Do you know what I'm talking about!?!?
Number of days without a bike theft – 21
Days left until the close of the Kickstarter Project – 16
Days since it last rained – 0
Today’s post is going to focus heavily on the rock, as today focused heavily on the rock.
It wasn’t intended to be a rock-focused day; it was supposed to be one of those days where I got stuff done, had some conference calls with the states in the evening, and called it a day. That’s not what happened.
As I was working on stuff throughout the day, I had Twitter open, and I was sort of paying attention to it, when I saw over the feeds, a tweet from Valient Thorr. It simply read:
headed to Amsterdam
Now, let’s backtrack for a moment here, so I can explain my and Nicole’s love for this band.
Valient Thorr is a band that we got into about five years ago, when Legend of the World came out. It’s a really good album, and I dug it right away. Then we went to see the band when they were in Detroit.
Wow.
Valient Thorr is one of the most exciting live bands out right now. They’re energetic, charismatic and they have more beard than any other band that has ever existed. Ever.
Valient Himself - ©Nicole Lucas
These guys are vikings.
Valient Thorr - ©Nicole Lucas
And Valient Himself is an incredible singer, frontman and speaker. He could have made a career out of being either a rock singer or a cult leader, because he exudes that sort of charisma. Fortunately, he used his powers for good, and to further the cause of partying.
Valient Thorr - ©Nicole Lucas
And as you can tell, Nicole has really loved shooting them over the years.
Valient Thorr - ©Nicole Lucas
We saw them whenever they played Detroit, both in tiny clubs and big venues (like when they played with Motorhead), and also made sure to catch them when we were in Austin for SXSW, where we saw Wayne Kramer of the MC5, a Detroit band that helped invent punk rock, get on stage and play with them. Nicole snapped this picture:
There’s also video online of the moment, and if you look closely, Nicole is in the foreground of the video, taking the photo.
Anyway, the amazing thing was that I saw this little message on Twitter, and was very excited. Not just because we were going to be able to see Valient Thorr here in Amsterdam, but because this visit had been foretold. It was a prophecy.
You see, on the night of June 21, I had a dream that Valient Thorr was in Amsterdam, and they needed a place to stay. So they asked to stay at my flat, and I told them there was no room for their beards!
True story. In fact, it’s in my twitter feed from June 22 if you don’t believe me. Dates don’t lie.
So, I saw this Twitter post, and replied to it, asking where they would be. A few hours later, a simple response:
Pacific parc
And it was on. I told Nicole where we were headed, mapped out the route, grabbed my Thorriers jacket, and headed out.
Whoah, wait, what – you ask – is a Thorriers jacket?
You see, this band has a dedicated following, known as Thorriers. And I will fully admit that I am a Thorrier – Great Lakes chapter – and I thought the band would dig seeing a Great Lakes jacket so far from Detroit. Nicole had packed my Thorriers patch as a surpisse, knowing that I’d be really happy to see this piece of home in a box of sweaters and coats.
Great Lakes Chapter - Represent!
So we rode our bikes to the far side of town – about a 30-minute ride – to Pacific Parc.
Pacific Parc is a really cool restaurant/bar, with a vibe that is very much similar to places in Austin, TX. The Djs were playing great rock and roll, and the band tore the place down!
After the show, I got the chance to talk to Valient Himself, and I thanked him for letting me know about the show. He got his picture taken with me showing off my Thorrier colors, but I was too stoked to also ask to get a picture taken for me! I do have one from Texas, taken several years ago, though.
Me and Valient Himself, Austin TX
After that, we rode our bikes back to the apartment, and I was feeling great. I loved getting to go see this great band from the states, and I also loved being able to ride my bike home from a rock show. I think it will continue to be a favorite part of this city.
I also loved being there with the knowledge that the Kitten was the youngest Thorrier in the room. I can’t wait to tell her years from now about all the great concerts she went to before she was born (this wasn’t her first – that honor I believe goes to Against Me! and Dropkick Murphys, but it was her induction to the ranks of the Thorriers).
So that was the rock post. Thanks for bearing with me. I’ll leave you now with a classic from Valient Thorr – “Exit Strategy.”
With just over two weeks left until the close of our Kickstarter pitch, I’m starting to get very nervous. The generous donations so far have us almost the halfway mark, but that means we’re only halfway there. To all our backers so far, I’m offering a heartfelt thanks, but please let everyone you know about the project, as well as their chance to see my I’ll Eat That For A $1 video. That alone is worth the project, I think.
If You Go:
Keep an eye out for free concerts. They seem to happen all over the place here.
