Name: In This Moment
Age: 18
Occupation: industrial metal band
Last Seen: Reno, NV
Bee-otched For: fucking with Grand Rapids
This past Summer, rock 'n roll came back to my hometown of Grand Rapids.
The yearly Upheaval Festival came back to Belknap Park, giant steep hill and all. A few dozen of hard rock and metal's brightest came to the Furniture Capitol to rock out in front of thousands of headbangers, stage divers and moshers.
This year's headliners included Lamb of God, Falling in Reverse (who did a jokingly brilliant version of Smash Mouth's "All Star"), Halestorm, Ice Nine Kills, Bring Me The Horizon, and Dorothy. In years past, the festival brought the likes of Disturbed, Rob Zombie, Breaking Benjamin, Mudvayne, and Staind to town.
Attendance at this year's event was pretty packed as evidenced by the standing-room-only crowds, the humongous lines at the food trucks and merchandise stands, and the fact that at least two bands, Ice Nine Kills and Falling in Reverse had to do brief pauses out of respect for first responders attending to concertgoers stricken by high temps and humidity. Personally, I saw a few people being carried out by their friends who could not stand the heat. Sadly, this was an unfortunate occurrence despite the fact that the organizers provided free water to prevent Woodstock '99 Part 2 from happening.
However, a few bands did pull out. Asking Alexandria had to cancel after drummer James Cassells broke his foot. New Year's Day also had to bail, though no reason was given. But, one band decided to not go on stage... for pathetic reasons.
Grammy-nominated rockers In This Moment aborted their Upheaval performance on Friday. The group released a statement, stating that "despite driving 600 miles, we arrived to find no available space" for them to set up and off the stage. The group also stated that the organizers violated their contract because they did not provide the space needed to perform.
As a result, the audience waiting for ITM was greeted with a 16-year-old kid with some CDJs dropping off one-minute samples of rock anthems back to back. Sorry, but that's what Breakaway is for, and the DJs there are a million times better. It was like paying top dollar to see Taylor Swift in concert only to get a middle schooler who had just learned to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Needless to say, it sucked that I paid $100 (I bought the earliest tier, so there were others that paid way more than I did) to stand in a two-hour line for merchandise to buy a $35 lineup T-shirt with a few bands that didn't show up. But, Breakaway's organizers had to make a few bucks somehow.
No word on if ITM was still paid just for showing up. On the band's socials, they did state that "rest assured, we will return to Grand Rapids very soon where we can see all your lovely faces. Your understanding and support mean the world to us. We love you all."
Translation: we want you to pay us twice to watch one show.
When news broke regarding ITM canceling Upheaval, the disgruntled took to social media. One person complained that it took them longer to put together and tear down their sets at another concert. Another complained that the overall quality of their music has suffered over the past several years, especially since they switched labels over from metal powerhouse Century Media to the major Atlantic Records a decade ago. However, the band's last album, 2020's "Mother" was met with acclaim from critics. The album's lead single, "The In-between" was nominated for the 2021 Best Metal Performance Grammy, losing to Body Count's "Bum-Rush".
I even chatted with several folks at the festival, too, who were angered at ITM's absence. Some pointed the finger at lead singer Maria Brinks because of the wardrobe changes she goes through per show. Sad, considering that they have many great songs, but from the sounds of things, don't have the time to perform them all.
You know, I understand. Maria Brink had a sad childhood. Her father disappeared when she was young and her mother was a junkie. Even more, she had a son at 15 and was working in a laundromat when she formed In This Moment in 2005. Her songs talked about her sad experiences growing up with titles like "Roots" and "Whore".
However, not everyone can go from rags to riches like Maria Brink. It wouldn't shock me if some of the attendees of Upheaval had to save whatever they could to get tickets for the event. Rent's too high and the pay sucks here in West Michigan. It wouldn't shock me if this is the only concert some of the people who attended will attend this year. I paid good money to see top rock talent, not some punk ass kid who can't beat match.
I understand that running any music festival or venue isn't easy. I grew up in northern Michigan where Castle Farms dominated the concert scene in the 70s until 1994 and again in 1996. My mother worked security there and knew some of the details of the front office. The owner, Art Reibel, had been trying to sell it for years because it wasn't very profitable. He sold it to a 4H group on a land contract that they couldn't pay off. After one more year of concerts in 1996, the family decided to convert the land into boat storage.
And allegedly, it made more money that way.
