Concert Review: Iceage Turn Elsewhere Into A Mosh Pit
You are not always going to be okay, and that is apart of being alive. This feels like the most prominent music message of 2018, and it is intriguing to see each artist approach it with their sound and style While others rub discontent like oil to a palm, Iceage’s Elsewhere performance took dissatisfaction and clenched it like a punch to the gut.
Lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt walks unto the stage like a man that has to “say something.” He manically paces, pumps his arms, and constantly loops the wire of his microphone in preparation for songs meant for those who feel they do not have a say. As hands reached out to Elias like he was a Messiah of Dischord, it was crazy to see Iceage’s punk rock enliven a packed house of after-work buddies. If their bosses had been there, they would have been shocked to see “ Watercooler Bob” pushing and punching strangers to tracks like “Balm of Gilead,” “Beyondless,” and “Take It All.” Yet, Iceage’s verses and demeanor speak to those that have pent up how tired they are of being “meek” in the face of others’ malice.
From “Painkiller” to “Catch It,” Elias’ voice gyrated like Elvis as he stretched his arms and legs like a man that had gotten loose from his straight-jacket. His ability to bring mystique to misery is intriguing, especially when you see the audience’s reactions. The minute he threw a can of Pacifico to the crowd, it was as if God had given them permission to create a mosh pit. One young woman, literally, bolted from the back the front of the room to be apart of the mosh, while another man used every ounce of his self-determination/ hand-eye coordination to both mosh and instagram himself doing it. Meanwhile, one man felt COMPELLED to take off his shirt and crowd-surf/ crowd-land on a bunch of people CLEARLY telling him, “We will not catch you!” Yet, how our impulses guide us to either, metaphorically, scorch the earth in rage or plant a tree to heal it is apart of Iceage’s point.
In this world, your are going to be pushed to their brink, and a little demon and angel will pop on their shoulders to fight for influence. Iceage’s gut-busting drums, wailing guitars, and teeth-shattering punk rhythms are the most concise soundtrack to that chaotic battle for clarity. If the world knew how to react to challenges then we wouldn’t have them anymore. How we react to perceived issues is, often, what causes more real ones, and Iceage’s show was for those that were emotionally OVER such a dynamic. For More Information On Iceage Click Here.
