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Holy crap. It was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life and I'm pretty sure every kid there now has renewed faith in hardcore. Let me explain:

I knew this was going to be a special night after finding xChorus of Disapprovalx $2.99 at Amoeba. I MEAN COME ON. THAT'S A SIGN FROM GOD HIMSELF. So I'm bumping "I Just Can't Hate Enough" when we get to the venue and I'm ready to two-step the night away.

If It Kills opened, a local band that's pretty good. Then Conduit. OMGWTF. When I bought my ticket for this show from the leader sing of said band, I got their debut album for free. They're righteous hardcore with an old-school metal feel. They were fucking awesome live. However, this is when we noticed that the security are being bigger dicks than usual. They basically drew an invisible circle on the floor and told us to stay inside of it. It was small and stupid and anytime a kid tried to open up the floor, a security would stop him/her and pull them aside and have a little "conference." It was really shitty because they basically thought we were only there to kill each other, when no one was even remotely getting hurt.

The third band, A Dying Memory, was miserable. Think Bleeding Through if Fred Durst fronted it.

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Internal Affairs was stellar, as usual. Then Shattered Realm, who slayed the entire place. The boys from Donnybrook were out in full force and Dre and Martin were regulating the pit, making sure no one got hurt and such. However, anytime they started dancing, the security guards would stop them and tell them not to swing their arms so hard. It was EXTREMELY obvious that they were singling out these two dudes. This is also when we found out that The Promise had $2000 stolen from them and so set the theme/atmosphere for the night.

Born From Pain was next and it was my first chance to check these guys out. They were FUCKING BRUTAL and I was glad to see their first American set. Everyone there agreed that they were damn good. The bassist was funny; he didn't understand the idea of having "rules" for the pit. "I don't understand why they can't just let you guys do as you please," he said (with his totally hilarious accent. So he basically told us to do as we wish. DUN DUN DUN. The guards started kicking kids out who stage dove and routinely interrupted the pit just to annoy the hell out of us.

Then, The Promise, one of my favorite straight edge bands. Unfortunately, the show cost them $2000 because their bags were searched without their consent and without anyone from the band to supervise. They were pissed and so were all the other bands. This is when it started getting ugly. Dre was dancing and a security guard grabbed his shoulder in an unnecessary manner, causing him to eat it. Dre got FUCKING PISSED. The guards kept trying to hold his hands back when he wasn't trying to do anything and he kept yelling, "GET YER FUCKIN' HANDS OFF ME." Then the owner, this bitchy woman, told came down from the balcony, saying that the guards were just looking out for the safety of the kids. Dre responded by saying that we all were already looking out for each other and that the guards should stop being so rough to us. (Dre kept calling us "my kids." The guards and the owner ignored him and carted him outside.

The singer of The Promise (whose name escapes me) started addressing the situation, and how the kids were all being disrespected. The annoying announcer then said, over his little microphone/intercom, that we should respect the venue. The guitarist responded, "We would if you hadn't stolen $2000 from our bags, fucker."

Oh boy. The owner is now furious and she tells the guards to "show no mercy." Those were her exact words. So The Promise play a few more songs and, I think out of disgust, get off the stage.

So Terror is on next. As you all know, Scott Vogel is my hero and he only succeeded in further confirming it that night. Fuck the imaginary circle. The pit literally exploded and bodies were flying everywhere. Seriously, every motherfucker in the whole place was having the time of their life. And THEN! Vogel announces he wants 20 quality stage dives and the shit goes off. Kids are flying, getting pounded, spinkicking, it was UTTER CHAOS. The guards are at a loss. They're trying to grab as many kids as they can to drag outside (to kick them out), but our sheer numbers overwhelmed them. That's when shit began to get fucked up. The guards started punching kids and I personally saw this dude I'd talked to in line get dragged out by his hair. A lot of us were in shock. I mean, kids who were just standing around were getting kicked out.

Anyway, they start "Push It Away" and I can't help but start floorpunching. I move to one side of the pit, look behind me at a security guard fighting with some kid, look back at the pit and BAM!!!!!

I get hit directly in the nose. I don't remember much at first, but all of a sudden the guitarist of Donnybrook has his arms around me, shaking my head and asking if I'm ok. I have blood all over my hands and he takes me over to a trashcan. He runs to the bar to get me some paper towels and BAM!!!!!

A security guard punches me in the shoulder and yells, "STOP BLEEDING ON MY FLOOR." I'm disoriented and defenseless and confused. The guard grabs my arm and flings me towards the door and sucker punches the back of my right shoulder again, continuing to yell at me FOR BLEEDING. Donnybrook to the rescue! Dre and Martin both gang up on said security guard and threaten to kill him if he touches me again. Meanwhile, another guard is telling me to "take off your fucking shirt and start cleaning up your blood." And suddenly the guy starts undressing me and I freak out. I can't see because my eyes are watering and I don't know why this guy is trying to take off my shirt. I take it off and I see Dre punch the guard in the face. I take off my wifebeater to stop the bleeding and step aside as the guard runs out to the front, his eye bleeding. And by this time, the breakdown of "Push It Away" has just barely finished.

I think it was about two songs later when a kid stage dove onto the security guards feet first and a guard threw a mic-stand and hit Scott in the back of the head and he starts bleeding and then it was pure anarchy. Scott jumps into the crowd and the fight goes outside. However, most of us don't get to see it because they locked us inside the Whisky until it was clear. Glass was broken, there was blood all over the floor, and so many kids were just flat-out assaulted. Merch was stolen and the guards wouldn't let kids get their own shit out of the venue.

Basically, it was a fucked up situation and, while I'm sure the bands and kids didn't take the smartest route of action, the guards were completely out of line. I mean, in no circumstances should you drag someone by their hair or punch a guy because he has a bloody nose. I'm pissed that The Promise are out $2000 and the guitar player of Terror got arrested, but man, it was the most hardcore show I've ever been to. It makes me feel great to know that these guys really care about the kids and the scene and that's why I said most of the kids there probably had a renewed faith in hardcore.

My septum was ripped and I was spitting blood until Saturday night. I have bruises all over and I can't breathe through my nose yet. All in all, it was completely worth it.

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The Nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." -Thucydides