Sadly in 1999, Reibel died at age 66. Two years later, his estate sold Castle Farms to Linda Mueller, who converted it into a wedding venue. On their website, their mission statement starts with "Devoted People serving God". In other words, don't expect any good concerts there any time soon.
Granted, it's easier to have concerts in a city of 200,000 that has freeway access than to have them in a town like Charlevoix (pop. 2,300) whose closest city around, Traverse City (pop. 15,000) is in the middle of two-lane hell. The days of rock heavyweights like Ozzy, Aerosmith, Metallica, and AC/DC performing up north are probably long gone as a result. Instead, locals will now have to wait until events like Traverse City's Cherry Festival every summer. This year's offerings there included Theory of A Deadman (with Jesus rockers Skillet opening), 3 Doors Down (who played Drumpf's inaugural party) with 90s rockers Candlebox opening, and 80s rockers Night Ranger with opening act Ratt. Sadly, Night Ranger lead singer Jack Blades invited one of his friends and former bandmates on stage. It was none other than that greasy, pants-shitting pedophile known as Ted Nugent.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, guess who played in nearby Kalkaska? Why it's another washed-up rock outfit fighting for fans, Trapt. I fondly remembered one of their opening acts hawking the show on a Facebook page I read regularly and I talked about some of the bullshit that got their asshole lead singer kicked off social media. Well, there were a few assholes who were nice enough to show their stupidity in my face. One even said, "you must be fun at partys". Yep! That's how he spelled PARTIES! It really shows how fucking retarded people up north can be. In the same thread, a fucking old boomer wanted to throw me into an argument about how Biden stole the election. Now, I'm not sure how well Trapt performed in Kalkaska, but, bear in mind that there are many videos online where they're playing some big-ticket event in front of maybe ten people and another video where they're in a mostly-empty bar.
You see, an artist's reputation rests on how they relate to their fans. This is why they get rich. They piss off those same fans and their careers can dry up in an instant. Let's say Taylor Swift decides to do a Nazi salute during one of her concerts. Well, her career's over, and she'll end up playing that same venue in Kalkaska for $10 a pop. Granted, we can go down the roads of many whose careers have long-faltered because of foolish decisions, like Michael Richards' angry rant involving the n-word and the many who have attacked and abused women. However, some have dodged personal controversy. Sir Elton John, for example, has long been a positive figure in the world of gay rights. Yet, he played the wedding of right-wing looney tune Rush Limbaugh, who used his radio show to attack anyone with far more intelligence than he ever had. Allegedly, Rush paid Elton a million bucks to play his wedding all because his wife was a huge fan. It's proof that when money talks, your morals go out the window. As for the outrage regarding Elton playing Limbaugh's wedding, for some reason, it doesn't exist.
Personally, I've canceled many artists from my life. I used to like Five Finger Death Punch. I even saw them at The Orbit Room (remember that place?) back in the day and had my picture taken with lead singer Ivan Moody. But, guess what? They grew in popularity. Now, they'll play at Van Andel Arena. Wanna do a meet and greet with Ivan? Ain't gonna happen.
Sadly, what turned me off from 5FDP was when they released their video for "Living The Dream". In short, a woman forces people to wear masks while she wears a badge that wears "exempt". Many critics believed the woman was supposed to be an effigy of Nancy Pelosi. During the Great Shutdown of 2020, the former House Speaker made headlines when she got her hair did at a salon in California that was open to her and her only. Simply put, the video trashed those who wore masks during a time when it was needed.
Even worse, there are reasons why I hate many other bands, and the reasons tend to be political or spiritual. I used to like Staind until Aaron Lewis became an outspoken Repuke. I used to like Avenged Sevenfold until they made a music video showing puppets of Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin destroying the world together. I used to like The Smiths until Morrissey came out as a right-winged Looney. I can go on and on. Hell, I was pissed when Upheaval replaced Asking Alexandria with Flyleaf, a band whose lead singer's politics are in line with Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene's.
And yes, I used to like Kid Rock until he came out of the political closet and simply spat on his hometown by endorsing Mitt "I'm Gonna Shut Down Detroit!" Romney.
I'm thankful that I still enjoy a lot of the music of my childhood. There are artists I enjoy both for their music and their personality. There are a few artists whose music I can't stand, but I love their morals. I can't stand most of the artists who played in Lilith Fair in the 90s, but I stand with them politically in regards to women's rights and in Sarah McLaughlin's case, animal rights.
