Tonight at No Cure, Kaonashi, Orthodox, and Boundaries, I found myself thinking, “man, this is like basically a must see show.” But is ‘basically’ equal to ‘actually’? I thought about that all night while trying not to fall or shit my pants. What makes something an actual must see show?
If it’s emotion, tonight was a must see show. I’ve been to a lot of hardcore shows, but I’ve never felt as angry or intense as tonight. It made me think that a lot of bands hold back, because tonight’s lineup sure fucking didn’t. On the raw meter, tonight was a live cow. In a genre decimated by anger, it was surprisingly pleasant seeing the emotional bar move up.
Does emotion enough constitute a must see show?
What about the venue? The HQ is a small venue that feels like it’s going to collapse every time the crowd jumps. But that’s also really fun and makes it feel more intimate. Would this show have had the same effect if it was at, say, Mission Ballroom, which has a much more fortified foundation that would negate the sense of danger and community we had tonight? After all, danger and community are pillars of the hardcore, growly growly genre of music.
Does venue play a role in whether a show is must see or not?
Every must see event so far has had a surprising element. And Kaonashi is a weird fuckin’ band with weird fuckin’ screams and tonight made me a huge fan and I really wish I had money to buy that baseball jersey because it was really cool. And whether or not surprises constitute must-see-ness, I wanted to single out the fucks in Kaonashi. So weird. So great. So fantastic.
Perhaps surprises, in whatever shape or form they come in, do play a part in the equation.
Do lights play a part in the experience? Well… no shit. But how much do they effect it? All the bands had shit lights save for Boundaries, because HQ has shit lights. But would the show have felt less raw if every band had a full on laser light show? Lights are expensive and expensive is what happens when you sell out.
Do lights play a part in whether a show is must see?
I’m not sure. But in writing this, I’m remembering back to university. I was told not to include anything unless there was a thematic reason to include that thing. Thematic reasons create cohesion and cohesion is something normal fucking humans enjoy.
Maybe this show confused me because it looked raw, it felt raw, the experience was raw, and I never thought a hardcore show at a small venue would make me feel like I had to be there and now I’m trying to cope.
Maybe there’s literally a formula for what makes a show must see. Although, if S(urprises) are part of it, s(urprises) also need to be part of it.
Kaonashi was a surprise, but it also would’ve been a surprise if I shit my pants. An expensive and not pleasant surprise. And I also almost did. Which is the third or fourth show I’ve mentioned that so I’m going to go call my doctor while trying to come up with a mathematical formula for what makes a show must see.
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