Metal, Hardcore, Punk, Death Metal, Thrash Metal... whatever

Metal, Hardcore, Punk, Death Metal, Thrash Metal... Qwerty and miserable, always wanting more.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

This story isn't about At The Gates.

Last August, I ventured up to Toronto by myself to go see one of my favorite 90's Swedish death metal bands, At The Gates. The plan was to rage at the ATG show, then after a brief 5 hour nap, drive to This Is hardcore Fest in Philly to catch 7 Seconds, Judge, Killing Time, Negative Approach, Slapshot and a myriad of other classic and contemporary hardcore bands. It didn't go as planned.

After the ATG show (they were really, I mean REALLY good), I went to a Pakistani/ Indian take out place to eat, which was convenient as it was a block from the Phoenix Theatre, where the show was held AND on the way to where my car was parked. While I was ordering, the guy behind the counter was so unbelievably rude, I walked out mid order. Undeterred, I did what my friends and I always did after we went to shows in Canada growing up; I went to get a falafel, which was cold and terrible. I cannot remember the name of the place, though it was across the street from a park and the neighborhood seemed pretty shitty, but it was on my way towards the expressway and again, convenient. I was looking at the photos I had taken at the show on my iPhone, as I had the cellular data turned off so I could not look at instagram or whatever. After a little while, I threw out my 1/2 eaten dinner and started to drive home. At some point after I left, I realized I did NOT have my phone. I turned around, retrace my steps and anxiety and hilarity ensues as it does not turn up, nor does anyone at the kabob shop give a fuck about my plight. Also, the woman who was trying to bum a cigarette inside the kabob shop while I was eating, who was still hanging around outside when I returned, denied any knowledge and denied stealing my phone off the table. It sucked and killed the rest of my plans for Philly the next day, as an AT&T employee who was working his last day did not activate my 5 year old back up phone properly and required THREE trips back to AT&T to get it up and running.
I had much better pics than this, as I was right upfront for the majority of the gig, I lifted this from an online review.


For the next 2 weeks I was going crazy using an old flip phone and then and really early Android Motorola phone that were the only old phones that were laying around.I Know I sound like a privileged brat and it's probably pretty unbecoming of someone in his 40's but it SUCKED. I've only had iPhones since 2009 and going back to a flip phone felt like I had gone back to sending smoke signals or something. My Mother was up for an upgrade and she was gracious enough to give me her 4s, as I could not afford to drop $400 on a new phone at the time. While I was waiting to meet her at the AT&T store after work about a week later, I heard a familiar song BLASTING from a Mini Cooper stopped at the red light at the intersection in front of the AT&T plaza. I mean this dude was listening to the song LOUD, like piss off your roommates/ parents kind of loud. The song was We All Fall Down by Egghunt, the last song you'd ever expect bumping from anyone's car. Suddenly, all my problems melted away at the absurdity of what I had just witnessed; a great song at a time and place where I would have never expected it. It's funny how music can turn around a mood.