Tour Day 1--Spoiled In Chicago

Has a nice ring to it...sounds like it could be one of those light-hearted chick flick comedies...or the name of the newest shit metal-core band...

So Day 1 was at home here in Chicago...It was at Reggies, which is one of the premiere places to play here now. I have been to over 100 shows here now, but have never played there, so this is a happy first...

We all met up there...saved money on a trailer this way and I did not want to drag around those pain in the ass things more than I had to...

Things were weird though...The show was supposed to start at 6pm, which never bodes well for a local band...while we are on the tour, the fact is, we are still a local band when we play here...There were no other openers scheduled either...So there is a good chance that many people would not be getting there till later...Work schedules and travel and all...

Luckily, in the morning, I found out the show got pushed back to 8pm...Better for us!!!

I got to the club around six and there were already some people there hanging out...Apparently word about the time change did not get out...Still, good for us.

The staff there is excellent. They make you feel very welcomed and there is not any bullshit to deal with. Adam was already there and Jim and David showed up shortly after...We loaded in and was trying to find out what was going on. Destroyer and Enthroned were to use our cabinets and the drum set was supplied. Pathology was using their own stuff and they would just set up in front...Problem was the provided drumset...It was missing a floor tom, a throne, and it was just not that good. Perra (of Nominon who was the touring drummer for D666) asked if we brought our kit...was too late to go get it, but we decided that we would bring it for the next three dates since we had the room in the trailer...That was really the only setback for our portion of the tour was that kit...Even still, instead of whining and crying about equipment, professionals make due and use what is there...And that what all three bands did...

So we set up and do a soundcheck and things sounded great on stage...We were ready to slay a hopefully full room...We hung out for awhile and got to know the Pathology guys, the Destroyer guys, and the Enthroned guys...We all really hit it off...This was going to be a fun tour.

So after the hang out and getting to know each other, it was time to take the stage. The place was filling up nicely and we has seemed to get a good response...We raged through our set in about a half hour. We always plan for that as we don't want to cut in to the other bands time. If we finish early, so be it...better than over staying your welcome...

Here was the setlist for the tour...

-Insanity's Grip
-Among Us
-Against Their Will
-The Blade That Reaps
-Embrace The Aftermath
-Paralyzed With Fear
-Affliction of the Beast

Yes, mostly Haven material...we do need to push the new album you know. And it is very difficult coming up with setlists for shows now...With 3 full length albums, the Demo EP, The Beast 7", there is a lot to choose from.

I felt really good after our set. Two really great turnouts for Chicago shows in a row for us now (See the Gravehill tour post for more info on that) and to be honest, I don't want to play Chicago for a long time now for fear of getting disappointed...The last two shows we did here will be hard to top...

Didn't have to break anything down as Pathology was setting up in front of the backline. Went to drink beer, and lots of it...Hung by the merch table and watched Pathology. They are really not my thing, but they were really good. Our friend Shawn Whitaker (Insidious Decrepancy) was doing vocals for this tour...

Destroyer 666 was up next...Went up to check if they needed anything or had any questions about gear. All was well and they went on and about killed the place. I had seen them in Chicago in 06 and I remember the intensity and turnout being better for that show, but this was still a killer set.

Enthroned was up next. Now, I was never a black metal fan, so I have never heard these guys. After checking with them regarding equipment, I went back to the merch table and paid attention while they played. They were really good. Again, I am unfamiliar with their material, but I was digging what I heard.

Here is a review of the show from The Punk Vault. Contains some cool pics too!

Time to break down the gear...and get this...We actually got help with load out from members of Destroyer and Enthroned...Take note on this bands we have played with before that used our gear and then would just stand around while we loaded everything out...

Said bye to everyone and headed home...Ate a burrito and got a few hours of sleep before our trek to Detroit...