This past weekend, we went to the Glasshouse in Pomona to see the Huntour concert. Doors opened at 2 pm, so we arrived early around 1:30 to get in line. We met up with James Mattern and his wife of Divine Metal Distro/Open Grave Records as we had an extra ticket for them. We enjoyed talking to them until the doors opened and we made our way inside the venue. It was a small concert hall and reminded me of the Whiskey A GoGo in Hollywood where we saw our friends Martial & Dave play a few years ago. The afternoon kicked off with D.O.A.R. (Destruction of a Rose) and they brought it. Great band with polished stage presence. Next up was Faith Snakes, but they were not received very well as they had more of a punk sound than metal. We took that time to sneak out and grab a bite to eat at Joey’s BBQ just down the street. After a brisket sandwich, we made our way in to catch the last half of the set by 7 Horns, 7 Eyes. They were alright for what we heard of them. Next up was Hands and we enjoyed these guys very much. Jesse later decided to get their CD. After them was The Great Commission and they reminded me of my early days in Christian Metal. Their style was very hard and heavy, but their message was very straightforward evangelism. They also had a female guitarist that brought the guttural screams very well. She also busted out the helicopter/windmill head swing which I hadn’t seen on stage in years. Jesse also got their CD.
The final three bands were who the crowd had come to see. Focused had reunited just for this show and brought what was known years ago as “Spirit-Filled” hardcore. They were very tight musically, but you could tell their lead singer was getting spent by the effort of performing at such intensity. He had all of his family in the crowd to include some under 8-9 yrs of age. They were good, but you could tell the lead singer was exhausted by the end of their set. Next up was a band we were really looking forward to, Living Sacrifice. I had listened to a little of them back in my day, but Jesse had really become a fan of their since we picked up a collection CD of theirs for him at Christmas. These guys were awesome with their intensity and Christ based lyrics. Much head banging was done during their set and encore. The final band of the night was Demon Hunter. We had seen them 2 years ago at Cornerstone California, but it was cool to see them in a smaller venue. Surprisingly there were only about 100 people so it was like having a private show. We enjoyed their set and two encores before heading home for the night.
Sunday was spent recovering from the concert after applying icy hot to sore neck muscles. Renee began assembling Jesse’s schoolwork for the week after we went to the Barnes & Noble for some books and a stop at In-N-Out for lunch. Today, Jesse starts his final year of homeschooling. He is a junior and wants to do his senior year at the private school he attended as a freshman. Renee has worked with him since 1st grade with exception of 7th & 9th grade when he attended the school I was teaching at and the private school. He needs to take his written driver’s test to get his permit in the next few weeks so he can begin his behind-the-wheel time . Not much longer left and he will be off living life on his own. Don’t mention this to Renee as she gets a little weepy of the thought of her little boy being all grown up. As for me, I envisioned him as a grown man the day I brought him home from the hospital.