I {Heart} Balconies
Hiretsukan//Stockyard Stoics//God Is My Co-Pilot//World/Inferno Friendship Society
Bowery Ballroom//8/27/05
This time I made sure I got there way early and stood in front of the door anxiously. I had a book with me, but who could read at a time like this? At any minute the doors could open and I'd need to grip the bannister and charge up the stairs.
"Do you want to be close to the stage?" the security guard asked.
"I'm going to the balcony because there's going to be crowd surfing."
"Oh. Because I was going to say, the stage is over there," she says, meaning the door on the other side of the lobby, near the bathroom.
I know the other door is more convenient for the stage, but for some reason in all my years of going to the Bowery Ballroom, I always pick the main door. I thought you couldn't use the staircase near the bathroom; after all, it is marked "Not An Exit" and the guard is by the main door. Besides, that's where they set up the merch tables.
So after 45 minutes of standing around anxiously and listening to the pounding of drums as the bands finished soundchecking and watching kids attempt to head upstairs, oblivious to the line forming and security guard posted (this always cracks me up. Do they think we're lining up for our health? For the fun of it?) we were let in and I went to the balcony. I felt like I was heading to the gallows, felt like a pussy. How old am I? Hey, I believe in suffering for the cause but not standing in mosh pits. I mean, intentionally. Yeah, the stage at the Bowery Ballroom is wide enough that maybe I could stand up front but off to the side and not get hit, but you never know. I was joined by a woman who told me she used to go to shows all the time and always stood in mosh pits and she used to bring her daughter to shows but when she had the second one it got to be too hard and now she's stuck at home paying bills while the kids go to shows. The only time she goes to shows nowadays is if someone in the band calls her up, begging her to go. That's going to be me in the future. Well, minus the kids.
Hiretsukan is female-fronted screaming intensity. Hard, punishing music and beats. Their singer's throat must be chop meat after. Or curdly tofu, whichever the case may be. There was one guy thrashing around, clearing people away. Then again, there weren't many people there at that point. I take a picture and feel a hand on my back. The security guard. She points to the pile of backpacks against the wall. I shrug and she takes the bags. Yeah, kids going to a benefit are going to bring bombs in. And if they were, shouldn't you have busted them before they even got into the venue? What the hell is this woman's problem? I've never seen here there before; maybe she's new and playing by the books to assert her power. Or maybe this is standard balcony procedure and I don't know this because I'm never in the balcony at the Bowery Ballroom.
There was a group of kids sitting in a circle; I thought they were going to play Duck Duck Goose but it was the one where one of them decides what everyone in the circle does and whoever's It has to guess who the ringleader is. And the security guard comes over, spoke to one of the kids. Jesus, what is her problem? One of the kids moves their backpack, trying to cover something. Maybe they had a tape recorder with them.
I've only seen Stockyard Stoics a few times and always in tiny venues, so I was kinda excited for them to be playing a nice stage amnd curious to see how they'd look and sound. And also I can get some front-view pix instead of profile shots after being pushed aside by moshers. As they fine-tune their tuning, Joe Piglet tells us that he just came from his cousin's wedding and it was too long and you'd think that after 2000 years of Catholicism they'd come up with an interesting service. This time around they have a bass player, leaving Joe free to run around onstage and he seemed to be enjoying the stage and having a ball, smiling the entire time, running around and accidentally unplugging his mic at one point. "This stage is higher than I'm used to, so if I fall off, please try to catch me." Last time I saw them was at the Knitting Factory (also w/ W/I) and they sounded incredible last night. They're one of the few bands that just does everything right and a circle pit broke out and at one point I just wanted to hug them and say thanks. "Song Of Babylon" is a punk rock masterpiece. Joe says how happy he is to be playing the CBGB benefit, along with the Offspring, who did so much for the NYC punk scene. Ha ha. And then I look down to see the mom in the crowd, rocking out. I went downstairs and tried my luck. The pit was more in the center of the floor.
