This Old Man Finally Saw His First Real Concert

Well, as the title suggests, this old man finally saw his first real concert after 35 years. Why do I say first real concert? I say this because, on November 21st, I finally got to go to a concert for a band that I love. That band is Alien Weaponry.

Why did it take so long for me to go to the concert? Well, the reality is that before going to see Alien Weaponry, the only sort of concert I had been to were ones our church’s youth group subjected us to. By those being the prescribed activity of the day for the youth group of the church, I don’t feel they count. So, why didn’t I go to any others between my teens and now? Well, life is kind of funny that way.

I have been working full-time since I was seventeen. And since then, it’s been a series of events that seem to have conspired against me seeing a band or artist in concert. Before enlisting I often worked on weekends, and after joining the Navy, my first duty station was so far away from major cities that it made it difficult to know when those concerts were happening or to get to them. And at my next duty station, it seemed like all of the shows I would have gone to happened when I was off on training or deployed. Following my departure from active duty started school. The combination of school, work, and family again made it near impossible to keep track of when a band was coming.

These factors combined with the fact that many bands I got into when I first took a concerted interest in music have broken up, had a member die, or have otherwise dropped out of the music scene. This was further exacerbated with what I regard as a stagnation of the music industry from roughly 2008 to 2015. I may be alone in this opinion, however, I feel it is apt with the breakup or decline of many bands or artists from the 90s and early 00s. I do concede though that this is my opinion, and may more realistically reflect that in that time, I was not as plugged into the world of music. I had grown up, and no longer had the time to go spend four or five hours sifting through the music store. Or to sit around reading local entertainment newspapers.

It is because of this that I am very happy that somewhere between 2016 and 2017 I was introduced to a new subgenre of metal. Well, new to me. That subgenre is folk metal. Bands that incorporate their native language and instruments are the drivers of the folk metal scene. They use these to make some of the best music you have ever heard. As someone that has had a long love affair with mythology, listening to music in languages I don't speak, and fantasy art, I became a quick convert. This led me to listen to bands like Tengger Cavalry, The Hu, Eluveitie, and many more. Which in turn led me to Alien Weaponry. With their combination of great music, lyrics that are nigh impossible to not sing, and an amazing ability to mix their Māori culture and history, it is no surprise that they quickly became one of my favorite bands. It also doesn’t hurt that I listen to them almost every day, as their music is also great to work out to.

The Show

The show began with the band LavaGato. LavaGato is a Southern Metalcore quartet from Colorado Springs. They are made up of Drummer Bryan Bosler, Vocalist Jesse Klopfenstein, Guitarist Trevor Lemmond, Bassist Zachary Eldridge. The way LavaGato opened the show and hyped up the audience, you would think they were the headliners. They went out and played their asses off. Jesse Klopfenstein has some of the best vocals I’ve ever heard from a local artist. During their whole set, it seemed like Trevor and Zach were competing to see who could shred harder. And then, and then there was Bryan Bosler. In the back just tearing up the skins. To try to compare him to another drum wouldn’t do him justice. The closest I could come to is, imagine if Animal possessed Phil Collins.

Seriously, these guys are great. I’m hoping I can make it back down to Denver or the Springs so I can see them again.

Then came Alien Weaponry.

Who is Alien Weaponry?

Alien Weaponry is a three-piece metal band from Waipu, New Zealand. The band consists of brothers Lewis and Henry de Jong, and bassist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds. According to their website, Alien Weaponry describes itself as a “Te Reo” metal band. This is because, as their website notes, “many of their songs are in New Zealand's native language ‘Te Reo Maori.’” Te Reo means “the language” in Māori. While their music is often described as thrash metal, I think it’s fair to say that Alien Weaponry melds the two worlds of thrash and folk metal.

I don't want to go into too much detail about Alien Weaponry’s set. Because quietly honestly, it was indescribable. I’ve had people tell me about their concert experiences before where the band sounds exactly like the album. I’ve never understood why this would appeal to someone. If that’s you that’s great. For me, I want that visceral experience where the concert feels more like a live jam session. A special place where the energy of band and crowd bleed into each other until both are one. And that’s what this was.

I’m sure the fact that the Marquis Theater is not a huge venue helped in this experience, as my brother and I were only one person away from the stage. The set began with Titokowaru, a song inspired by one of the most successful Māori leaders that resisted the British conquest of New Zealand. This song, along with the classic Kai Tangata is amongst the many songs Alien Weaponry uses to discuss issues surrounding the colonization of New Zealand, and how it continues to impact New Zealanders broadly and the Māori specifically. One of the songs not on the show’s setlist that I highly recommend you listen to is Whispers. I don’t want to give too much away about this song, but it does start with a particularly disgusting rant from right-wing ghoul Don Brash.

Two of the best songs from their latest album, Tangaroa, is the song of the same name. In this song, Alien Weaponry. This song is a mix of Māori mythology and the band’s environmental activism. The most poignant song the band has released and was a part of this set is Unforgiving. As Lewis de Jong explained before the playing song, one of his friends struggling with drug-induced psychosis inspired the lyrics. While I had heard the song before that bit of background, listening to it live with my brother made the lyrics hit harder than before. This is because I nearly lost my brother to a motorcycle accident five days before mobilizing last fall. This combined with getting hit by a car myself while on foot during that mobilization, made me feel immensely grateful that I was not only able to see the band live but also that my brother was with me. It doesn’t hurt either that Lewis de Jong has an immense talent for singing such a solemn song. The amazing way his voice conveys the emotion in the lyrics wavers between the grittiness of Kurt Cobain and the soulfulness of Layne Staley.

And with that, I highly suggest that if Alien Weaponry is coming to a venue near you, go see them. You’ll have a great time, I promise. And get out there and support your local bands. Because we’re all artists in our own right. Painters want to be seen, writers want to be read, and musicians want to be heard. Get out there and support each other.

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Sources:

https://alienweaponry.com/index.html