The Alt Black

Date:3/31/2016

Location: Richmond, VA

Venue: The National

LineUp: Microwave, Tiny Moving Parts, Letlive., The Wonder Years

So this is the first concert that I have been to in the new year and I have got to thank all the bands that performed that night for setting the bar so high.

MICROWAVE 

You know how most openers for a show are completely boring or so nervous that they cannot get it together before their set is over. Usually, you don’t even bother to learn their music because you came to see the main act not some small time from a city that no one has ever heard of. This band broke that stereotype, a four-part band from Atlanta, Georgia. Microwave opened the show as if they were the main act. The lead singer of the band had incredible vocals that left everyone in the crowd stunned. All except for one girl who belted out every song lyric effortlessly. It was clear from looking around the audience that everyone wished they had listened to their music prior to the show.  If you’re interested in listening to Microwave their music is on band camp.

TINY MOVING PARTS

This was one of the bands that I was excited to see! When the tour was announced I had heard of Tiny Moving Parts but, I never bothered to listen to them. Man, that was a mistake from the moment I heard Always Focused ( a song from their album Pleasant Living) I was hooked. They are a three part emo/math rock/ pop punk band from Benson, Minnesota. When the sound check started the lead singer started to play the intro to Always Focused to the applause of many fans and laughed as the check went on. They began their set with the most popular song (you guessed it) Always Focused. The band set off the first mosh pit of the night with their unorthodox style of playing coupled with their high energy antics. One moment that pleasantly surprised me was when the lead singer started playing his guitar with his hand on the neck. They played songs from their first and second albums, along with the single Happy Birthday ( another favorite) from their third album Celebrate that is set to come out in May.

 

letlive.

letive. hands down without a question had the most electrifying set of the entire night. When I first saw that they were going to be on the tour I was scared. letlive.is a post-hardcore band that addresses political, racial, gender inequality and police brutality worldwide. I knew that this was going to be the one set where the room would spin and someone inevitably would get hit. I had never seen letlive. before that night to my surprise, the lead singer and the drummer were both black males. “IT IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN,” i said to myself. (Whenever I see black people at rock shows I get so happy to see who look like me ready to go all out) Another fan confirmed that when he around to tell me “I came here to see letlive. so if I hit you it’s nothing personal. The lights were low the sound check was completed now it was time for letlive. to take the stage. When lead singer Jason Aalon Butler took the stage thrashing, rolling, and going HAM right off the bat I knew that this set would be legendary. At one point during the set, Butler took his mic and wrapped it around another mic and started to sing upside down. At other points during the set, he talked about the injustices of people of color and gender inequality. He recounted his altercation with a police officer, shouted out the police officer that showed him that all cops aren’t racist white men with huge egos, and the most poignant part of the entire set was when he honoured his friend who had been injured in the military. During the song Muther, he went over to his friend overwhelmed with emotions that he had defied the odds and did not die due to his injuries and embraced him as he began to cry.  This was the most amazing set that I had ever seen, prior to seeing The Wonder Years that summer I had never heard any band speak about injustices in this country. Hearing these words come from the mouth of a black man was a moment that I will never forget. I also got into their most pit…it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be.

 

THE WONDER YEARS

The main act, the band who I bought VIP tickets for, and the band that continually makes music that requires the listener to think. The Wonder Years are pop punk band from Pennsylvania, with a band consisting of six members they are the largest band that I listen to. I had seen The Wonder Years last summer at Warped Tour and their set left me sweaty and breathless. I did not know what to expect from this set (except awesomeness)  but, I knew that it would be an unforgettable one. After the sound check was over the lights went out and green lights lit up the room. Fans began screaming, phones were thrown into the air hoping to catch the moment the singing began, and I was ready to go all out. When the lights broke and the music began the venue went crazy. Soupy (lead singer) wasted no time and began I Don’t Like Who I Was Then the fourth track from their latest album No Closer to Heaven. The pit immediately began spinning around as the mosh pit began to form. As the set went on the band performed songs from previous albums (something most artists will never do) and the fans (those of us who knew the songs) responded accordingly reciting every lyric word for word, thrashing along with the music. Each song that they played was received with praise, jumping, screaming, moshing, crowd surfing, and clapping. (I started a clap 🙂 it was awesome!)  One of the most memorable parts of the set was when Soupy addressed the audience on the importance of voting this year before he sang Stained Glass Ceilings. A song that features Jason Aalon Butler from letlive., that addresses the evil in big corporations. “I promised myself that before this tour started that I would try not to be too political, but before you go out there and cast your votes. Think about who cares about you, your brothers, and who won’t be the face of a nameless corporation that will take your hard earned blood money. ” The heartfelt speech was a moment that I could not forget if I had tried.

 

Special Thanks

• Dakota my friend who broke out of his comfort zone completely that night. Thanks for the Ride (The Wonder Years Joke)
• My cousin Carmen who listened to me recall every detail from the at 12 in the morning
• The National in Richmond, Virginia for consistently putting on great shows
• ALL of the bands for electrifying sets and an awesome night
• Jason Aalon Butler for using your platform to create change, to inform people of the struggles that marginalised groups go through and a set that will never be forgotten
• The guy in pit who I smacked heads and split my lip
• The fans for being involved in every set (nothing worse than a dry show)