Last week I shot ’68 for the second time. In a short period of time, they’ve jumped from I’ve-never-seen-them-live to one-of-my-favourites-to-shoot. The dynamic between Josh and Michael on stage is energetic and they engage the crowd so well. Plus, they’re just rad humans.
Josh recognized me in the pit and played right to my camera.
These fellows are returning to Des Moines this summer. If you haven’t seen them live before, you’ve got to go. You can dance, sing, scream—all of it. It’s a blast and a superb way to spend an evening.
After Michael and Josh’s set, I was done shooting for the night. I stood on the right side of the crowded room—mostly teenage girls and guys wearing all black everything. For once, I had more color on than most of the folks around me: with my mom jeans and red Chucks. I head banged a little (more like “bopped,” if I’m honest), then wandered over to the merch table to say “hi” to Michael.
The evening ended in the best way. I was quite hungry at this point, so I decided to check out the snack booth in the back of the venue, sort of kitty-corner to where I’d been standing. I’d already eaten so many Clif Bars that day that I couldn’t quite eat another and needed “real” food. By real food I mean something like a hot dog. My standards for “real food” at a concert are pretty low.
But the lady working behind the counter told me they were out of hotdogs. Then my eye fell upon something else sitting behind her: popcorn. If you don’t know me, I love popcorn. As a kid, I would go with my family to the movie theater and my mom and I would finish a large popcorn—the kind with a free refill—before the previews ended. Not eating popcorn was the worst part of braces. But fortunately I’m past that stage in my life and I’m back to enjoying one of the best treats.
So I ordered it: a gallon-size ziplock bag full of move-theater-esque popcorn. I carried my prize back to the spot I’d been standing earlier. I wasn’t quite in the thick of the crowd, which was perfect for eating. As Bring Me the Horizon, the headliners, too the stage, I munched on popcorn and people watched. Any time you can watch a hardcore show—or any show, for the matter—while eating popcorn is a pretty swell night in my book.
