Stage Soldier

My son is a rockadoodle Do. It’s a little surreal. Scott and I have been musicians since we were little; between us we have over seventy years’ experience entertaining people, and have even signed an autograph now and again. We kind of figured at least one of our kids would follow our lead, and hopefully even surpass our skills. We figured right.

Saturday night we went to Van’s band Zombie Gutz‘ CD release show, and his last for the year he’s in Iraq. They played at their regular venue - the Tremont Theater - in Charlotte. They presold 300 tickets online, and by the time the show started, it was sold out. They were turning people away at the door the whole evening. The house was packed solid with young people, from barely-teens to early twenties (not to mention a couple rad forty-somethings!), and the place was popping. You could feel the anticipation in the room; it was electric.

A little aside: If you’ve never been to a hardcore show - let me wipe the window so you can peek in. The music is raw: I call it “rohr rohr” music, because that’s what the frontman sounds like when he’s screaming. The music pounds; a hardcore band has to be very skilled because there are at least ten change-ups in one song (unfortunately, many aren’t skilled); and each song contains “break downs” that open up space for the audience to mosh. ‘Moshing’ is basically battle without weapons, except for fists and feet, which are ideally not supposed to hit anyone else. Typically, during a show, a couple guys get kicked out for not being careful. I’m always reminded (from my vantage point on the bleachers) of the beginning scene in Gangs of New York when the gangs are fighting to that awesome music. I love that scene.

Anyway, three bands opened for Zombie Gutz, which headlined. And the whole night was about Van. Each band mentioned him and when they did, the crowd exploded. The band right before them - A Closing Skyline, fronted by Van’s friend Ben - wore t-shirts printed with his name (and will continue wearing them for every show until he returns). By the time Zombie Gutz took the stage, at 10:45p, everyone was thoroughly revved.

The band was just as wild as the crowd, only they had guitars to fling around. Young men swinging their guitars like swords is a powerful sight. I felt I was watching a battle scene that rippled from the floor to the stage and back again; it was absolutely riveting. It was an amazing show, a great success. They made $1900 that night from the merchandise table to ticket sales, which is an astronomical amount for them. They were flying high.

Afterwards, when I went up to hug my sweaty son, he said, “Mom, I felt like a rock star. When I took off my shirt, everybody screamed. I was wondering what would happen if I lifted my hand, and when I did, they screamed again. They screamed every time I lifted my hand!” Yeah, I noticed. Pretty heady, this being worshipped stuff. Hmm. Well.

Now off he goes to Iraq, just when they’re releasing their CD, just when they’ve got their video demo completed, their promo package together, and a guitar company wanting them to endorse their products. At this point, he regrets his decision to join the military, but will make the best of it. I still think it was a good choice, and if he wasn’t full-bore into music, he’d think so, too. After all, it was his idea and he was passionate about it. But he’s struggling now, something I understand completely. If you seek something to pray about for him, pray for his peace of mind. He’ll be fine; he always is; he’s down-to-earth and knows how to be flexible; and said he’s eager to just go already. But he’s torn, like so many other soldiers. Which is a whole ‘nother story, isn’t it?

One I’ll have to tell later, when I write about Sunday’s National Guard ceremonies… Time to poke my head up for some air and some lunch. Love to all! xo

(Van’s the one in the white tee, and in the second pic, on the extreme right.)

This entry was posted on Monday, August 01st, 2005 at 2:31pm and is filed under journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.