Oh, the life we once had! A time when we washed our hands less often than we should’ve. When we’d take a sip of water from a generous friend at a festival without hesitation. And when the five-second rule was the only rule we lived by. Little did we know while out dancing with abandon and singing along to a favorite artist that it would be our last time for a great while. So here we are, in quarantine, lockdown, shelter in place, or whatever government lingo applies to your area of the world, writing a eulogy for our last pre-COVID-19 show…
TOOL — Tigerlily, Editor-in-Chief
How fitting that my last show on Wednesday, March 11th was with TOOL. It was a night I won’t forget as they proved themselves worthy of being my favorite band, yet again. Goosebumps erupted across my skin as I listened to Adam Jones make his guitar wail like a woman in mourning and Danny Carey smash out the rhythm on a hanging gong and drums. How Danny can remember the 47 time changes in “Schism” boggles the mind. With anatomical, LSD-inspired images of the human body by one-time medical textbook illustrator turned artist Alex Grey running along the curtain of chains that surrounded the band, what could’ve been creepy pictures instead teased the mind. TOOL isn’t the type of band that wants their audience to sit back and enjoy. They want to make their audience uncomfortable; to provoke intense thought and consideration of ourselves, the world we live in, and what part we play in its destruction. And what better time to focus on that than when COVID-19 is spreading like wildfire around the world. Lead singer James Maynard Keenan scoffed at the mindless masses hoarding toilet paper as if one could eat it when starving. Animatronic, claymation figures leeched the blood from each another as Maynard teased about Portland’s proximity to water before launching into “Aenima“. While they primarily played tracks from their newest album “Fear Inoculum“, I was thrilled to hear “Jambi” from “10,000 Days“. Maynard sings about feasting like a sultan on “treasures and flesh, never few. But I, I would wish it all away. If I thought I’d lose you just one day.” I teared up as I sang along, thinking of how many people had lost loved ones to this novel coronavirus and what they’d give up to have them back. As I left the MODA Center, I sanitized my hands with antibacterial while my mind buzzed with images of decaying, infected human bodies. TOOL made me consider how we consume the planet to death, and how we are the virus upon this beautiful globe. How can we become worthy stewards of this Earth we call home?
RÜFÜS DU SOL — Jennifer Fall, Managing Director
I had no idea that RÜFÜS DU SOL would be my final show, and I couldn’t be any happier that I started what was to be my pre-festival season with such an incredible band. Truthfully, I had never seen them live and was not as familiar with their full catalog, or so I thought. I was immensely surprised by the fact that not only did I know every single song, but that we had the honor in Indianapolis of all places, to host their first stop on their U.S. tour. Even though it was snowing outside, every single body in the Pan Am Plaza was sweating, dancing, and moving as one. It was fluid. I miss the state of flow and anticipation that shows provide. We will get through this, but losing so much all at once has been difficult to process. I can’t wait to feel the excitement again.
PEEKABOO — Megan Bailey, Social Media Consultant and Content Contributor
When I worked Peekaboo on March 12th, I had no idea that it would be my last for a very long time. Before all of this happened, I was working up to eight shows a month. I had been spoiled with constantly getting to rage out with my rave fam, interacting with so many amazing artists, and celebrating successful events with my hardworking team. Now that it’s all on pause, I’m taking time to appreciate those little moments I took for granted. Peekaboo was a special night, as he is one of my favorite Bass artists to have hit the scene in the last few years. When “Maniac” came on, I was mesmerized by the intense energy in the room. I thought the mob of patrons was going to shake off the new LED screen layout we had just put up. Our venue was packed wall to wall with headbangers with smiles plastered on their faces. Ravers were hanging like monkeys from Peabody’s infamous ceiling and hoopers were dazzling star-struck newbies. It was a show I wasn’t planning on forgetting anytime soon, but now it’s one I’ll truly treasure for years to come.
