Concerts are back! It's been a rocky trial run for the first shows to be played in New Jersey thanks to the Delta Variant, but as someone who's been to two now, I have to say that the venues are clearly doing all that they can to keep their attendees safe. My first show back was Bayside's 21 Years of Really Bad Luck Tour, and it wasn't a show I felt a strong need to write about. If you've seen Bayside before, you know they're going to deliver, and they certainly did. My second show back, however, was one that merits a write-up. So here it is, my recap of the Asbury Park stop of Knocked Loose's 2021 fall headlining tour.
I was introduced to Knocked Loose a little late in the game, as the first song I heard from them was in the form of their music video for "Mistakes Like Fractures." Upon hearing that song, however, I knew taht they were going to be a band I needed to get to know. That lead to my seeking out of their album A Different Shade of Blue, which quickly became one of my favorite albums of 2019. The band's pummeling,-yet-catchy blend of hardcore has amassed them a cult-like following online (including a campaign to get the band on NPR's Tiny Desk series), and one listen to Blue shows you why they're so deserving of it. While "Mistakes" is the clear breakout track of the album, there's so much more to be discovered, including phenomenal guest vocals provided by Emma Boster of Dying Wish and Keith Buckley of the genre's legends, Every Time I Die. Knocked Loose toured in support of Every Time I Die in 2019, which immediately was added to my list of "Time Capsule Concerts." Plus, when there's videos like the one below (taken from the band's set at LDB Fest) coming out to showcase the band's chaotic live show, it was obvious to me that this tour was one I could not miss.
This was show I almost didn't make it to, not due to any unforeseen setbacks, but because I underestimated how quickly the band's fans would scoop tickets to see the tour, which featured opening sets from Kharma, Magnitude, and Gatecreeper. As the show started promptly at 7:00pm, Kharma was first to the stage. Their hardcore sound was truest to the traditional form of any band on the tour, and they were a perfect choice to get the crowd pumped up and energized for the rest of the evening. Up next was Magnitude, whose vocals were more shouts than screams, and whose atmospheric guitars help them stand out among the rest of the bill.
I'd heard some great things about Gatecreeper leading up to this show, and those who people who told me about them are greatly appreciated, because they helped me prepare for one hell of a set. Melding equal parts thrash, hardcore, and straight-up arena metal, Gatecreeper didn't have the biggest mosh pits of the night, but the sold-out crowd at the House of Independents couldn't help but headbang to the band's infectious riffs.
While the tour lineup was stacked from top to bottom, there weren't too many established names ahead of the headliners. As a result, once Knocked Loose took the stage, there was an energy that had been pent up all night that was finally released. The mosh pit opened and never closed. There seemed to be a contest to see who can stage dive the most (I wasn't keeping stats, but the dude in the black overalls and white t shirt was my pick for the winner). The waves of movement throughout the crowd formed a current at times, ebbing and flowing with the band's aggression. Frontman Bryan Garris, who took the stage with his hair already soaked, covered every square inch of the stage within the first two songs, commanded the crowed with ease. Guitarist Isaac Hale, who also provides vocals of his own, was constantly challenging the crowd to increase the intensity. The crowd was always up for the challenge.
It feels like every few months, I'll go to a show and realize that my days at the front of the crowd are probably over. This pseudo-retirement never lasts, and I found myself within arms' length of the stage just before Magnitude. After a mosh pit warrior and I collided, I immediately began to wonder if I'd be able to remain in that spot, tucked into the corner of the stage by the wall, for the entire night. Somehow, I made it, and I think it has a lot to do with the rest of the crowd, who were clearly more experienced at hardcore shows than I was. The last show I'd been to that primarily had hardcore bands was an Every Time I Die show at the School of Rock (RIP) in South Hackensack. I have never been more afraid at a show in my life. During ETID's set, I had all but given in to the fact that I was going to leave the venue with some kind of injury. Admittedly, this was likely just a case of me being overdramatic, but it left a sour taste in my mouth that it took me until this week to kick.
Some of the feelings I felt at that Every Time I Die show made their way through the doors with me. I kept feeling like I needed to keep my head on a swivel, so I ended up darting my eyes back and forth between the pit and the stage. In doing so, I saw a lot of collisions; some of these were accidental, others not so much. It seemed like there were more than a few people seeking out contact with unsuspecting individuals, and while I was happy I was staying out of the way, I began to worry that I'd see a fight break out. There was a specific incident that really had me on high alert: a younger man was flying through the pit, arms flailing, and whacked a larger man on the back of the head. The larger man, who was taking a reprieve from the pit himself, whipped around and shoved the younger, smaller man to the ground. Here we go, I thought. These two are going to get into a fist fight before Knocked Loose even start to play. Then, after that song ended, something truly beautiful happened. The larger man involved in the incident tapped the younger, smaller man on the shoulder. The younger, smaller man turned around, a little uneasy. The larger man asked if he was good, the younger man said yes, and the two hugged it out. It was one of the most wholesome things I've ever seen in a show.
Once that moment of peace unfolded in front of me, I found myself at ease. Was there going to be more pushing and shoving throughout the show? Of course there would be. But after seeing the connection everyone in the mosh pit seemed to have, I suddenly knew and understood that I was in a place where everyone was going to look after one another. This was reflected in the ecclectic mix of individuals in the crowd. Sure, the attendance percentages were mostly male and overwhelmingly white, but there were also very clearly people who were using the show as an opportunity to express their race, gender, sexual orientation, and whatever else they wanted to use to express themselves at this show. And those people all felt like they belonged to. Sure, you can look at a hardcore show, see bodies flying around everywhere, and assume that this is just a bunch of people letting out their pent-up aggression out on strangers. I foolishly assumed that myself. But when you spend time amongst a crowd like this, you start to see that, yes, these people are getting out their pent-up aggression, but they're doing it in a way that allows them to connect with their fellow audience members, not to confront them. Another perfect example of this was during the many circle pits Knocked Loose called for. The House of Independents is a fun room to see a show in, but it's not without its flaws. For example, the cement floors, when presented with sweat and body heat over the course of the night, become extremely slippery. Therefore, when a bunch of people are running around in a circle together, slip-and-falls are bound to happen, and they came in droves. Thankfully, each time someone fell down, the people around them, and even the people on the outside of the pit, stopped what they were doing to make sure that person got up, and was alright. I've been bombarded with documentaries about Fyre Fest and Woodstock '99 that all tell the horror stories of the human condition at music festivals. The attendees at Knocked Loose's show all seemed to be working together to make sure nothing close to that happened.
In the end, I'll remember this night as the night that I finally got to cash in on all the time I'd put into listening to Knocked Loose over the last few years. I got to see one of the most rapidly-rising stars in heavy music play a venue perfectly suited to their chaos-inducing music. Yes, things seemed out of control from the balcony of the House of Independents, but when you look closer, you don't see anger on the faces in the crowd. You see joy, whether it was due to the fact that they were seeing their favorite band, or getting to move and thrash around in the pit, or scream the words back to Bryan Garris, or whatever it was. There's nothing to be afraid of here, just something you're welcome to become a part of. I left the Knocked Loose show with a newfound appreciation for the band, and the scene that molded it, and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it for a night. To those of you in the NJ hardcore community, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for making me feel so welcome. I can't wait to see you again, very soon.
Knocked Loose is still currently on their US headlining tour with Gatecreeper, Magnitude, and Kharma. You can find dates and ticket links here.
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