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shrbrt-blog1 · 7 years ago

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Corrosion of Conformity Live at the Fillmore Detroit (Gallery)

Danzig, Corrosion of Conformity, Mutoid Man, and Detroit's own Acid Witch played at the Fillmore in Detroit Friday, September 15th. I knew ahead of time that I was approved for COC and that I wasn't going to be able to shoot Glen. I felt like photographing Pepper Keenan and the boys were worth driving downtown on a packed city night and paying for parking, walking half a mile to the venue and waiting 2 hours just to shoot two songs of the third band. I was completely fine with shooting the first three bands but got denied walking into the pit for the local opener. They told me COC was the only band that okayed photographers. Acid Witch was great, horror sludge and stoner metal that made me feel creeped out in a good way. Songs about Halloween and Trick or Treating may seem corny to some but Acid Witch makes it work with light theatrics and great banter between their own brand of doom and humor. Witch masks and pumpkins matched their tunes perfectly and the green I toked in the parking lot made it hard for me not to smile like a cornball jackass through their entire set.

I was lucky enough to have a conversation with an old friend that helped me kill a lot of time before the lights went off and Mutoid Man took the stage. They were great. Fucking hilarious actually. Comprised of Cave In vocalist and guitarist Stephen Brodsky, Converge drummer Ben Koller, and bassist Nick Cageao. They blend 3 unique personalities and senses of humor with raw talent and creativity, mixed with the sounds of their youth from psychedelic rock to hardcore punk to math rock and progressive rock, Mutoid Man is a great band. I wish I could have photographed their set, regardless I was stoked watching their set alone in the crowd.

Right before the end of Mutoid Man's set, I went outside to hit my vape pen calming what was left of my anxiousness. Up until that night, the Fillmore had been a bucket-list item for me as a photographer. It's a prestigious venue, I felt like I finally did some shit with myself getting my pass and own entrance.

Being one of two photographers to be able to shoot all night was a thrill. I got into the photo pit for the first time at this iconic venue. Corrosion of Conformity slowly made their way out to the stage one by one slowly building on each applause as each member came out. First Bassist Mike Dean, then Drummer Reed Mullin, then lead guitarist Woody Weatherman A much louder roar for singer and guitarist Pepper Keenan. They have had limited tour dates since the "Deliverance" lineup reunited in 2014 so this was a rather big deal for me.

Honestly, in these few moments, I don't remember much outside of straight photography work. I just tried to get my shots knowing I had the max of about 6-7 minutes to get enough for a gallery. It was definitely a challenge and I love that shit because I would rather compete with myself than with the other photographers. We all have a job to do. We all have assignments. I'm not going to make it harder for anyone else, I expect the same in return.

With all that being said, it pains me to say this. I finished the rough draft of this on Friday the 23rd. I got home and read about the 2nd vocalist of Corrosion of Conformity Eric Eycke has passed away. Eric was the voice behind the most hardcore incarnation of COC. The era of time he was in the band I was a baby. 1983-1984. Like a lot of people from that era of hardcore music, his influence was felt decades after even though his time in the band was short-lived. That is what I love so much about early 80s hardcore.

It's 2017 and we're still talking about a very small subculture the way some people talk about arena rock artists and shit. Those artists went on to influence so many other musicians and artists of all types. The hardcore world lost another legend, Rest in Peace Eric Eycke. While checking out the photos from COC's set at the Fillmore, listen to their first full-length and the only record Eric was on. As far as hardcore goes, it is fantastic. The tracks “Indifferent” and “Rednekk” and “Dark Thoughts” prove that COC could hang with the big dogs back then and now as completely different musicians are full blown legends in their own right. No matter what, the COC we love today doesn't get there without Eric Eycke, RIP.

I have been sick for the last few days so this extended the delay in getting this out. It also worked out because Corrosion of Conformity announced the new record will be out in January.

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