A Hell Of A Trip.

Lessons Learned At My First-Ever Power Trip Show.

Power Trip shows can get pretty intense — y’know, like that in-store one at Good Records a few years back where things got so out-of-hand during the local hardcore heroes’ set that the show was cut short and frontman Riley Gale’s younger brother was immediately bounced from the place.

But, these days, they’re also few and far between — at least around these parts. Last year, Gale moved up to Chicago, negating his band’s performance frequency.

He was back in town this week, though, celebrating his 30th birthday alongside the rest of his band at last night’s That That-hosted show. And, no surprise, things got pretty lit there, too. Better yet: This one didn’t take place in a record store or somewhere that was looking for any excuse to pull the show’s plug.

Good thing! I’d previously read about how wild Power Trip shows can get, but until last night’s show, I’d never made it out to one myself. So did I fully understand what I was getting into until I was there, where I could witness the madness for myself?

Nope. Not at all.

Here’s what I learned.

• When people say their ears are ringing, they are not exaggerating! I guess I always thought this was just some saying/idiom used to emphasize how loud something was? Either way, I never really believed that people actually heard a “ringing” sound after going to loud shows. Now I know how dumb this was because it’s definitely a thing. While the ringing in my ears has subsided for the most part at this point, I’m still basically half-deaf right now, I’m still battling here-and-there bouts with light ringing sounds, and I still feel like I’m yelling every time I open my mouth. It’s more than 12 hours after the show ended, by the way. Is this normal?

• You can expect to get crashed into, knocked down and/or punched in the face if you go anywhere near the pit. People really turn up once Power Trip hits the stage. Like really turn up. And there’s not much method to the madness, either. Last night’s pit, which started off as a nice circle, quickly became a jumbled mess, as people started jumping onto the stage before flailing off, twisting their bodies on the way down. Put simply: It can be a bit difficult to get a good view of the stage without subjecting yourself to possible injury. Power Trip shows are full-contact sports.

• You should wear shorts and leave your jacket at home. I made the mistake of wearing pants last night, and they were — I kid you not — soaked with sweat by the time I left. The people I met at this show told me this was par for course. Seems no matter where Power Trip plays, fans will pack the place and turn it into a giant oven.

• If you’re trying to take pictures of the band, good luck. There’s no posing at a Power Trip show. The band and crowd alike are a blur. And because of the aforementioned physicality of it all, you’re kinda setting yourself up for disaster if you take your eyes off the motion and try to peek through your viewfinder. But, hey, the results might be worth it, if you’re willing to try! Below, check out the photos I snagged at this show — an event that, perhaps because of all of the above madness, ended up kind of blowing me away. Yeah, last night was my first Power Trip show, but it probably won’t be my last. And I don’t even really listen to hardcore music, so go figure.