Recovery slash life support

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've seriously needed the past 36 hours to rejuvenate myself. Physically, emotionally... My God, the past few days have been literally insane. Being me, I waited until the last second and decided that I was going to drag Jake, Nathan and Brianne to the Fucking Champs concert in Detroit. I could bore you with all of the specifics of the trip, but I think it'd be more than acceptable to not only plug Brianne's blog, but push off the responsibility of scripting our adventure to her. Read about our escapade here.

Wow. All I can really say about the performance is 'wow.' I should make it clear that I have spent the past five years trying to mosey my way to a Ch4M95 concert. Whether I simply couldn't get off work, or they didn't come close enough... I could simply never get to one. I finally said "Fuck it." We bought the tickets, we drove nearly 300 miles one way, and we watched an amazing concert. Red Fang and Birds of Avalon opened up for tFC.

When we got into Detroit, it did suck having to wait nearly two extra hours for the doors to open to the concert. Apparently there were some travel issues. I probably ate too much while we were in Muncie, and when I finally got there, I was fucking sick. My stomach was killing me, my head was killing me. I felt like somebody was continually stepping on my face. However, as the night trekked on, I started feeling better. My anxiety began to plummet as the concert grew closer.

And then the doors opened. The concert was intimate... the crowd wasn't too big and I got this feeling that everyone was there because they loved music, and they wanted to be entertained. Not simply to go to a show because there were three "fresh" indie bands that nobody's ever heard of.

Red Fang walked onto stage and played a spirited set for a little more then a half hour. I hadn't heard too much of their stuff previously, but what I heard I had liked a lot. Honestly, their recording didn't do them justice. God almighty, amazing. Tons of energy, great power, great riffs. And a 45 second bass solo that made my asshole pucker like a fucking balloon knot.

Birds of Avalon took the stage, and they were definitely underwhelming. I'm gonna contribute that mostly to their sound being so overstated, it was almost impossible to keen your ears on one thing, because it all meshed together into a giant sonic mess. The lyrics weren't completely unintelligible. Although... they did have this backdrop that had tons of birds and shit flying over them. Oh, and I think the singer played a harmonica at one point. Very ambitious, but that's not always a good thing.

The fifteen minutes leading up to the CH4M95 set was like having somebody pull out every one of your teeth without any anesthetic. But when they finally took the stage, I was overwhelmed. They're one of my favorites, they're "my" band. I love the Champs. Just like Red Fang, hearing their sound recorded onto an album simply can't do their live tone justice. Filled with raw energy that punches you in the face. Their second song "The Loge" was played a level of intensity that completely dwarfs its recorded counterpart.

What I loved about the show is that there was no set list (the legend is true, apparently, the Champs never have and will never use a set list, except they have to end every show with 'Flawless Victory, unless there's an unavoidable encore.) It's funny... they don't have any lyrics. Just pure metal, but that aside, all of the fans know each song. Whether it was 'Extra Man,' 'Spring Break,' or 'Forgotten Chapter,' everyone knew what was coming. Everyone was nodding their head. It was like we were a machine. No words can really describe everything... it was amazing. Pure metal. My only regret is that they didn't play "What's a little reign?"

But who can complain? The show was flat out awesome.