On April 27th, I went to see one of the most rowdy bands alive, all on my own. Hollywood Undead is one of those bands you either really love or really hate, and to be honest, most people I know fall into the latter.
I discovered Hollywood Undead when I was around sixteen years old, back in my MySpace days, and absolutely fell in love with their playful and hilarious mix of emo rock and gangster hip hop. They rap about everything from partying in Ford Fiestas to pushing through hard times to wasting rent money on booze, so I knew it was going to be an interesting show.
Also included on their lineup that night were Misty Eyed and Deadset Society. I wasn’t a fan of Misty Eyed, but Deadset Society is the best band I have ever seen live. Unfortunately, between the heavy bass, dodging the beach ball, avoiding rowdy concert-goers, and trying to pay attention to the show, these videos aren’t half as good as the sound quality from the Black Violin show.
Still, the music is only half the reason I go to concerts. The other half is the energy, meeting people with similar interests, being in my element with other weirdlings, and… occasionally going home with a black eye. So, here are the bands and the snippets I got from their performances.
The Beach Ball
Okay, so technically, the beach ball did not perform at the Masquerade in Atlanta. However, it did serve as our primary source of entertainment as we stood waiting in the amphitheatre for about two hours for someone—anyone!—to serenade us.
It became such an instrumental part of the experience that you will see it appear on stage when Hollywood Undead performs. They and the kids throw it back to us several times—bless their hearts!
Misty Eyed
Misty Eyed is a local Atlanta act that seems to have been playing for a few years now. Below is a clip from their set.
Deadset Society
On stage, Reid Henry, the lead vocalist of Deadset Society, reminds me of a much less emo and much more hardcore version of Wil Francis, from Aiden. I’m not a huge fan of Aiden or Wil, but Alyssa—my bestie and graphic designer—was obsessed with him in high school. Reincarnated as Reid, however, he could totally get it. 😌
A hardrock band from Canada, Deadset Society was originally called Never Say Never, but threatened with a lawsuit, they were forced to find a new band name. Here is Reid’s explanation.
I could kick myself for the sound quality of these videos, as like Black Violin, this is one of those bands best enjoyed live. I like their studio recordings, but it doesn’t capture the energy and talent I saw on stage. However, feel free to mute and watch the videos that don’t play well to see if you are as inspired to kidnap Reid, as I am.
This was my feedback after the show:
Never saw or heard of @DeadsetSociety before last night at the Hollywood Undead show. Hands down the best performance I've ever seen. Lead singer is the spirit animal of Dwight from The Walking Dead, and has the fashion sense of Assassin's Creed. 🤔 That's a win-win for me. 😄 https://t.co/uZPdx0iIBe
— Alexis Chateau 🇯🇲 (@alexischateau_) April 28, 2018
A while later, a fellow fan saw the tweet, reached out to me, and we proceeded to plan the kidnapping of Reid. We were quickly found out by the band! Their response?
It's not a crime… that's called "friendship". ❤️🍕
— Deadset Society (@DeadsetSociety) May 18, 2018
If their toes so much as brush the threshold of the Atlanta city limits, I am going back to see them!
Hollywood Undead
As amazing as Deadset Society was, the highlight of the night was still getting to see Hollywood Undead live for the first time. I loved that they played both their old and new songs, as I didn’t know the new album nearly as well as the older ones. Here are some clips from their performance.
One of the strangest—but coolest—things to happen is when the band invited two little girls on stage to share in the limelight. Some may argue it may have been inappropriate based on the content of the band’s lyrics, but I’m sure they didn’t end up there without their parents’ consent! Here is footage from their glory moment.
Aren’t they adorable?!
—
I still want to kick myself for not getting better footage of the show, but if I let myself judge an amazing experience by the recordings of it, I’ve truly lost my way in life. No shows for May or June caught my eye, but on July 31st, I’ll be attending Vans Warped Tour right here in Atlanta.
Want to see more posts on the shows I’ve been to in the past few years? You’ll find them all here. Until the next time, thanks for visiting my corner of the blogosphere!
Those little girls are definitely adorable!
Haha. I thought so too! Would have loved to see their parents 😂
hmmmm…i guess i will fall into the later side. lol
Haha, you’ll have plenty of company!
Awesome!!!
I miss Masquerade!
Their new location really suits them!