shocked at this but it just proves what Craig's voice to all of us.

LOLZ

Towards the end of the show Tommy said they heard that SLC was famous for their hardcore Wall of Death and as he spoke the room divided in two like Moses parting the Red Sea. I ran so quickly to the stairs to avoid what was going to happen next. I'M 35 I CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE. But I do love observing and I was sure to pull out my phone to capture a bit of it. Not too much because I wasn't about to fully miss it. It was insane. How many times have I typed that already? INSANE!

Right before the madness.

The madness. #wallofdeath

I was in a daze by their last song I can't even remember what it was. I was completely satisfied. I walked out of that place with a huge grin and then I remembered that I went there with someone else and looked over to see Tyrone with just as big of a grin.

Side note - I had to take a pic of this in the stall that I visited probably 4 times while I was there not because I was beginning to grow fond it either. I've seen this exact graffiti in 3 other women's bathrooms in different venues across the city in the last month. This bitch really pissed someone off, but I guess herpes will do that to anyone.