We all know that I go to shows ALL the time, and I usually go with my OG squad (what’s up Josh, Kevin, Ellie, Courtney, and Nate!?). I have a few classes with my apprentice, Kyle, and his best friend, Nico, and they are trying to get into metal. They have sat in during The Saw’s Butcher Shop: House of Horrors on Friday nights and they really got into the music. They both mainly listen to rap, but they see a lot of similarities between the two genres. They will ask me questions about the history of metal and the bands that I like. In passing, they said that they would love to go to a metal show. Well, November 3rdwas their lucky day, I took them to go see Emmure, Stick To Your Guns, Wage War, and Sanction.
First, I had to help them find the right attire to wear to a metal show. Anything black works. I also told them the etiquette at a metal show and what they should expect to see at the show. This show had a good combination of metalcore and hardcore, so Kyle and Nico would get to experience both push pits and crowdkilling. Right when Sanction came on, the energy was already at an all-time high. Kyle and Nico were headbanging and jamming out the entire time. They got in the pit when Wage War hit the stage, and let me tell you, they went off. They were running around in the circle pit, pushing each other, pushing me, and pushing other people. They also helped me crowdsurf and caught me when I was stage diving. They both really liked Stick To Your Guns and they were in the pit for them the entire time. Emmure brought the heat when they hit the stage. One minute it would be a push pit and then it would be hardcore dancing. They really liked Emmure because the singing that Frankie does is similar to rap.
After the show, we all three got Emmure shirts that say, “Emmrure is a cult” with a guy getting an icepick lobotomy. They both wear their shirts all the time. After the show, they both couldn’t stop talking about the experience and how much they enjoyed it. They loved the community within the metal scene and how we all look out for each other and even though we do not know each other personally, we are all a big family. They both got the impression of acceptance and community when the show started. By going to this show, listening to the music, and hanging out with me, they have a new look on the metal community. They used to think of metalheads as the stereotypical image that most people think. But after personally being immersed into the community, their entire viewpoint of the scene changed. They are slowly listening to more metal and are going to more shows with me.
What show should I bring them to next?
Stay Metal,
THE SAW