James submitted this one a little while ago and it sat unloved in my inbox. I am an awful Editor – Jordan.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve been terrified at a concert.

The first time I felt scared was one of my first punk shows, around 2003 (???) when I heard the massive crowd response to ANTI-FLAG without knowing who they were. (This was when they were opening for the much cuddlier BOUNCING SOULS). Other times I’ve been scared, but it’s mostly been because I was around the wrong part of the mosh pit and usually, moving away has solved the problem.

But during CONVERGE/TRAP THEM/BURNING LOVE (May 30th @ Reggie’s Rock Club, Chicago), it returned, but this time, I knew more and I knew why I should be scared.

First, BURNING LOVE! I’ve never seen MATURE SITUATIONS or CURSED live, but the uniformity of critical praise for Chris Colohan projects gave me high hopes, which were surpassed by the man himself, who in one moment could be jovial and the minute the song kicked in, he’d leap over the barrier, off the stage, and walk around inside the crowd. BURNING LOVE never quite worked for me, which is surprising, considering HOT SNAKES by way of CURSED should an instant seller, but live, I don’t need to make such judgments. Band was energized, their new “fresh out of art school” bassist looked stoked and everyone onstage knew: This was the moment and played with aplomb and speed to spare.

[More after the jump...]

I’m a well known TRAP THEM booster and after missing their Rome tourdate during my European adventures, I was nearly overjoyed to hear that yes, they still started with “Fucking Viva”, and unlike the last time they played Reggie’s this year, kids sprinted up to the front to scream along. After that? Fuck man, what do you want from me, I was yelling songs back in the dude’s face as often as I could. They played, near as I can tell, all the songs you’d expect from Darker Handcraft (“The Facts”, “Every Walk a Quarantine”, “Evictionaries” [!!!!], “All By the Constant Vulse” and “Damage Prose”) to a responsive crowd. And that crowd was fucking strange, comprising everyone from guys who looked like they came here directly from the Pitchfork 8.5 review of the Axe To Fall, traditional thrash fans faded jeans and back patches on denim vests and at least one woman in a SWANS shirt.

Now, for the terrified comment. Because my eardrums are starting to go to shit, I wear earplugs when I go to concerts these days. They allow me not to stand in the back for fear of further shoring up my tinnitus and let me yell words from as close to the front as I dare get. It was during the second to last song of TRAP THEM that they fell out about halfway though, I felt like a shark caretaker whose cage had just snapped.

Yeah. TRAP THEM was that good and I got out of danger as fast as I could.

And then there was CONVERGE.

CONVERGE, it’s worth noting, have still got it. (Could you reasonably expect anything else?)

The crowd response was absolutely nuts for those first four songs and dwindled slowly throughout the night, as most gigs do. But those first four songs? Wall-to-wall mosh pits. I was sitting on the balcony, watching as the mosh pit was so big that from two floors up, I couldn’t see all of it in one look. I’ve only seen CONVERGE once before and that had been years ago. Jacob Bannon still has a very much…errr…grandiose presence. He managed to get out the title of each song before he was called on to vocalize and flung his arms around like the most…wayward cheerleader I have ever seen.

Which isn’t a strike at him. His enthusiasm is luminous and the mannerisms…errr…right. Probably losing the plot. It was heavy. It was triumphant and on point, likely because CONVERGE had such high standards set for them by their openers. Because of the 20 year banner hanging over the tour, Jake talked for a bit about sincerity and longevity in the hardcore genre, and while it wasn’t anything you can’t already intuit right now sitting at your computer or smartphone, the delivery was the important bit.

I left during “The Broken Vow”, apparently their fake closer, judging it as good a time to get ahead of the crowd. I was right, but the main reason was this: My last view of that night was a teeming, writhing pool of metalheads screaming themselves hoarser. As a way to end the night, it felt correct.