It may be simultaneously the best and worst aspects of going to a hardcore show: the attitudes. To some, screaming insulting comments to the band onstage seems humorous. The condescension of some people involved in the hardcore and underground metal movement is simply incredible. A recent trip that my friend and I took to Cleveland gave me the opportunity to witness the most vulgar display of this arrogance to date in my concert-going experiences.
It was the Take Action Tour with Shai Hulud, Eighteen Visions, Further Seems Forever, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Poison the Well, who played in that order. The Take Action Tour is a tour with a purpose. The proceeds earned through ticket sales go towards suicide prevention programs like the help line 1-800-SUICIDE.
On the way into the venue, a couple of kids kicked off the condescension, saying "Yeah, what's with the emo kids here? They're here to see Poison the Well and Further..." To assume what acts at a show a kid is there to see judging by his appearance alone is ridiculous.
It seems to me that many hardcore kids suffer from contradictions of morality. It's no less materialistic to judge a kid by the clothes he's wearing at a concert than it is to do so in a school setting. Befuddling, isn't it, that the roles have been reversed? The hip concertgoers who were mocked in high school have graduated to mocking their suddenly less-hip peers.
Like any other genre's scene, there are bands that are considered "cool" and "okay" to enjoy, but there are others that you may be subject to ridicule for appreciating. And, of course, there are bands that are neutral. These waves in popularity are simply trends, just like ownership of cell phones. The ripples in the hardcore trend-pool were clear as day that night.
Shai Hulud was generally accepted by everyone in the crowd. They possess the lowest profile of the bands on the bill and generally fit the typecast hardcore mold. They are, as a result, one of the "neutral" acts.
Eighteen Visions, on the other hand, began receiving raspberries as soon as lead singer James Hart turned on his mic. "Who let Good Charlotte onstage," bellowed an audience member, directly referring to the similarly dyed hair of their bassist to Good Charlotte's lead singer. At the same time though, the young man was indirectly referring to the more polished sound shown on their latest LP "Vanity."
A half dozen kids obnoxiously followed suit, yelling anything that came into their heads and many times only made sense to them. "What about Richard Prior," screamed one such imbecile. God only knows what that kid was thinking, other than directing the attention that should be paid to the band toward him. At some points, so many things were yelled at the band between songs that none of it could be deciphered. Hart took it all in stride, but seemed mildly irritated, only replying when he knew what the bellowers were talking about.
When Eighteen Visions played a couple songs that nobody in the crowd was familiar with the pit was calm. A group of their detractors decided to pay a hardcore-style insult by sitting down in the pit area, just to show how safe it was. The squatters were soon broken up by an offended fan who took it upon himself to show them just how unsafe the pit could be.
When I asked Hart what he thought of the kids hurtling insults throughout their performance, he said, "Dude, every time ... everytime. I know they're not hatin' on us, it's just the way they are."
Further Seems Forever received similar treatment, but for different reasons. While 18V received their abuse for their unusual stage persona, FTF received theirs because of their sound. How stupid. To try to bully a band offstage, at a benefit show, just because they sing melodically in most of their songs is outrageous. Lead singer Jason Gleason reacted a bit differently to the comment directed his way. "If anyone out there has something to say to me, they can meet me outside (after this song) and say it to my face," he said, not that anybody obliged him.
Gleason's comment made the respectful portion of the crowd roar in agreement.
And that's the whole point. While there may be 10, 20 maybe 50 kids at a show who feel like it's OK to cockily show disrespect toward anything they dislike or don't agree with, the remainder of the crowd is sensible enough to know it's a sad, pathetic plea for attention.
The Dillinger Escape Plan had the jeerers' utmost respect, as they made the crowd rock harder than any I've ever seen. But these fools chose to focus their attention on people in the crowd. One young man was wearing a Mudvayne t-shirt and received plenty of flack for it. (Although Mudvayne would be openly accepted at any metal show if they hadn't made it to MTV and achieved widespread popularity.)
They even resorted to mocking people's lifestyles. "I LOVE hotdogs," shouted one kid, knowing full well that there were a decent number of vegans and vegetarians in the audience. Open disrespect for anything they don't enjoy or in which they don't participate; that's their bag.
True, it's a hardcore show, and everyone knows that anything goes. That's why these kids flock to the shows. They don't get kicked out for pulling their "Jackass" impressions like they do at the mall. But for Pete's sake, grow up and learn some respect.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
