It’s been about a year since I last went to Club Underground for a show. Before I really write about the show, I want to write about the venue, which is much improved. There is a new lounge area that was created out of the back rooms and the former bar at Foht’s (an ancient and forgotten bar once run and owned by local character Steve Foht) and the lounge boasts a very good video screen and sound set up. The front of Club Underground hasn’t really changed since it was Ark’aik and that’s fine- the room has pretty good acoustics, has a good stage and can accommodate a fair crowd. If a show you want to see is at Club Underground, it’s going to be at least a good place for it, no matter the quality of the music.
One very good thing about this show was the crowd. First, there was enough people that got tickets to make sure the show would happen at all since last time The Melvins were coming to Reno, the show was cancelled due to bad weather and very low ticket sales. Overall, it was one of the best crowds I’ve witnessed in years of going to shows in Reno. I recognized many locals, almost everyone who works at Recycled Records and saw quite a few friends including the ones I went with to the show. Due to the music, the majority of the crowd in the front area wanted to be there and listen to the music and the very, very few people who came to drink, drank in the back. All tolled, it was easy to get a drink all the way through the show due to the division of the stage area and the lounge, although you couldn’t take your alcoholic beverage out to the front. The staff of Club Underground should be commended too since they’re polite and on the spot. A couple times the bouncers there stopped anything serious from happening in the pit and they did it in a good way. And, the bartenders at the lounge were polite and fast even when it was busy.
Da Capo opened the show with an energetic and fun 20 minute set which was far too short, in my opinion. I really liked the set and it left me wanting much more. Da Capo’s front man, Ryan Stark, has great energy and gave a great performance as he has always done since I’ve seen him perform spoken word and with other bands. The rest of the band is just as good and plays very good punk rock music. Get more time for your set Da Capo and I hope you’ll have more material and maybe even some recordings soon!
Big Business followed about 30 minutes after Da Capo, after a seemingly long change of the band’s gear. I took advantage of the break to get a beer in the lounge and sat with some friends discussing what was to come. This was my first Melvins show and I didn’t know what I was in for- of course, I know and like several bands influenced by The Melvins, but it’s always interesting to get to the source and this was an experience. Big Business has several members of The Melvins in the band, the lead guitar, the bass and one of the drummers. Stylistically, they are similar to The Melvins in sound but not tempo as there were several songs that were uptempo.
Big Business played for about an hour and literally shook the house- depending on where in the crowd you were, there were many different kinds of sonic experiences you could have, along with the normal antics of crowds at punk and metal shows. So I could hear more, during Big Business’s set, I stood at the back center and at the back left and tried to stay away from the stage where the start of a mosh pit was forming. Again, after Big Business’s set, my friends and I had another beer and chilled out until The Melvins came up to play.
The break between The Melvins and Big Business was about 40 minutes or so and I was glad to give my ears a break from ear plugs since I needed it. Into my third beer of the night, The Melvins started and my friends raced out front to see the start. As I was only about halfway into my beer, I sat and listened and watched The Melvins on the screen in back for a while and then I moved out front. The Melvins’s stage presence is very unassuming but their sound is what sets this band apart from any other I’ve ever heard. What impressed me most about The Melvins was the sheer sound they get as a band- with two full drum sets, a lead and rhythm guitar and a bass, that is one of the loudest and most powerful rock bands I’ve ever seen in person.
But is it rock music? The Melvins skirt the edges of metal, punk and rock in every one of their songs. And, even more so than with Big Business, depending on where you are in the crowd, there is a completely different sonic experience with The Melvins. I really liked standing at the back of the crowd because that way you could really hear all the elements of the band, instead of hearing the drums, guitar or even the bass better. The sound in the lounge behind the stage was very good too and a bit more sane for me. I’ve gone to several metal and punk shows and had very bad experiences in the pit or very near the pit, so I try to avoid it.
About five or six songs into their set, the crowd in the center, in front of the stage began to mosh. At that point I was on the left side of the stage, standing near the bathrooms. That was when I felt I just needed to get out of there and I spent the majority of the their hour or so in the lounge, nursing some water and enjoying the amazing sound that was right in front of me. Right before the end of the show, I got up again went to the front to see the show and I was treated to a Melvins song that was rarely played live, one of my friends later told me. It was then that The Melvins left the stage and someone from the bar said over the speakers “The Melvins are done, but the party will continue in the lounge in back if you’re 21 or older…” Most of the crowd waited another moment, but we soon realized that the shows was over after the main drummer’s sticks were being given out to those who’d asked for them. Then, the crowd quickly dispersed into the night or went to the lounge to drink, ears ringing from the mighty sounds of The Melvins.
Now, I’m curious to hear some studio albums of The Melvins to see if that can match their live show. I absolutely enjoyed the concert and the very interesting music and sounds that Big Business and The Melvins made. And, I liked Da Capo as an opener to the great music that followed. All three bands made that Saturday night at Club Underground one to remember and to think about for a long time.
- Tim Hazard
