I walked into last night’s show to the sweet sound of some good old fashioned pop-punk music. The show was opened up by Minneapolis’ own, Drones. I have to be honest, I had never heard of these guys before last night and now I’m trying to figure out how these guys weren’t on my radar. Drones is three piece pop punk band with fun and upbeat music. Sometimes when I see three piece bands, I feel like they are missing something or there’s just not enough energy to catch my attention. That’s not the case for Drones. Being a three piece only helped these guys because it kept the music feeling clean and fresh.
Up next was Supportive Parents who are definitely my favorite local band right now. They have this unique brand of pop-punk that is a bit rough around the edges with a sense of aggression. It’s upbeat but has as much power behind it as any metal band I’ve seen live. It’s enough to make you leave the bar and wander closer to the stage just to see what’s going on. Majority of the songs are about day to day life and are relatable to anyone who is just trying to get by which adds an undeniable sense of charm to the band. The singer stomps across the stage throughout the set and demands your attention while the rest of the band seems to add an element of comedy as you can see them joking amongst themsevles and with friends in the crowd throughout the show. With every accidental wrong note that was played, there were laughs and pointing fingers throughout the band. As a local, opening act on the show last night, Support Parents had the whole crowd captivated by their power and music.
The third band to play last night was Arms Aloft. These guys seemed to be the calmest band of the night but to call them calm would be a stretch. Hailing from Eau Claire, WI, these guys just scream “midwest”. Along with everyone else who graced the stage last night, the members of Arms Aloft come off as truly genuine people. Before singer Seth Gile pulled the beanie off of his head, he warned the crowd that he was in his early 30’s and bald… really bald. Well, he wasn’t kidding but the way nobody in the crowd really reacted other than laughing at his warning kind of says everything that needs to be said about last night.
My favorite thing about shows like last night is, not only the music, but the atmosphere. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’re wearing, what you look like, or who you know. When you step foot into a venue like The Triple Rock for a show like last night’s, you walk into a truly supportive space. There were a couple of blind kids that were at the show last night. Instead of people shoving them to the side or blowing them off, the crowd kept their eyes on them as they joined into the pit. Those kids knew that they were in a safe spot and people had their backs even if they were just strangers. The tables that line the walls of the venue were full of people’s winter coats and bags. Nobody was worried about just leaving them there because there’s no funny business at shows like this. The crowd is a family whether you know other people’s names or not. Have you lost faith in humanity? Go to a show like the one last night. It’s truly a beautiful experience.
Headlining the show last night was Dead To Me from San Francisco, CA. Dead To Me is made up of members of One Man Army and Western Addiction (along with multiple other bands) but they create something that is unlike any of the previous bands. Their music is a bit punk, a bit pop-punk, hell, they even played a very reggae feeling song, all mixed with some good old fashioned rock n roll. Regardless of what style of song they are playing at any given time, the music is full of energy and, standing in the crowd, you can’t help but to move around a bit.
Singer Jack Dalrymple looks like your average punk rocker. He just screams aggression and power but when you hear him talk, his look completely changes. At one point during Dead To Me’s set last night, Jack explained that you should tune your guitar down to a certain tuning because then it will match earth’s rotation and will connect with Mother Earth. I don’t think the crowd really seemed to care about how to tune a guitar but I found what he said truly beautiful whether it’s true or not (although why would you make something like that up).
Dead To Me played through their set and riled up the crowd. There were crowd surfers, stage divers, and the predictable drunk who kept wandering up on stage just to stand there. People were stealing the microphones off of the stands so they could sing along. Honestly, to an outsider this probably looked like a giant cluster but to people in the crowd, this is the way it should be. Shows where the band’s stage turns into the crowd’s stage and the crowd’s floor turns into the band’s floor are, hands down, my favorite.
