Hello everyone welcome back for some good ol’ rock and metal news. This winter has been amazing; we have seen some crazy good bands like As I lay Dying, Lamb of God, and even Sonata Arctica. These shows were all an honor to attend and the audience even had a chance to meet interesting people involved in the scene. Without a doubt, Detroit’s metal scene is coming back with full force.
On December 28, Detroit celebrated its last concert of 2012 with some smooth, groovy and exciting Ska and Punk. The event was called Black Christmas and it was a big surprise for all of us. Detroit was visited by over thirty bands hosted in two different buildings. The Magic Stick theater eld the main stage and the second building next to the theater held four other stages; one in the bar area, one in the bowling area, and the other two stages where upstairs in the Magic Stick hall. The lineup for this show was amazing; the Mustard Plug and the Suicide Machines along with a host of other amazing bands rocked it out. There were tons of people there wearing battle jackets and t-shirts of all of their favorite bands talking to each other about music and enjoying eachothers company. Although it was a rock concert, the atmosphere was family oriented and could make any one feel welcomed and at home.
The first band that took the stage was Michigan’s own The Swellers. This band is amazing and has been doing what they do since 2002. Before performing, lead singer Nick Diener said to the crowd “It feels good to be back home” showing how much these guys love their home state. I was actually lucky enough to catch a pick from their bassist. After their set, I went next door to the Magic Stick hall to catch up on some other bands. When I got upstairs, people everywhere where dancing, stage diving and having a blast. I even was given the chance to stage dive; I jumped on stage and leaped out towards the crowd. They caught me as we all sang the lyrics to the song. The interaction between the crowd and the band was electrifying and exciting; this is one of the things that attracts me to the punk scene, the constant family value and respect the fans show the band and the band shows the same love and respect back.
I hung around a bit for more moshing and mingling until I realized that next door in the theater Mustard plug was playing so I left and went next door. As soon as I reached the door, there were people everywhere. Mustard Plug played classic hits such as Mr. Smiley, Everything Girl, and they even had Santa Claus join in on the action. Their performance was hands down number two in my top five favorite shows in 2012. Well that’s all folks see you guys next time for more rock and metal news. keep safe and never stop head banging!