Heavymetal poisoning

This is a fun week of entertainment for me.  Three concerts in four days.  Third concert wasn't planned but was a fortunate reading of an email.  Devin Townsend was booked just a short drive away at The Note in West Chester, Bam Margera's club.  In case you don't know, Bam is part of the Jackass crew and Devin is... well... just Devin.

I had not been to The Note before last night.  It's a decent place but small.  The crowd was good and full of characters.  I know I got more than a few looks for not only my age but conservative dress.  The drinks and ticket were cheap so I only spent $21 on the evening.  Yes, I went alone.  It occurred to me at the show, I don't mind being alone because I listen to the music by myself.  It would be almost weird to have someone there other than strangers because I don't know many who have my taste.  I doubt this post will create any new fans.

Periphery was the second of two openers.  I missed TesseracT.  Now I am a self professed guitar whore but even I was a little concerned seeing three guitarists on stage.  This is not chamber music people, it's heavy.  Then one of the guys said it would be an instrumental night because the singer was sick.  Let the trashing begin.  And it did.  A mini mosh pit appeared up front on more than a few tunes.  The kids weren't bad and they played really well together.  The bass was totally lacking but I didn't know if that was the mix or the acoustics.  Their music was good but was missing the lyrics.  Not a bad start.

After the set change, the man of the evening came out.  Devin is quite tall with a shaved head and dressed in a shiny, purple suit.  He called out and pointed to his 'nerds' in the crowd.  He said you know they're nerds if they have jobs.  Then during a pause in his first song, he said 'let's go play Dungeons and Dragons."

My phone camera doesn't do so well in low light but you get the idea.  Devin is famous for creating a wall of sound.  It's what my mother would call noise.  Within that cacophony is a passion and playfulness you don't often find.  He was playful on stage and interacted with the crowd.  He also gets this look on his face at times that's down right scary.  There was no holding back and he played songs from his entire collection.  I'm so glad I went and I'd happily see him again.

For those not familiar (probably the majority), here's the lyrics to a song he played titled "Life".

My life is all that I've known
And it's all that keeps me here
My time is all that I own
So I won't let it slip away...

How long can this life go on
Who we are, what we are...
I'll see you on the other side

Wouldn't you rather live it on your own
Even when it bends you over
So when it comes time to go home
You don't let them fade away...

How long can this all go on?
How long till it's over?
And how long till it all comes down?

[spoken]

In death, not only are the mightiest and the most humble brought down to the same level, but we're no different from any other organism.