Featuring Soulfly, Go Ahead And Die, Talons, and Void Atlas.
1. FAMILY
For some reason, it never dawned on me that anyone, or any band, with the name Cavalera was related. Call me dumb or naive, and then call me something related to not knowing about the name, but they’re family. And the cool thing about family is that, if the relationship is good, they can act as a single unit.
And I’m guessing the Cavaleras all love each other because they were very keen to let one another shine. Like Max Cavalera letting his son lead the charge in Go Ahead And Die even though, because Soulfly was headlining, is was technically the Max Cavalera show. Which, don’t worry, he totally took over when the timing was appropriate and Soulfly was on stage.
2. FRIENDS
And not just your “hey bro wassup!” friends, but inclusivity as friendship. It always amazes me seeing people in the metal scene being hateful since metal is such a… well, not hateful, but I guess the whole point of metal is that you get all your anger out via screaming or moshing which leaves only room for love in your heart or some other corny bullshit.
Let’s go with that. So it was nice to see the bands giving shoutouts to marginalised groups, like the trans community or ICE. Sorry, I mean people being abducted by ICE because fuck ICE. That sort of explicit inclusivity makes the whole show feel, for lack of a better word, safer. It’s easier to let loose when you know you belong. And if the most marginalised people explicitly belong, than surely my straight white cis ass does too.
3. COMMUNITY
Not just the community above, but shout out to Talons for their first ever show! Which didn’t look like their first ever show, so I’m guessing they’ve all played in other bands and this was their first show together. They were tight, energetic, captivating, and already signing t shirts.
4. CHICKENS IN THE MOSH
Or, I guess, anyone in costume in the mosh. And this isn’t a suggestion – it’s a rule. Every metal show must have these things. It’s in the title.
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