Haste The Day / Stretch Arm Strong Concert Review
By the time Haste the Day took the stage as the fourth band of the night, the audience was already about to burst through the walls of Mary Jane’s Fat Cat, a fairly small, one-room bar close to downtown Houston. If we’re speaking in terms of anticipation, it had been building exponentially ever since the 100-plus yard line that had gathered before the doors even opened and had been growing every time a new band took the stage. But in terms of pure enjoyment, I haven’t been to a show and had this much fun in a long time.
Kane Hodder, a self-proclaimed fusion of Refused and At the Drive-In from Seattle, WA, began the night with a very energetic live show that concluded with vocalist Andy Moore writhing around in circles on the floor of the stage. The audience was fairly apprehensive; it seemed no one had heard too much about them. Despite this, they roped in a good feeling for the evening and prepared everyone for the mayhem that would come.
Something needs to be said here about the second band, Still Remains. A six-piece from Michigan, the crowd was getting excited just watching them set up. Breakdowns in their opener got the crowd really moving for the first time, but when they played “White Walls,” the place erupted at the mid-song breakdown. They are definitely a band to look out for and if you have the opportunity to check them out live, don’t pass it up.
Stretch Arm Strong, with a sound closer to throwback hardcore than the metal most kids were expecting, came on as set-up men for Haste the Day and pulled down nearly wall in the house. Vocalist Chris Lane was constantly asking everyone to dance, to use the stage, to take two steps forward, to do everything they could to get on the mic he was holding—and it seemed to work. Even in the opener, “Outside Looking In” from Rituals of Life, kids began sprinting off the stage and heaping themselves on top of the audience. Lane’s hands never seemed to come down, a perpetual fist in the air, raised to support music, anti-violence, anti-fighting.
“When I woke up this morning, I had five spider bites on my foot… and I threw up just before I got on stage,” vocalist Jimmy Ryan said after the second song of Haste the Day’s set. By this time, he was already pouring sweat and nearly everyone in the audience was crammed against each other. Whatever was wrong with Ryan, it didn’t stop HTD from putting on an intense show.
The biggest responses were from songs off their first full-length release, Burning Bridges. Things really began to get out of control on the third song of the set, “One Life to Live.” Friends of the band jumped on stage and grabbed every mic in sight, chanting a chorus of “We’ve got one life to live / We’ve got to make a change” as nearly every kid in the audience tried to grab Ryan’s face and sing along with him.
It didn’t stop there. Nearly every song was taking a step closer to climax, until the next to last song, “American Love.” During the soft and perfectly harmonized sweet spot in the song, every member of the audience had their hands in the air, waving back and forth, as it set-up the final breakdown in the song, with nearly every kid in the pit dancing.
They closed with “Burning Bridges,” where it seemed no one wanted to leave anything left inside themselves, band and audience included.
Review and Photos by David Stagg
©2005 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
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Comments
That was such an amazing show...I saw the one in San Antonio and it was so intense. Stretch is my favorite band ever, and Chris never ceases to amaze me. Haste the day is so tight musically, and quite the live band I might add. Great review, great show!
The song is called "Blue 32" not "Burning Bridges"
Actually the song is called Blue 42...
haste the day is amazing. I'm from Indianapolis and so are they, and I've seen them what seems a thousand times, and it doesn't matter if there is 300 people or 12 people, they always rip their heart out for the crowd and for Jesus. they are amazing.
blue 42 buddy
