One of my favorite activities is going to concerts.
I like to go to shows to remind myself why I never went goth…& catch some great music.
Amanda & I had planned on going to Flyleaf, Skillet, & Dropping Daylight in
Madison when it was announced the show was postponed.
Our disappointment was palpable.
Monday night I was trolling around on MySpace & Skillet dropped a bulletin announcing they would still play Madison, however minus Flyleaf (thank God) & at a different venue. Our disappointment was immediately lifted. Tuesday afternoon we jumped in my rig & rolled down to Madison.
Most have been to Madison, it’s a fun city. If you have ever ventured off the main roads, you quickly understood why UW is nationally named the #1 drunk school in the US year after year and why everyone you know that goes there has a problem with drugs. The streets are ridiculous & you need to be on a wicked LSD trip to navigate them. It is as though the street planner modeled the city after a plate of spaghetti with a lone meatball in the middle representing the capital. Fortunately we were able to guide our way to the venue smoothly, & after driving by the place twice, quickly found a parking place. There is something very fun about Madison & it isn’t the parking. I live in DePere, WI. While it is an ideal community to grow up in, parallel parking is not a necessity. In fact, it is completely unnecessary. I have had to parallel park exactly 0 times in my life.
That was until I had to land my rig in a tight space. Now, if I have 1 thing, it is confidence. I charged at the task like a champion. My mind immediately went back ten years to my driving lessons as a 16 year old. That didn’t help, so I just went for it. Amazingly, I hit it 1st time. The hitting was quite literal in fact as I used up the bumper of the car behind me, that is what they are made for, isn’t it? When we emerged from the car, there was about 6 inches between my front bumper & the car ahead of me & about a foot between my rear bumper & that car. I am sitting here today still confused how I jammed that car in there.
In any event, if you haven’t noticed I just wrote 2 paragraphs on parallel parking, you have now. Now that you have noticed, you have figured out there isn’t a whole lot more to write about. I’ll proceed anyway.
We rolled up on the Venue called The Annex. It is one of thoise dive bars with a stage & barely any room for a crowd. Why Skillet was playing here I couldn’t figure out. After a couple drinks, Dropping Daylight took the stage. If you haven’t heard these guys, MySpace them immediately. I last saw them with Breaking Ben & they were the best opening band I have seen in a long while. They have a unique sound and their lead singer Sebastian has a great voice. What I mean by unique is that when you are done listening to their music, you aren’t left wanting to cut your wrists like most rock these days. They played a quick 8 song set & we went to meet the guys in the lobby. I got their disc signed along with an 8x10 & even discussed some dredg with the lead singer. All in all, great guys & I was quite jacked.
Soon the next band, Fair to Midland, took the stage. They were pretty decent & their lead singer, on top of looking like Billy Bob Thorton, had a great voice. They kind of had the seizure dance thing going on & obviously enjoyed recreational drugs. This guy isn’t a huge fan of such activity. After the show the guys were enjoying a lot of liquid at the bar & we passed on picking up the disc.
Finally Skillet hit the stage. I saw them a couple years ago (Read about it here, one of my classics.) at a Christian skate park in Green Bay & they dominated that show. What a Band like this was doing playing dive bar in Madison is beyond me, but I am glad they showed up. It was immediately obvious they were not screwing around & just rocked. There is no other way to put it. They put foot to ass & dominated. If you were unaware, Skillet is a Christian rock band from WI. You would never guess either as they just get it done. After a really good set, they finally got down to my favorite, Savior. That song bring so many good memories from a few summers ago & is the single that introduced the band to my ears. After a really good encore we waited in the lobby to get some autographs.
What I think is fantastic about Skillet is the fact they care. They send out a great message & reach a lot of people in a significant way. They came out & didn’t stand behind a table & send the herd through without so much as a word. They mingled with the crowd, posed for pics, & actually had conversations with everyone. It is one thing to produce great music, it is another to give back & be great people. If you are scared of Christian rock, give this group a chance & they will change all your perceptions.
In any event, Skillet is coming back this summer. Be there. Hopefully DD makes a return appearance as well. Next show on the schedule is Breaking Benjamin at the Rave in Milwaukee with Three Days Grace. Truthfully, it is a must see show, be there.
I hope all is well with everyone, best to you & yours.
Labels: Dropping Daylight, Madison, rock, Skillet
