High Fade Brings the High Energy
Also, Little Bean's First Mob Pit
Little Bean has always called them Mob Pits.
And the moment the tall fellow in the black t-shirt sprawled to the floor at our feet, Little Bean’s eyes went wide. I did what any decent concert goer on the outskirt of a mosh pit would do - I helped lift him to his feet and said, “You good?” He nodded so I shoved him back into the pit.
That’s what one does, of course, when the last song of the High Fade concert in Portland is a Limp Bizkit cover, you're at the front of the stage and the pit directly next to you is going nuts.
But… and this was new to me, I had my ten year old kid next to me as well so it was exciting to have her experience (sort of) a mosh pit but also I wanted to keep her at arms length. So every time a moshing fellow would get too close, I’d just lower my shoulder and shove him away.
No problem. Crazy how that stuff just comes back to you.
She was giggling hilariously through it all.
“Oh my gosh, daddy,” she said afterwards, “that one guy was, like, a sumo wrestler. He was just throwing other guys around!”
She’s right. There was one dude in the pit who was huge and basically immovable.
“But look over there,” I said. I pointed to the huge guy now standing with and laughing and chatting with a group of the guys he had just flattened ten minutes ago, including the black shirted one who fell at our feet. “They’re friends now.”
“But he just wiped that guy out!”
“True. But not because they were fighting or because they don’t like each other. Mosh pits are about energy and feeling free and strong. The point is to be physical but not get hurt.”
“That looked like it hurt,” she says.
“Bruises and soreness maybe…” I smile. Circle Pits or Death Pits are a conversation for another day.
Ages ago, during a Soul Coughing concert with my best bud, Alan, some dude in boots was crowd surfing and swinging around, and I missed a hand placement. The heel of his boot clipped the inside corner of my glasses which went flying off my head. Alan dove into the crowd to retrieve them for me, an act that got him some bruises but earned my lifetime of gratitude!
The High Fade show was a new step for her, a super high energy, rowdy crowd, three guys from Scotland in kilts - Harry, Oli and Calvin - absolutely shredding for 90 straight minutes and literally (as far as I could tell) the only kid in the joint.
To that end, as has always been the case thus far in these rock and roll adventures, we’ve found ourselves surrounded by fans, musicians and staff that take extra care to look after her - from floor manager Amber who came by to chat with her and give her encouragement, to the couple who stood right behind us and offered to take our picture.
We had spoken to Harry from High Fade weeks before the show so when we arrived an hour before the doors even opened, the band brought us in as VIPs, hung out and talked with Little Bean, took some pictures and coordinated with the staff to let us stay through sound check. The guys treated her like a little sister; it was really something.
They presented us with matching t-shirts and even signed an album for her. Unreal!
She even got to ask a quick Interviews By Uma question: What is it like wearing kilts?
Harry leaned over like it was a secret, “Well, mostly it’s so so much cooler and we don’t sweat!”
We have a short video vlog of our experience here. While you are there, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!
As for the band itself, they are an absolutely blistering rock funk trio that appears to be barnstorming through the states the old fashioned way, in an SUV, with little sleep and energy drinks. Their social media is hilarious as they rumble from gig to gig, city to city, eating at truck stops and BBQs, showing up at Niagara Falls in fur coats and strutting around Milwaukee like they own the place. For all their rock and roll lifestyle energy, in person, they are pretty down to earth, decent guys.
My understanding is they got their start busking in Edinburgh when one of their originals, a song called Burnt Toast and Coffee, went viral. It’s Little Bean’s favorite song of theirs and they played it in Portland. Here’s a little bit of that viral clip.
After the show, as the crowd began to clear, Little Bean has this tradition she likes to perform at the end of the show. She did it for Plush and The Warning. On the cleared out floor, she’ll do a hand stand to celebrate the end of the night.
“Daddy,” she says, “I think I’ll do the hand stand outside this time ‘cause there’s a lot of beer on the floor.”
Welcome to the Mob Pit, baby, welcome to rock and roll.
Sidenote: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the opening band, One Time Weekend. We had never heard of them or any of their music before the show, but we came out of there big fans. I’m going to write a separate story on them, that’s how good they are. For now, check out their website: One Time Weekend