JESS BECK | Go Venue Magazine
You know, it was absolutely the perfect night for this show.
Heavy rain?
Check.
That was really it, but I feel like somewhere in there’s a missed pun about tears crashing and falling around me.
Maybe a pun about the music video for the song or something?
I don’t know, I’m just making shit up as I go.
But if you happened to be at the rather crowded Fillmore on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, you already know what a performance we got to see! The stage was graced by three bands that can only be described as the Holy Trinity of Post-Apocalyptic Ear Destruction – Vended, Of Mice and Men, and Bullet for My Valentine. If you left that venue with your hearing intact, did you even attend?
First up was Vended, and let me tell you, they didn’t come to make friends. They came to melt faces and shatter eardrums. The energy was so intense it felt like they were trying to create a black hole right there on stage. Their music was a potent cocktail of aggression, angst, and just a sprinkle of “please, won’t you love me?” It’s like they threw a tantrum in a music store and came out with some epic riffs. Not bad for a bunch of dudes from Iowa of all places.
Sorry y’all, I’m from Nebraska, and it’s just code that we have to give each other shit forever.
I don’t make the rules.
Next in line were Of Mice and Men, and yes, they were here to prove that the phrase “reinventing the wheel” doesn’t apply to them. Did they have to basically start the band over when Aaron Pauley took the reins?
Nope.
Is Aaron Pauley secretly Jack Black though?
The jury is still out, although they have yet to be in the same place at the same time.
Rest assured though that OM&M is still serving up their signature blend of emo-core, and guess what? It still slaps! Their performance was so heartfelt that I almost expected them to start a support group for emotionally distressed guitars. But hey, if you can make a grown man cry with your breakdowns, you’re doing something right.
*wipes tear*
Ok, I’m really using that too much.
And then, the moment we’d all been waiting for – Bullet for My Valentine. These Welsh rockers took the stage with all the subtlety of a freight train made of pure, unadulterated ROCK. They hit us with a tsunami of heavy riffs and heart-wrenching melodies. It was like they wanted to make sure everyone in the audience left with a neck injury. No mercy.
Bring back the 2005 scene hawt gurls with Karen hair and fishnets!
Bring back leather studded hardcore breakdowns!
And for God’s sake – someone pay the water bill.
Now, let’s not forget about the venue itself. The Fillmore in Minneapolis was the perfect setting for this audio assault. The acoustics were so on point that it felt like the music was coming directly from the depths of your soul. And if you wanted to experience the joy of losing yourself in a mosh pit, well, The Fillmore’s got you covered. Just be prepared to say goodbye to your personal space.
As always, a big thank you to the staff who work tirelessly to ensure that these events are safe. Whether you were slinging drinks or helping the crowd surfers – you’re the real MVP’s here.
In conclusion, the evening was a glorious reminder that sometimes you just need to let the music take over, and these three bands did just that. If you missed this concert, I feel sorry for your eardrums, but there’s always next time. Until then, let the tinnitus be your souvenir of a night that was nothing short of eargasmic. Rock on!
Bullet For My Valentine
Of Mice and Men
Vended
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