Felipe M
The Dillinger Escape Plan have earned a reputation for having the craziest, sickest, most violent, energetic, live shows in today's music scene. Fans don't expect a solid performance from the band, rather if they go to a show and are not sore for more than two days, they are left disappointed.
On this particular night, The Dillinger Escape Plan (from heretofore, TDEP) started their night opening for Deftones at The Riv. My disappointment was in the fact that I missed their opening set, but did see lead singer Greg Puciato help Chino Moreno sing "Passenger." Nevertheless, I needed my TDEP fix for the night. Luckily I was informed by one of my friends, after the Deftones' show, that the band had announced earlier that they would be performing a midnight show at The Bottom Lounge (somehow, I had missed the memo). So Pathological Hate hopped aboard the mighty Saab and drove south in our search for a TDEP performance:
APRIL 30, 2011: THE BOTTOM LOUNGE, CHICAGO, IL--I believed the last time I was at The Bottom Lounge was when I saw Propagandhi. It is a very small venue, but it's perfect for these types of shows. Even before the opening act started, there was a buzz in the air and excitement in the atmosphere as many of us had smiles in our faces with the understanding that something special was about to happen. Finally, TDEP got on stage and they did not disappoint.
From the get-go, there were things that happened here that could never happen at The Riv. Most importantly I was able to wander around as I pleased. Secondly, people were stage diving into the crowd--more often than not, the crowd would not assist in catching of said people as some of the divers fell straight into the ground. Sure the ones who kept falling straight into the ground were the ones who looked the most drunk, however, I later found out that one of the dudes that constantly kept falling into the ground went to that show with a 104-degree fever! I myself got kicked really hard on the side of my head at the Deftones' show and probably should not have gone to this show--at the very least i shouldn't have done all that head-banging (on Monday, I did end up going to the hospital as I battled a headache all day at work and felt this strong, tingling sensation on the side of my head where I got kicked).
Meanwhile on stage, TDEP were on their A-game as they were playing that show as if they had some frustration to vent, constantly threatening to break something, either with their instruments or with their fists (or maybe their own bodies). They were so aggressively furious and raw! It is simply amazing how this band can perform this way night in and night out. Despite the small stage and mosh pit area, large amounts of chaos reigned supreme everywhere you turned. The show came to its climax when TDEP played "Sunshine the Werewolf" and half the crowd when up on stage to sing along to the "DESTROYER!!!" part of the song.
Overall, the setlist was an impressive one that was dominated by the album Option Paralysis, which was perfect as that has become my favorite TDEP full-length. I can watch this band perform "Widower," "Good Neighbor," and "Farewell, Mona Lisa" every time they come to town and not get tired of it.
After the show, a Facebook page entitled I Survived the Dillinger Escape PlanShow at the Bottom Lounge was created. Fans who were at the show discussed were they were standing, shared their battle scars, how they lost keys, cell phones, swapped photos, videos, and some of these fans actually became friends. A great show of solidarity by everybody involved.
Click here to visit The Dillinger Escape Plan's official website.
To read other articles of TDEP, click here.
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