concert review from fankind:
08.16.01

I arrived around 6pm to see a crowd already gathered outside of the Rave on the sidewalk. The doors didn't open until 7, so I had a while to wait. Max, the lead singer of 40 below summer came out of the building and talked to a few of the fans that where there, including myself. He humbly thanked us all for coming, and then crossed the street to a Mini-mart to get some water. Shortly after this the doors opened.

I stood inside the dark, dimly lighted room in front of the stage turned around facing the back of the house. A bar to my right and a merchandise counter to my right. The room had a few red lights, giving the room a bit of a tint. The banged up stage was a tigh level and looked like it had seen its share of abuse. The room kept filling in as I waited for the show to get going.

At 8pm Switched took the stage. They had recently been on the wrapped tour, and I was pretty sure they knew what they were doing. They got the crowd going extremely well for being the opening band. They were loud and heavy, needless to say they fot right in. Their set lasted a short, but pleasing half hour.

Around 8:30pm 40 below summer took the stage. They had their bassist back, and boy did it make a difference! They had to be at least 2 times better than they were in Freeport! Max came on stage, his head tilted downward and eyes looking up. It gave me a good pine tingle. Starting once again with "We the People" 40 below got the crowd going. During most of my show I was focused on Joe (the guitarist that is set on the right side of the stage), Max, and their bassist. Joe moved around the stage getting up close and personal with the people in the front row. He got a lot of people hyped about being there. Max never stopped moving. He leaned out into the crowd grabing the hand of people. He told the crowd that you can be whatever you want to be, just look at how far we made it. Of course it probably inspired a good portion of the crowd. He joked with the audience and put a smile on a few frowning faces. I watched the bassist move his fingers up and down the neck of the bass with no trouble at all. It was amazing to see the ease he appeared to be at. He was increadibly talented, and it was amazing to see the impact he had on the band.

A half hour later Chimaira took the stage. That evenig I must have heard their name pronouced a million different ways, and the truth of the matter is that I still have no idead how to say it. They band was hardcore. The members were crowd surfing nearly as much as the fans were. The crowd was wild. My back was in so much pain and the stream of crowd surfers never ended. People were up onstage constanntly. I managed to get kicked in the face a few time here and there. However, it was reassuring to know that the band mates were paying attention. The lead singer asked a few of us down in front if we were alright and gave us a few of his waters.

Factory 81 took the stage around 10:30pm. Nate came out with an I love Boys shirt on and asked us if it made him look gay, which got the crowd laughing They got the crowd going in less than 3 measures of music. It was crazy. The crowd throbbed with som much energy! Surfers were all over the place. It was so hot in the room. You could feel the body heat rising off the people around you. It was pure chaos, no wonder F81 gets such a kick out of playing there. In the middle of the show Nate got spit on by a F81 fan, who wound up getting his ass kicked out of there. I have no idea what that kid was thinking, but it doesn't make any sense to me. Through out the show Nate and Kevin were jumping around the stage sending a vibe of pure energy out to all of us there. During the song "Peace Officer" Max came up and sang back up vocals. It was cool to see him up there with F81. He has got an increadible abilty of getting people started and keeping them there. Bill moved around the stage and Andy of course kept the beat going keeping everything togehter. Near the end of the show Nate pulled my friend Kat and I up on stage and pointed us in the direction of the backstage area. We were relieved to be out of the pulsating crowd. After the show was over the band said to us, "Man you looked like you were dying out there." Which leads me to say that I am so happy I am a fan of a band that watches out for me and will keep watch and make sure that no one is getting hurt, and everyone is having fun. The best part of being a F81 fan is knowing that you matter to them. Each and every indivdual fan out there counts. They know that. They won't brush you off or watch you suffer. They love their fans! Probably more than almost any band out there.

Well, the night came to a close and the room emptied out, due to the midnight curfew the Rave has. However, when I walked out of the building there were people everywhere in the parking lot. It was awesome. People standing around talking to band members and talking about the show. I would have to say that if you live in the Milwaukee area, and you weren't there you missed out!

-chelsea