Entry tags:
Rock Stars, Heroes, and a Fangirl's Perspective On Life
Hello, my name is Laurel, and I am a Fangirl. I want to tell you a story.
This past Saturday, December 6th, 2014, at my favorite rock club (the NorVA), I saw the Black Veil Brides in concert. And they kicked ass. My personal Best Rock Show Ever is My Chemical Romance at the same venue in 2006. The BVB show was not better than that, but they were pretty damn amazing. They gave everything they've got and then some, and I had a total blast.
If you aren't familiar with the Black Veil Brides, they're a Hollywood-based rock group that's been around with the current line-up for about five years and four albums, although the earliest songs came a few years prior with frontman Andy Biersack and a rotating shuffle of other musicians. I first heard them when my dear friend Christine sent me their third album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, this Halloween. (Thank you, Christine, thank you thank you THANK YOU.) I'm not quite sure how to classify them genre-wise--there are elements of punk, metal, and glam rock, but nothing that defines them as any specific type. I mean this as a compliment, by the way--genre-blending is one of my favorite things. Personally, I see them as a throwback to the brazen, audacious fabulousness of '80s hair metal, with a gothic visual aesthetic and a thematic emphasis on believing in yourself and following your dreams.
What's ironic is I've occasionally heard these guys described as the "new" My Chemical Romance. So what do I think? As someone who's seen them both live at this point, I should be able to make that call, right? I don't really think that's fair to either of them--not to mention intellectually lazy. They're both great bands, but they're great in different ways despite the similar uniforms of their respective fanbases (which I suspect is why those lines are drawn in the first place). So why even bring it up? Well, because it's the first and only rock show I've seen since the MCR show eight years ago that's come anywhere close to matching it.
( Read more... )
This past Saturday, December 6th, 2014, at my favorite rock club (the NorVA), I saw the Black Veil Brides in concert. And they kicked ass. My personal Best Rock Show Ever is My Chemical Romance at the same venue in 2006. The BVB show was not better than that, but they were pretty damn amazing. They gave everything they've got and then some, and I had a total blast.
If you aren't familiar with the Black Veil Brides, they're a Hollywood-based rock group that's been around with the current line-up for about five years and four albums, although the earliest songs came a few years prior with frontman Andy Biersack and a rotating shuffle of other musicians. I first heard them when my dear friend Christine sent me their third album, Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones, this Halloween. (Thank you, Christine, thank you thank you THANK YOU.) I'm not quite sure how to classify them genre-wise--there are elements of punk, metal, and glam rock, but nothing that defines them as any specific type. I mean this as a compliment, by the way--genre-blending is one of my favorite things. Personally, I see them as a throwback to the brazen, audacious fabulousness of '80s hair metal, with a gothic visual aesthetic and a thematic emphasis on believing in yourself and following your dreams.
What's ironic is I've occasionally heard these guys described as the "new" My Chemical Romance. So what do I think? As someone who's seen them both live at this point, I should be able to make that call, right? I don't really think that's fair to either of them--not to mention intellectually lazy. They're both great bands, but they're great in different ways despite the similar uniforms of their respective fanbases (which I suspect is why those lines are drawn in the first place). So why even bring it up? Well, because it's the first and only rock show I've seen since the MCR show eight years ago that's come anywhere close to matching it.
( Read more... )