Chase & Status — Aimee Rivas, Editor at Large
The evening started out being an extraordinary night. It was February 29th, Leap Day, and the night of my last show. Being a huge Drum & Bass fan, it had been a while since I attended a DnB event, and I was super pumped Chase & Status were in town. It was an amazing night in Austin, Texas, perfect weather and an electric energy in the air–the ideal atmosphere to attend an outdoor show. Empire Control Room & Garage was where the night’s festivities would take place and even though it was an outdoor venue the sound was on point. The openers that evening brought their A-game and got the crowd roaring for the main event. Chase & Status set was throbbing, energized, and intense. If I knew this night would be my last show for a while, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. While I sit here on week two of working from home and mandatory shelter-in-place from COVID-19, at least I have my memories to keep me going. I may miss my friends, family, and live music but I know we must all do our part to keep this virus contained. I keep going back to something I saw on Twitter several weeks ago, “Imagine it’s 2021, COVID-19 is a thing of the past and you are with your best friends at the Gorge for The Group Therapy Weekender.” Yes, we will get there and I can’t wait.
M3F FEST — Tanya Rincon, Arizona Team Lead and Editor at Large
I felt like I was finally emerging from winter as I spent three beautiful days in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, Arizona at M3F Fest the first weekend of March. Timed perfectly with the desert spring, M3F was a weekend packed with musical discoveries, dancing with reckless abandon, and sfmfstaffising memories. To be totally honest, event cancellations had started rolling through the week leading up to M3F, so I went in with a goal to soak in every last second in anticipation of more cancellations. I crossed paths and danced with many friends and spent hours each night spinning my LED hoop until it would eventually die. What I miss most is stumbling across a set and falling in love with an artist completely in the moment. At M3F my discovery was BARDZ and I wasn’t able to walk away for the entirety of his hour! I’ve found myself pouring over his music since his stellar performance. My highlight of the entire weekend was the delicious set The Funk Hunters treated us to at the very close of the festival. It was exploding with impressive and unique reworks of some classic tracks. I didn’t think I was ever going to come across a DnB cover of “Come Together” by The Beatles but lo’ and behold, The Funk Hunters made it happen! Looking back, I wish I would have taken more pictures and videos but I suppose hindsight is 20/20. This was my second festival of the year and I was prepared to hit a string of more over the coming months but it looks as if I’ll have to survive off my M3F memories for the foreseeable future.
BTSM “The Futuristic Thriller Tour” — Haley Wood, Colorado Team Lead
I am much more of a House and Techno gal but I bought a ticket for the Denver stop the minute pre-sales went live back in October for Black Tiger Sex Machine‘s Futuristic Thriller tour. Ah, Valentine’s day, I absolutely hate, hate, hate it. Besides my distaste for this hallmark holiday, I did have a couple of things to look forward to – A date with my two best friends and vibin’ to some dirty Dubstep. Two packs of white claws, a bottle of tequila, and one bouquet of the cutest black roses ever from my gusband (gay-husband), we were ready to go to church. It was fucking awesome seeing the new visuals for this tour. You were basically watching a movie while witnessing these guys turn Mission Ballroom the fuck up in the name of love. We wrecked ourselves into some dirty little Dubstep blender with plebs of refreshing other-genre sounds from House to Hardstyle. The versatility of these dudes is fuckin’ insane. From snap your neck dubstep to wait…what the fuck, that’s House, it’s like the first time I’d fallen in love with BTSM hearing them at EDC Las Vegas 2019. Reflecting back on my last show, I miss being my wildly sporadic self and dancing around to see all the familiar faces around, I miss hugging my friends. I miss being overcharged for a white claw, I miss having ENDLESS choices of music in Denver and ENDLESS after-hours parties to choose from. I cannot wait to dance around, laugh and smile with all my friends once this blows over. Please wash your fuckin hands and be diligent on your explorations to the outside world because we NEED music to come back.
