Metal, hearing loss, and a great time!

So last week I'm out with my fiancé Erin, and Google Now alerts me that a band I've searched for is playing the next day. First off, I was amazed how well Google offered up such useful information, second, it just so happened it was my favorite band As I Lay Dying!

I immediately bought two tickets, one for myself and one for Erin who was obviously not thrilled with the idea of standing for hours listening to blistering double bass and screaming.  She says "Call your brother, he'd like to go more than me". So after 13 or 14 "are you sures" I called Jeff and solidified plans to rock our faces off.

The show was held at the Cuban Club,  a small little outside venue in Ybor city. The first few bands opened up and got the crowd warmed up. The usual silliness ensued. A mosh pit opened up, kids croud surfing, and hardcore kids flinging thier fists and legs around like idiots. I'm to old for this bullshit.

Then As I Lay Dying took the stage. They opened up brutal as hell. The croud went nuts. Jeff and I had moved ourselves up to the front before they started and had to push, shove, and stabilize just to stay on our feet. We're not small dudes either. Jeff 6'3 and me 6'4, both weighing over 220lbs. The energy was awesome. The crowd was like a living entity all moving and flowing together.

I don't remember the exact set list, but my favorite song "Through Struggle" was the highlight for me, while "Cauterize", the opening jam off thier new album caused my brother to look at me, say "Fuck it!" and run into the pit. I was instructed to not let him in the mosh pit due to a back injury he suffered at work, but in Jeff's own words "The Metal just calls to me".

After As I Lay Dying finished Jeff and I headed to grab some water. Instead of staying for the last band, we decided to call it an early night. As we were walking back to his car, I look to the right down the street, and there's the freaking band standing next to thier bus! Well damn, I got to go shake thier hands and see if I could get a picture. We walked up and Josh, the bassist and "clean" vocals singer, stuck his hand out right away. He thanked us for coming out and was very cool. Tim, the lead singer and as Erin calls him, my "man crush", was off to the side talking with some other folks.

I'm standing there like a star struck 12 year old girl meeting Justin Bieber when my brother finally says "Can my brother get a picture with you guys?". They obliged, shook our hands, thanked us again for coming out and we took off. It was the perfect ending to the night.

For the next two days my ears were ringing none stop, my elbow hurt from throwing kids around, and once again I thought, "I'm to old for that bullshit". I can't wait for the next show!