VoV and the Pit-Owning Echo

I do love me a good mosh pit.

I went back home (DFW) last weekend to catch up with my friends, who I miss dearly, and they were sure to make me realize what I have been missing out on. One of those things is my friend Al's band, Verdict of Vengeance. They are a local metal band that is gaining popularity every day. Having known Al and his lovely girlfriend, Echo, since junior high school, I am of course one of their biggest supporters.

Last Saturday night, they had a show at the Curtain Club. Red, Sooner Friend, Echo, and I were front and center screaming like high school cheerleaders. If you didn't know that we've been friends with the band since Kurt Cobain was the coolest person ever, you'd think we were the craziest groupies on the planet.

A couple of minutes before the show began, we had claimed our spots in front of the stage. I had my camera out and ready to go and was taking a look around me, trying to assess the situation. One thing was very clear, and I felt the need to warn Sooner Friend (who hadn't seen the band since their first show about 5 years ago). "Um, SF, you're gonna want to make sure you have a good grip on the stage, cause as soon as VoV strikes the first chord, the mosh pit is going to break out like nothing else."

She looked at me and laughed like I told the best joke of the evening. Red was quick to agree with me, but SF wasn't hearing any of it. Echo chimed in, "Don't worry, CC, I'm gonna protect my ladies." She quickly positioned herself between the three of us and the crowd behind.

Echo is the queen of the mosh pit. No matter the size or experience of the mosher, he or she will meet their match in Echo. I wrote about her here last year when some jerk, obviously inexperienced with the unwritten rules of moshing, pushed me into a pit. She was quick to pull me back out before I got hurt. Having a boyfriend in a metal band and having attended more metal shows than most, she knows how a pit works as well as anyone.

As soon as the band started, and much to SF's surprise, a huge pit broke out. When it first starts is when it is the least controlled, so I crunched up next to the stage and waited for it to establish itself. It usually only takes about 15 seconds for this to happen and it is wise to hold onto something in this period. SF made me that something to hold on to, not that I blame her. She's not used to being so close to the pit. I grabbed her hand and put it on the stage while Echo got to work behind us, pushing the moshers back. Soon, it was safe to let go and start taking pictures.

The top picture is, of course, Al and his guitarist playing for the crowd. The bottom one is of Echo (black hair, striped shirt) pushing the moshers back. The pit at all points during the show had about 20 guys in it, all having the time of their lives. I didn't know what to do with myself. I could either watch the band I came to see or I could watch the pit, which just happens to be one of my favorite things to do. Of course, I chose the pit. It is always wise to keep an eye on the pit anyways, because you never know when it will decide to relocate itself, which happens often. You never want to be in the new chosen location if you have no interest in moshing.

Knowing that, Echo and I did something incredibly stupid when we took our eyes off of the action, yelling Zeus-knows-what to each other. That one split-second of not keeping an eye out threw a huge guy in our direction, slamming our heads together. She grabbed my head, screaming, "Are you alright?!"

I was seeing little birdies, but I nodded my head. That was all she needed. Now it was on. She grabbed a big guy and pointed at Red, SF, and I, telling him through hand motions to protect us and threw herself into the pit. That was the best part of the night, watching her 115 lb self show the big boys how moshing is done. She owned that pit.

I bought a thank-you drink after the show and told her that I'd be dedicating yet another post to her when I got home. So, Echo, I dedicate this to you and your badass, pit-owning self. I couldn't love or respect you more.