10:15 It’s almost time for the weekend of music in Capitol Hill to end and what better band to close down the Vera Project stage than Schoolyard Heroes.
While I have seen Schoolyard perform on smaller stages, the tiny Vera stage could barely contain the rock ‘n’ roll insanity that was Schoolyard Heroes’ set. Within minutes of the first song, which I think was “Plastic Surgery Hall of Fame” although I’m not 100 percent on that since I was operating on a bit of a beer buzz at the time, the crowd erupted into a massive mosh pit.
The band’s set was fierce and fast, with each song becoming a celebration of bloody zombies, serial killers, vicious creatures of the night and other monsterous abominations. Unfortunately the sound was a bit off so at times it was difficult to make out Ryann Donnelly’s operatic screams and SYH ringleader Jonah Bergman’s growling yells. But that didn’t seem to bother the crowd as they all ate up every precise riff off Steve Bonnell’s guitar and each one of Brian Turner’s thunderous drum fills.
One of the highlights came during “Dawn of the Dead” when a youthful boy who was likely no older than 13, found his way on stage and Bergam stopped him mid-song.
“I know you know what’s next,” Bergman told the boy, who looked confused.
Bergman then whispered in his ear and the kid took the microphone and quietly uttered the lyric “But it was not over yet.”
Then the song continued and the crowd thrashed around in a fury, like a bunch of sweaty teens stuck inside of a washing machine on spin cycle.
From what I recall the set list was an event balance between tracks off all three of the band’s records. “Cemetery Girls” was a highlight for me, as was “Mechanical Man …,” which is always a fun song live.
11:30 To end my CHBP experience I went into Neumos to catch the last few songs from The Saturday Knights. I was only able to see one full song, since I stuck around for all of Schoolyard’s set,” but it was nice to end my Block Party weekend by watching the city’s best party rap group do its thing on stage.
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