"If someone falls down, pick em the fuck up!” shouted Streetlight Manifesto's Tomas Kalnoky, Thursday night at the Magic Stick. Apt advice from someone who had a clear view of a sold out, sweat covered and mostly sober (all ages..wah…wahhh…) crowd of revelers and rabid fans.
I have been attending shows in and around Detroit for over a decade and this was the MOST packed show I have ever witnessed. I had never heard of Streetlight Manifesto until I was given the opportunity to shoot them, and I had never been to a ska show in my life, a wild night was ahead.
Walking up the stairs to the Magic Stick I hit a wall of sweat and heat and sound. As I reached the top all I saw was sweaty, dancing, people, who were running into one another. Immediately, I was ready to leave. I wanted nothing more than to guard the contents of my camera bag and run. I headed outside and began drinking, after a few rounds of medication I decided to stay; I had to see what all the fuss was about. As I watched a father place earplugs in his toddler son’s ears and ask him if he was ready to dance a young girl burst from the deck doors yelling that the Supervillains, the second band, were about to take the stage.
As the Supervillains began to play, they were greeted with a cloud of skunky smoke and an abundance of crowd surfers. I moved to the top of the Alley Deck stairs and perched there until the end of the set. They played loud and hard and covered Billy Joel’s Anthony’s Song (Movin’ Out), this hooked me. Billy Joel is annoying, we all know this, but we all have a Joel spot, this song, is mine. Here’s a link to the Supervillains’ cover from a couple years back.
I headed downstairs for some air (cheaper beer), as the Supervillains were finishing up. When the younger people began once again quickly filing up the stairs, I knew it was time for Streetlight Manifesto to start.
As SLM played the crowd began to dance and pulse, the floor bowed and waved, stacks of sound equipment swayed. SLM’s music drove at a frenzied pace, riddled with amazing horn solos and stellar bass lines. Bodies flew over the crowd, limbs flailing as the horns played on. At one point, Kalnoky stopped and delivered a message to a fan that his friend had been hurt and to meet him downstairs, he then tossed bottles of water to the crowd reminding them to take care of one another.
I enjoyed people watching as much as watching the bands; everyone was so immersed in the music. It was a crazy evening and my lens was eventually so foggy that I had to stop shooting.