I considered staying downstairs for God Is My Co-Pilot because they're not a moshing band. It was a strange booking, since GIMCP have an art-noise Kill Rockstars sound. I saw them in Feb (also at the Knit, and on a Monday) and wasn't too impressed but they sounded much better at the BB. TONY did a venue roundup last year and rated the sound at many clubs and when they said "muddy" I didn't get what they meant but comparing the way GIMCP sounded at the Knit to how they sounded last nite, I get what they mean--and I also got the band better this time around. I'd see them again at the Bowery. While I was downstairs some other kids took over the table and there was a guy sitting next to me with his legs wide apart, bitching about the band and yelling "World/Inferno!" You know, I've never seen an opening act who gets heckled realize that they're in the wrong and cutting their set short so the headliners could go on, but there's a first time for everything. Good try. A group of kids crashed the VIP tables, planning to say "Thanks, the tables are working out great" if anyone caught them. And they were busted and went running.
I've always said I'd see World/Inferno Friendship Society at the Bowery Ballroom so when I saw them listed I ran out and bought the ticket, before I even knew Stockyard Stoics were going to be on the bill but I had a feeling they would be. Last time I saw W/I was at Sin-e and I sat on the ledge in the back corner. At Southpaw, I was in their psuedobalcony. The first time I saw them was at the Knit and by the time I made it to the balcony, it was packed. It's also too high up, and the Main Space is very dark. The Bowery Ballroom balcony is perfect for watching this band. Maybe I could've stood off to the side, but then maybe my pic wouldn't come out. As it is, I don't know how well these pix will come out, but I've taken pix from the BB balcony before and at least something comes out. There was no way my spine could've lasted being in the front. I got a good view of all the surging, swarming throngs of people. I'd end up with the edge of the stage pressed into my ribs. People were stage diving, as was the band. Girls crowd surfing in dresses. I have no idea how people don't get hurt, because stage divers were getting dropped, as were some surfers. The crowd clearly knows what it's doing. I guess it was that "Zen and the Art Of Breaking Everything In This Room." Huzzah!
Bowery Ballroom//8/27/05
This time I made sure I got there way early and stood in front of the door anxiously. I had a book with me, but who could read at a time like this? At any minute the doors could open and I'd need to grip the bannister and charge up the stairs.
"Do you want to be close to the stage?" the security guard asked.
"I'm going to the balcony because there's going to be crowd surfing."
"Oh. Because I was going to say, the stage is over there," she says, meaning the door on the other side of the lobby, near the bathroom.
I know the other door is more convenient for the stage, but for some reason in all my years of going to the Bowery Ballroom, I always pick the main door. I thought you couldn't use the staircase near the bathroom; after all, it is marked "Not An Exit" and the guard is by the main door. Besides, that's where they set up the merch tables.
So after 45 minutes of standing around anxiously and listening to the pounding of drums as the bands finished soundchecking and watching kids attempt to head upstairs, oblivious to the line forming and security guard posted (this always cracks me up. Do they think we're lining up for our health? For the fun of it?) we were let in and I went to the balcony. I felt like I was heading to the gallows, felt like a pussy. How old am I? Hey, I believe in suffering for the cause but not standing in mosh pits. I mean, intentionally. Yeah, the stage at the Bowery Ballroom is wide enough that maybe I could stand up front but off to the side and not get hit, but you never know. I was joined by a woman who told me she used to go to shows all the time and always stood in mosh pits and she used to bring her daughter to shows but when she had the second one it got to be too hard and now she's stuck at home paying bills while the kids go to shows. The only time she goes to shows nowadays is if someone in the band calls her up, begging her to go. That's going to be me in the future. Well, minus the kids.
