This weekend I attended the local metal show. It was a cultural experience. I felt quite cultured by being there.
The evening started off with a dub-stepping group. They had lights which turned on and off with the music, which for simplicity's sake we shall just call techno (technically, dub step is the use of two beats to make music). It was danceable, and there were quite a few teenagers dancing to it. Tough guy dancing that is.
Then there was a 20 minute recess and the next band came on. They were metal, and, pretty good. Once again there was tough guy dancing.
Another 20 minute recess. The third band was not very interesting. There was tough guy dancing anyway. This time, some guys decided to use their shirts as frisbies.
After the twenty minute recess, the fourth band came on. They were okay. They inspired wild and crazy tough guy dancing. Heads were accidentally bashed. More male shirts went flying.
Another 20 minute recess. There were more people. The band was a little older. The band was a little more epic. There was tough guy dancing. Shirts flew into the air once again.
When that ended I left. There was still one more band to go, and they sounded like they would have been really cool, but five groups in 3 1/2 hours is enough.
Some notes: 1) I don't think I've ever been to a metal show where God was praised so much. It was really nice. 2) All the flying shirts were the same guys throwing their shirts, putting them back on, and throwing off again. 3) The age mix was really quite good. There were teenagers, parents, people in their 30's, and some people from when I was in high school. 4) I started to ask myself, "Do people have to growl when they 'sing' metal songs? I know some groups don't. Why do all of these ones do it?"
Overall it was really good quality for a local show, and there were enough people to fill the space which made standing around listening to music more confortable. I give the show a 3 out of 5, mostly because I don't like metal to the extent that I want to listen to it for over 3 consecutive hours.