I ended up riding out to Long Island with a couple of my friends from Staten Island. We made it to the show a little late and missed the first band. The show was at a small club in Amityville, and was sold out before we even got there. We still managed to get inside in time to see Naysayer, Title Fight and Cruel Hand play. They are three of the most talented and hardest working bands in hardcore right now and, as expected, each set was awesome. Backtrack was last to play and their set was incredible. The place was packed and kids were losing their minds. The atmosphere was nothing short of amazing and they sounded perfect. It has been really cool to see the band progress over the past year or so since I first met them and really come into themselves.
These types of experiences have the ability to remove me from reality for a period of time. I forget about all my problems and the work that's piling up on my desk at home. I’m truly able to enjoy myself as all my worries vanish for the time being. This type of release is important and is probably what keeps me sane in my everyday life. Hardcore offers a tight knit community which is very appealing in a way. I've never truly felt like I've belonged to any other group I've ever been exposed to, but was immediately attracted hardcore since I discovered it when I was 12 or 13. Shows like this really bring back those feelings and remind me why I fell in love with hardcore in the first place.
Here is a video of Backtrack's set from the show:
Backtrack @ Broadway 9/25/09 from Chris Albin on Vimeo.
