two girls and the devil (the extended version)
This whole surreal experience started at about 5 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon in beautiful downtown Minneapolis. Me and my partner in crime were about to take in a blistering rock and roll show (The Eagles of Death Metal)and were NOT going to be standing somewhere near the back which is what always happens because we get there late or whatever. NO, this was NOT going to happen again. No one seems to understand that being early (okay, nerd early) absolutely guarantees you a spot in the front. And isn't that the point? Some folks like to go to rock shows to listen to good music, meet good people. That's all fucking great. But I go to connect with the band, I go to be able to say that I was three feet from my idols, I was close enough for them to acknowledge me by smiling or waving. That right there makes my life worth living. This is nothing I can give a proper explanation for... some people are just born with this lust for the rock and roll fantasy. I need to be near it or I might as well just kill myself right now.
A shot of Minneapolis from the stoop of the Quest. Keep in mind we were there at 5ish. Doors opened at 8. We had alot of time to kill. But it didn't take long for people to show up.
I just want to say that I haven't had so much fun waiting in line for a concert in my life. We got to meet a bunch of really cool folks as people started lingering closer to the venue. There was some commotion across the street from the Quest, I'm not sure what happened, but the two people involved were shouting at each other, one from the road and one from a car. All of a sudden, Jesse motherfucking Hughes leaps from behind the corner of the Quest building and broke the two up. The Devil makes peace, man.
Here's a shot of the man after the drama died down. Can I just say that Jesse has the most intense walk? He's got that fucking swagger, like he owns everything that catches his footfall.
Since we're on the topic of Jesse, I've just gotta say that he is the most down-to-earth, super nice guy I've ever met in my life, rock star or not. He came by the outside of the Quest about forty minutes before they opened the doors and was just hanging out with everyone. He answered our inane questions (I had to know if he was summoning Eddie Cochran with "I Want You So Hard (The Boy's Bad News)") and told us crazy tour stories. The man can talk! I mean everything had a story! It was so fucking cool!
Somebody told Jesse to do the kung-fu pose from the promo pic of him and Josh. Jesse obliged, of course.
Here's a shot of him outside. Yep, that's me on the left looking like a retard, but I was so enthralled with everything he had to say. What can I say? I was a little star-struck. The Devil loves love.
Jesse was kind enough to let me and Rachel backstage (I'll document this little experience later). The following live shots were taken from the left side of the stage (unfortunately we got alot of the back of everyone's head, but we still did okay I think)...
First off, the opening band The Giraffes - jesus christ, did they fucking rock... their sound reminded me a little of Black Sabbath - so heavy. And the lead singer Aaron? What fucking stage presence!! He made love to the crowd, man. I got to talk with them later after the show and, again, really sweet guys, really laid back. Each time I went to shake one of their hands, they kissed it instead. Hehe.
Finally, the Eagles. You know, there really are no words. Anyone who has seen them live knows that to try and describe the blistering experience that is seeing their show is nearly impossible. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Early apologies for the quality - some are a little dark (especially the ones with the BOC sorry man!)
hahaha, what a character he is. Jesse loves Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard and you can definitely see their influence when he plays.
The BOC! I heard he was pretty sick through out the show, but damn did he stick it out. God bless him.
Dave fucking Catching. I love this pose he's doing. I hope everyone in the front near Dave gave him severe love because that man wails. He whittled that guitar down to nothing. And that mohawk he's sporting kicks ass.
It's Gene! His dumbsticks were half broken by the time the guys left the stage before the encore. Really nice guy, killer drummer.
This is all for now... I'll be putting up a few more later.
God, my stomach is still full of butterflies.