Bad Copy

Comeback Kid was one of a handful of bands that got me through many hours in the darkroom when I was just a wee photographer in college. Wake The Dead was a nightly staple even though I’d be hard pressed to remember any of the track titles or their order on the album (thanks, Limewire). When I saw they were planning a 20th anniversary tour playing the 2005 album in full it was pretty much a no-brainer, even though I’d have to make the 45 minute drive to a club in Ft. Worth. Much to my surprise, for some reason or another, there was a last minute venue change and they’d now be playing just seven minutes down the road at RBC in the heart of Deep Ellum.

On the evening of March 8th, I stepped out into the rain on Commerce St. thinking I’d be able to get a good spot and post up before the show since the doors had just opened at 7pm. I rounded the corner and was greeted by a line that stretched from the club’s recessed position behind a burger shop and spilled out onto the sidewalk. After what seemed like ages I finally made it inside only to discover that a band had played their entire set while myself and about 50 others stood outside. The place was packed. I managed to squeeze my way through the crowd to find an eerily vacant circle in front of the stage. There was water on the ground so I just assumed there was a leak in the roof and everyone was just waiting for it to be cleaned up. Wrong. I grabbed a spot off to the side of the stage to swap lenses.

As soon as Desmadre launched into their set fists and feet started flying. Oh, I see. That was the danger zone. It’s gonna be that type of show. Desmadre is a hardcore band from Los Angeles. Southern California birthed a lot of great hardcore bands and you can hear that sound in songs like “Clownin’ Around” and “West Coast Story.” You can also hear their metal influences in the solo work and breakdowns of “Me vs Everybody.” My musical awakening began in the mid to late ’90s so the sound and energy was a welcome dose of nostalgia. Desmadre is a gem you’d see on a side stage at some massive metal festival and instantly fall in love with. Having safely avoided any errant elbows I made my way to the other side of the stage as they wrapped up their set.

Next up was Nashville’s own Orthodox. I had done a little research prior to the show and was digging their sound. I’ve seen them described as a metalcore band but they struck me as a bit darker, a bit heavier, than the other bands that might spring to mind in the genre. All that darkness wasn’t without a sense of humor though as they first gave a shout out to their mothers (it was National Women’s Day after all) and turned away from the stage as a sample from an old melodic ballad began to play on the PA. The sample played long enough to elicit more than a few chuckles from the crowd who were nervously waiting for all hell to break loose. And break loose it did. The set change had done little to slow the crowd’s momentum. I took a flying body to the face and nearly lost my glasses on the stage. Energy hit its peak during “Head On A Spike” with the front row raising their fists and shouting “you want me dead, put my head on a spike.”

Koyo slowed things down a bit, relatively speaking, but still kept the energy high. There was more jumping and a little less kamikaze stage diving. Lead singer Joey Chiaramonte even beckoned the crowd closer assuring them that no one was going to jump on them. There were quite a few Koyo fans in the crowd, evident in the rise in volume during any of the band’s sing-along choruses. The backbone to any good emo pop punk song is a good hook and Koyo delivered.

At long last, Comeback Kid took the stage to a roar from the crowd. Drums rolled, guitar strummed, and the room erupted with “YOUR TIME IS UP!” – the opening words of “False Idols Fall.” Fans must have sensed “Wake The Dead” was coming up in the song order because they all cheered upon hearing those first few opening notes, but it was premature. CBK was surely saving their breakout hit to cap the night. The band cracked sly smiles and everyone groaned and laughed – we all knew what was up. The night was all killer, no filler, much like the album itself. Bodies were catapulting off stage at regular intervals. Singer Andrew Neufeld stalked back and forth, left and right, pausing every once in a while to inject the mic into the crowd or grab the lucky stage diver for a duet. Orthodox singer Adam Easterling joined the band on stage for a song and seemed genuinely surprised by the gesture.

Comeback Kid songs are made for shouting at the top of your lungs and it’s doubtful any one left RBC with much of a voice left. The album’s last track “Final Goodbye” might seem like the perfect closer but every person in that room was waiting to lose their minds to “Wake The Dead.” By this time, I had moved to the back of the room for a different angle and that might have been a mistake. All hands were in the air by the first round of “You said, you said, you said, this time was gonna be different” and it was difficult to see the stage. That empty pit at the beginning of the night had become a rolling sea. I held my camera high above my head and was thankful for tilting screens. When the song finished the band exited but not before I caught a glimpse of Neufeld motioning for a drink of water. Good God, man, I can see why.

And that was it. Cheers to all the bands for one of the most insane shows I’ve ever seen.

Back to boring real life but at least I’ve got the pictures.