CHICAGO | Stepping into a dimly lit massive room with people surrounding you from all sides, the thump of the bass from the speakers is so intense you can feel it in your chest, like a ghost with two mallets is using you as a drum. The wail from the electric guitar is absolutely shredding and deafening but it’s so good you are forced to listen. A burly man with a massive beard and a leather studded jacket pushes you up to the front and you’re staring up at the band.
The legendary bassist from The Dwarves and Queens of the Stone Age briefly makes eye contact with you in a way that says “hey, I’m glad you’re here.” But this moment is cut short when the singer Blag thrusts a mic into your face after screaming “Don’t wanna be your teacher, don’t wanna be your preacher, don’t wanna be your keeper” and looks at you expectantly. Almost on autopilot you reply with “I WANNA BE YOUR PIMP” since you knew all these songs by heart. A guy with a denim jacket wearing a Misfits t-shirt punches your shoulder and whoops, seeming proud of you. These are your people. You are home.
Reggies is a punk rock icon in Chicago as many legends have played there, making November 12 no different. The venue has a killer bar setup with expensive decorations and prices that would make you wish you pregamed before showing up. The first band that played was Direct Hit, another punk rock band from our neighbor Milwaukee that’s been around since 2007. The members are all a bit on the older side, which is good. After the anal retentiveness of their sound mixing the grizzled veterans put on a stellar show after a bit of a slow start. They really hit their groove halfway through and the fans couldn’t agree more. People were in the mosh pit slamming into each other with each drum crash and guitar lick and heads were banging so much it made the room start to spin. After what felt like five minutes the band finished their openers and stepped off the stage for the main event, The Dwarves.
I talked with some folks after the show and they had nothing but great things to say about it. Some of the people I interviewed said that their stage presence was absolutely “commanding” and the energy of the room was absolutely incredible. I won’t lie, I came away from this pretty battered and sore from being in the mosh pit and screaming the lyrics to the songs — by the end I was covered in sweat and other people’s drinks but the fans truly make the show. Halfway through the show I noticed a woman bending over with a crowd of people surrounding her. After asking I learned that she lost one of her earrings and everyone from the crowd stopped moshing and began to look for it. These are the kind of fans that make concerts truly magical. I was moshing with this large dude wearing a red studded leather jacket and we were screaming in each other’s faces during songs and slamming into each other, but when the show was over we high-fived and hugged and complemented each other on how we had so much fun and we were cool. I didn’t know his name, but that’s the kind of people you want at a concert.
So when you’re on the street and you see long haired kids wearing all black and Megadeth or Avenged Sevenfold shirts, remember that these are the people who go to shows and concerts like this to have a great time and share music. It’s not about hating the world or the government sucks, it’s about a common shared love for some band you care about, and the Motley Crew of followers you meet along the way.
All photos taken by Fender Tavano