Hiretsukan is female-fronted screaming intensity. Hard, punishing music and beats. Their singer's throat must be chop meat after. Or curdly tofu, whichever the case may be. There was one guy thrashing around, clearing people away. Then again, there weren't many people there at that point. I take a picture and feel a hand on my back. The security guard. She points to the pile of backpacks against the wall. I shrug and she takes the bags. Yeah, kids going to a benefit are going to bring bombs in. And if they were, shouldn't you have busted them before they even got into the venue? What the hell is this woman's problem? I've never seen here there before; maybe she's new and playing by the books to assert her power. Or maybe this is standard balcony procedure and I don't know this because I'm never in the balcony at the Bowery Ballroom.
There was a group of kids sitting in a circle; I thought they were going to play Duck Duck Goose but it was the one where one of them decides what everyone in the circle does and whoever's It has to guess who the ringleader is. And the security guard comes over, spoke to one of the kids. Jesus, what is her problem? One of the kids moves their backpack, trying to cover something. Maybe they had a tape recorder with them.
I've only seen Stockyard Stoics a few times and always in tiny venues, so I was kinda excited for them to be playing a nice stage amnd curious to see how they'd look and sound. And also I can get some front-view pix instead of profile shots after being pushed aside by moshers. As they fine-tune their tuning, Joe Piglet tells us that he just came from his cousin's wedding and it was too long and you'd think that after 2000 years of Catholicism they'd come up with an interesting service. This time around they have a bass player, leaving Joe free to run around onstage and he seemed to be enjoying the stage and having a ball, smiling the entire time, running around and accidentally unplugging his mic at one point. "This stage is higher than I'm used to, so if I fall off, please try to catch me." Last time I saw them was at the Knitting Factory (also w/ W/I) and they sounded incredible last night. They're one of the few bands that just does everything right and a circle pit broke out and at one point I just wanted to hug them and say thanks. "Song Of Babylon" is a punk rock masterpiece. Joe says how happy he is to be playing the CBGB benefit, along with the Offspring, who did so much for the NYC punk scene. Ha ha. And then I look down to see the mom in the crowd, rocking out. I went downstairs and tried my luck. The pit was more in the center of the floor.
I considered staying downstairs for God Is My Co-Pilot because they're not a moshing band. It was a strange booking, since GIMCP have an art-noise Kill Rockstars sound. I saw them in Feb (also at the Knit, and on a Monday) and wasn't too impressed but they sounded much better at the BB. TONY did a venue roundup last year and rated the sound at many clubs and when they said "muddy" I didn't get what they meant but comparing the way GIMCP sounded at the Knit to how they sounded last nite, I get what they mean--and I also got the band better this time around. I'd see them again at the Bowery. While I was downstairs some other kids took over the table and there was a guy sitting next to me with his legs wide apart, bitching about the band and yelling "World/Inferno!" You know, I've never seen an opening act who gets heckled realize that they're in the wrong and cutting their set short so the headliners could go on, but there's a first time for everything. Good try. A group of kids crashed the VIP tables, planning to say "Thanks, the tables are working out great" if anyone caught them. And they were busted and went running.
I've always said I'd see World/Inferno Friendship Society at the Bowery Ballroom so when I saw them listed I ran out and bought the ticket, before I even knew Stockyard Stoics were going to be on the bill but I had a feeling they would be. Last time I saw W/I was at Sin-e and I sat on the ledge in the back corner. At Southpaw, I was in their psuedobalcony. The first time I saw them was at the Knit and by the time I made it to the balcony, it was packed. It's also too high up, and the Main Space is very dark. The Bowery Ballroom balcony is perfect for watching this band. Maybe I could've stood off to the side, but then maybe my pic wouldn't come out. As it is, I don't know how well these pix will come out, but I've taken pix from the BB balcony before and at least something comes out. There was no way my spine could've lasted being in the front. I got a good view of all the surging, swarming throngs of people. I'd end up with the edge of the stage pressed into my ribs. People were stage diving, as was the band. Girls crowd surfing in dresses. I have no idea how people don't get hurt, because stage divers were getting dropped, as were some surfers. The crowd clearly knows what it's doing. I guess it was that "Zen and the Art Of Breaking Everything In This Room." Huzzah!
posted by heather @ 1:33 PM
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