Wow! Two shows from Seether, 10 Years, and The Dead Deads in a row? Is my face still intact or has it been completely melted?
All joking aside, I feel truly honored to bring you photos and commentary two days in a row. Another awesome night of music was had by all who attended Sokol last night. I heard that there were only about 40 tickets left just a few hours before the doors so I assume it was very close to selling out. I can tell you it sure felt like a sell out from the room temperature!
Once again I was able to catch The Dead Deads start off the night, and once again, they didn’t disappoint. These ladies and dude are amazing! They really were a joy to listen to and even more fun to photograph. The energy between the band was so infectious you couldn’t help but sing along or throw up the rock horns.
What really impressed me both nights was how much fun they were having both with each other and with the crowd. This band only has two facial expressions; rocking out or smiling. You could tell the band was genuinely having a great time even though they were in the opening slot. Too many times have I sat through an opening band that didn’t really look they wanted to be there. I understand there are a million different scenarios that can be tough for touring bands that might put someone in a bad mood, but if you can shake it off and get the crowd going that’s what really counts.
The Dead Deads are really dedicated to their fans as well. I saw quite a few Dead Corps members (Dead Deads fans) at the merch booth after the set. Steven from the show in Lincoln was there representing with full face paint and a sweet pink Dead Corps shirt that said “Dead Corps is for Lovers”. Several other face painted fans stopped by for hugs and pictures throughout the night.
The Dead Deads have well traveled fans too. I talked to two gals from Topeka Kansas who made the drive to Omaha. One gentleman said he’d seen the band many times particularly three times on the Ship Rocked cruise! He said the girls had become almost character celebrities by the end of the trip. I could see that. There is something very theatrical about The Dead Deads. With names like, Meta Dead, Johnnie Dead, Dolly Dead, and Daisy Dead, they really give off a Rob Zombie-esque, Universal monsters, 60s aliens vibe.
The Dead Dead’s set had something for everyone, straight up rock, heavy riffs, gang vocals, glam and pop-punk, these guys did it all. There was a good mix of old and new songs and three songs the band wrote on tour. The Dead Deads are solid writers. At their merch booth they advertised that you can order a custom song for $99! I talked with lead singer Meta Dead and she said they already have a bunch of orders on their plate and they’ll work on them when they’re done with this current leg of the tour. So order today and get your own Dead Deads anthem!
After The Dead Deads was 10 Years. After seeing them in Lincoln last night I knew a little more about what was to come, pure awesomeness! 10 Years has so many hits! The opening track “Shoot it Out” was my personal favorite, but the band covered songs from every album even pulling out a cover of “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana.
I caught up with lead singer Jesse after the show to found out why that song may have been included in the set.
Stories From The Crowd: So Jesse, do you remember the first album you ever purchased?
Jesse: Yea, my sisters were really into hair metal growing up, so when I started getting into music I went a completely different direction. My tastes were all over the map in the 90s from Nirvana and the Melvins to Beastie Boys and Wu-Tang Clan. But my first album I ever bought was Nirvana’s “Bleach”. My sister had the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” single so I went to get “Nevermind”, but they didn’t have it. So I got “Bleach” instead.
Stories: Nice! Well looking back it was obviously a great record so I’m sure you were able to get over having to wait to pick up “Nevermind”. Do you remember the first show you ever went to?
Jesse: Haha, I do! I got into trouble for this one. I grew up in a really conservative religious household and I snuck out with some friends and went to see Crowbar!
Stories: Woah that’s awesome! Crowbar actually just played at this very venue a few months ago and I got to meek Kirk. He and his wife are just the nicest people, so down to earth. It was actually two different shows combined into one. Knocked Loose and Terror were playing the basement club and Hatebreed and Crowbar were playing the upstairs club on the same night. The promoters were able to work together and put together like a mini-hardcore festival on a Thursday night. I think there were about nine bands total.
Jace: Wow, that’s super cool.
Stories: Yea that show was insane. I got to interview Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed before the show. It was a dream come true.
Stories: I know you have a ton of fans to get to so I won’t keep you, but on the subject of Crowbar, did you see the guitar tech for Seether? He looks just like Todd Strange from Crowbar!
Jesse: What? No way! I’m not sure who their tech is. I’ll have to find out!
Stories: Thanks so much for your time!
I later found out from Seether’s merch guy it wasn’t Todd. I swear it could’ve been his twin. But hey, this is metal. A tall bald guy with a white beard could be anybody!
Last up was Seether. Unlike at The Burbon Theatre the night before, the band had a fairly elaborate stage setup. There were LED screens behind them flashing images from the “Poison the Parish” release that they are touring to support. The lighting however, was about the same. Dark red shone down giving the stage a very brooding, moody vibe.
I suppose the lights were very fitting given the band’s style of play. Lead Singer Shaun Morgan had his head down with hair in his face the majority of the set. Seether did sound good though playing a few songs from each release but focusing on “Poison the Parish” for a good portion.
Overall, it was a great night. I talked to a lot of fans and took a lot of photos. To quote Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed, I got some “Loud Amps in the Face”. What’s better than that?
Special shout out to Dean and Lorraine who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Hopefully when my wife and I hit 25 years we’re still out there rocking!
If you like what you read, please share! You can find me on Facebook and Instagram @storiesfromthecrowd If you have an event you would like covered, please contact storiesfromthecrowd@gmail.com I can travel, and I’m pretty flexible on schedule, but I’m off on Sundays. Thanks everyone!