Title:Danzig In Concert By: Danzig Released by: N/A Released on: 2000 Rating (out of 10): 6 Date: 10/30/2001
Danzig in Concert (Hollywood Palladium, 11/01/99)
My first Danzig concert took place at the Hollywood Palladium in November of 1999. I'd been a fan of their music up until Blackacidevil and was willing to give a concert a try. So, after work, we headed to the Palladium in Hollywood for a night of adventure.
Palladium parking is for the birds, let me tell you. We have to park a half-mile away and walk to the venue because everything closer is booked up. I'm irritated, but still excited. We stand in line to be felt up by security for close to a half-hour, only to be informed that we must throw out our cigarettes and lighters. I don't think so! We head back to the car, drop our stuff off, and get back in line.
Then the fun begins.
Everything short of a body cavity search is performed on me to ensure that I'm not carrying any weapons, cameras, or anything else that might make the evening more colorful. Walking away with a complete sense of having been violated, I rejoin my husband and we head inside.
The Palladium is simply beautiful, or once was. I picture a beautiful ballroom in the 1940s, with men in top hats and women in flowing gowns. Unfortunately, they've let the place fall into the toilet (which I was also unfortunate enough to visit).
There isn't much to do and nowhere to sit, so we wait close to the stage. Not long after, a crowd of smelly, pierced teenagers begin to file in and press up close. I resign to the fact that I'm going to die of the smell, if the mosh pit doesn't kill me, because it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to weave out of this crowd.
Samhain, Glenn Danzig's other band, comes on. The crowd immediately rushes for the stage and mosh pits break out everywhere. My husband does his best to keep me upright, but it just doesn't seem to be helping much. I'm already not happy, standing near-front center, and the sound levels are horrible. Vocals can barely be made out and Glenn keeps falling off of the little box they brought for him to stand on so we could see his midget self.
A young man slams into me, and I go down. There's not a chance this side of hell I'm going to be able to stand up again and several pits are tearing my body in all sorts of interesting directions. My husband, a rather large, muscular man, begins dragging me out. Normally, at concerts, adults are kind enough to help a girl who has fallen down, and make sure she gets out OK. These are teenagers; what do I expect?
My husband drags me out, and in the midst of a mosh pit my sandal slips off of my foot (it had been a warm day). My husband keeps dragging, and another jerk slams straight into me as if I weren't there. After a few more minutes of pulling, we emerge to the side of the crowd. I lift my foot, and I grab my missing sandal with my toe. Fun!
I'm already angry enough. I've had the stuffing kicked out of me by rowdy teenagers (I keep saying "I'm too old for this shit!"), and the music is so hard to hear that I can barely tell one song from another.
Samhain is finally done and the lemmings disperse to wait for their god, Danzig, to come on stage once again. My husband and I meander around the ballroom a bit, pointing out beautiful lighting structures and architecture that we appreciate.
For some reason, we're standing near the stage, Danzig flies on to his little milk crate, and the crowd presses us into sardines again. Elbows out, my husband behind me to keep me standing, I march out of the crowd. Once again, I can't hear a darn thing, and I refuse to stand in a herd of careless teenagers.
Finally, I find a place to sit against the wall with a clear view of the stage. Well, at least I get to see the guy, if I can't hear him. I get to watch a few people being dragged out by security while going deaf on this lovely evening. The sound never improves, and the music is nothing but irritating noise with a word thrown in here and there.
The evening finally ends, and I'm glad to be home, knowing that I can now tell people that I have, indeed, been to hell and back. A hell of stinky, pierced teenagers, and rowdy behavior is sure one thing not to miss (note sarcasm).
