The band stopped between two songs in the middle of the show to make an announcement. They said that they supported the student protests against the war in Gaza.
The audience responded with immediate cheers and applause. I felt buoyed that I was in a room with so many people feeling the same way I do. The band then talked for a couple minutes about the Gaza issue.
But then came the sobering moment as I thought about what will happen between now and November. I don't think Biden realizes the broad and deep level of discontent among those whose support he will need for reelection this Fall.
The band making these comments was Portland, ME, band "Weakened Friends", who were the openers at First Unitarian Church on Thursday night. Double kudos even triple kudos to them for making those statements.
I had gone to the venue to see Slothrust, whom I've seen a few times before and of course wanted to see again. But I started to have a bad night as soon as I arrived at the venue and found the place very crowded and tightly packed. I had gone there after working a day in NY so arrived at the venue late. I was stuck in the back and could see little more than the heads of the people on stage. I always like to be in front but with a little space to move around if I want. I hate being crowded off in the back and freaked out to myself and just felt like I had to get out of there. I wasn't enjoying the show.
But I did stay to hear at least the beginning of Slothrust ... then I quickly left in a huff.
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Slothrust (LA)
I've been listening to Slothrust for a long time. The band came out with an intriguing new album in October. The first track is "Pony". The album is unusual in that it winds up with a few other versions of that same song at its end. I'm having a problem embedding the music into my post, so here is the link to the album where you can listen to the whole thing. Check it out. ::: "I Promise" album (CLICK HERE). Slothrust has just finished off their big tour and doesn't have any other shows in the area soon. (pic above is from Slothrust's Bandcamp page)
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MAIN TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS ::: BRINGING CLARITY ::: I guess some main takeaways from that bad night are (1) I probably should not go to Philly shows on a day when I work in NY; I would be arriving late. (2) Probably cross off First Unitarian Church for future concerts. I had only been there once before; that event was comfortable and not overly-packed. But for future times, I now feel a little cautious about the venue. I wouldn't find out about crowds until I was actually there and then it would be too late. (3) I broke one of my main patterns on this night and that's that I have to like the music of the opener enough as if it were doing a standalone show.
I CAN'T LET GO; I CAN'T LET GO ::: Of course when I think about Slothrust, I always remember the great show they did at Glasslands in Brooklyn back on 5/29/14. I still am in mourning and pissed that Glasslands closed.
BUT WAIT THERE'S HOPE! I was so disappointed and felt so messed up that night, sure I'd have to get some type of therapy. Luckily that's coming in the next post soon!
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