To introduce a new series that compares satisfactions and regrets. This time, the artists/bands that I’m glad I got to see before the ending of that incarnation and the artists I wish I had the opportunity to see.
Glad I Did: Suicide Silence
In 2010 I was in Worcester, MA attending the annual Rock N Shock Annual Horror and Music Convention that drew all the big names in the Horror Industry. Meeting George Romero and Rowdy Roddy Piper were two personal highlights for me.
During the evening hours the DCU Center would hold a huge concert (that year was Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper?) in the same venue as the convention. Not bad, but around the corner at the Palladium starting around 4pm the doors opened and my fun truly started.
This event was held in conjunction with the convention, but leaned to the *ahem* heavier side of musical tastes with GWAR being the headliner capping off a raucous Saturday. The previous evening is the “Glad I Did” moment that happened during a collection of up and coming acts. One had caught my eye ( it was the name), Suicide Silence. That was the first time I heard a Suicide Silence song and it was live, I had no idea what to expect.
For the next 45 minutes my senses were brutalized by the sounds of Riverside California’s Suicide Silence and the vocals of then Lead Singer, Mitch Lucker, who tragically passed in 2012 in a Motorcycle accident. With Mitch’s distinct yell contrasting with the guttural growl, I was indoctrinated into the world of Suicide Silence with the song No “Time to Bleed” from the Time to Bleed album released in 2009. I remember being super impressed with their performance, not bothering to jump into the pit. The performance and energy being released on stage transfixed me. Suicide Silence continues on to this day with Hernan "Eddie" Hermida on vocals for their 2020 release, Become the Hunter.
Wish I Had: The Ramones
This one hurts the most, I’m often asked if there are any bands that I really still want to see. I have done pretty well over the years seeing the bands that I’ve wanted to experience live. So, I tell them of the bands I didn't see that I will not be able to see now. The first two were beyond my control - The Beatles had stopped touring before I was born and when Led Zeppelin broke up I was too young for concerts. That leaves the Ramones as my “Wish I Had” because I had numerous chances to see them at Bogarts in Cincinnati, Ohio while a friend of mine was attending the University of Cincinnati.
I guess one would ask, “What the hell were you thinking?” To this day I still do not understand why I never went. The closest experience was hearing Motorhead perform R.A.M.O.N.E.S. during the tour for their album 1916 live in the same venue. The best I can do now is get a copy of a live recording (preferably vinyl) and listen to Joey, Johnny, DeeDee and Tommy Ramone "Beat on the Brat."
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