I can go on, but when an artist I enjoy does something to piss me off, it's over. The fact that I spent over $200 on tickets for a no-show diva has turned me off of In This Moment. I was a fan of their music for nearly 20 years and this is the thanks I got. I've been working over 50 hours a week for two years and worked my ass off to see them and this is the bullshit I get.
True, I need to give major props to the bands that actually played that weekend, especially to the woman-led bands that played the main stage, Dorothy and Halestorm. Both Dorothy Martin and Lzzy Hale showed good sportswomanship on stage. As a matter of fact, Hale has something Maria doesn't: a Grammy.
Look, I know that my life hasn't been as tough as Maria's. At least my parents weren't junkies and I still have my father. Plus, I didn't get knocked up at 15. But, I've had my bumps. I've dealt with bullies, people only pretending to be my friend, abandonment, living with massive credit card debt brought on by a dickhead boss, and it goes on. Tragically, some of those people were women. Because of this, I'm not a good people person. The fact that I paid this band X amount of money to be a no-show only adds up to the shit I've dealt with in the past.
Money and power can make one less humble. I think that's a reason why we now have people throwing cell phones at singers on stage. Hell, somebody even threw their mother's ashes at P!nk recently during a concert. I think people are angry that they have to shell out the big bucks to see their favorite artists. But since there's no money in streaming and nobody buys physical albums anymore, the real money is in touring.
Speaking of which, In This Moment just announced that they're going on tour this fall with Ice Nine Kills, Avatar, and the aforementioned New Year's Day. Ice Nine Kills will be coming back to Michigan on November 12 to support Metallica on their 72 Seasons tour at Detroit's Ford Field. In This Moment, apparently, are done with The Mitten State for the rest of 2023.
Folks, people like Maria Brink sadly prove a personal, yet tragic truth. I don't care what people will think of me, but I'll say it anyway: single moms are batshit crazy. As a child of divorce, I had to endure many single moms and their obnoxious kids. I hate it when a woman marries a loser, divorces him, and then expects a much better man to raise his little hellions. Hell, I have a coworker who married a woman who had a little girl with a loser who wanted nothing to do with her. He adopted her and then the two divorced. Not only is he paying child support on his biological three kids, but on the one that's not his! It only makes me happy that I will never date a woman with children.
Now, In This Moment just announced a new album and single. It's already getting played on SiriusXM's Octane and frankly, I have zero intent to listen to it. It reminds me of a story my late uncle - who worked in the recording industry for over 20 years - told me years ago: in the late 1950s, there was a young singer from Detroit who was on a promotional tour. She was in her hometown of Detroit and was looking at the playlists of all the local stations in town. She was pissed that none of her records were charting locally. So, she took matters into her own hands. Or, should I say, mouth?
The young singer slammed down the papers and told one of her assistants, "Who do I need to blow to get airplay in this town?" One of them pointed to the programming director of one of the stations. She marched on over to him and disappeared into the distance. A week later, her latest single was on the charts.
Allegedly, that woman was none other than R&B singer-turned-actress Della Reese. Yes, as in Touched By An Angel Della Reese.
I've been checking WGRD's music logs and In This Moment is nowhere to be seen. I reckon that if they appear on their playlist, it would be a corporate decision. Bear in mind that GRD is programmed entirely by their corporate overlords at Townsquare Media in Connecticut. If Grand Rapids had a locally-programmed rock station and I was the one in charge of it, Maria better come back to Grand Rapids, come into my office, get down on her knees, and swallow every last drop like a good little girl... if you know what I mean.
You see, Grand Rapids rock fans are fighters. Twenty years ago, Matt Hanlon was busy destroying KLQ by moving Howard Stern to crappy AM 1340 WBBL and forcing lame Stern clones like Justice and Jim and Ron and Don onto their airwaves. The station lost 75% of their listeners and it was even more tragic when WBBL finally dumped Stern because of Citadel's bullshit. Well, KLQ had to endure many nails in their coffin. One of them was when GRD added Free Beer and Hot Wings and drifted towards an active rock format. That station threw their listeners away and at the end of the day, not only was Hanlon fired when Cumulus bought out bankrupt Citadel, his radio career in Grand Rapids ended when he got busted for a drunk driving incident that almost killed two people.
During her set, Lzzy Hale told the crowd to be proud of the radio stations that still play rock. She ain't lying. Grand Rapids is thankful that they have WGRD. Granted, it wasn't as good as it once was a decade ago, especially when Eric Zane was part of Free Beer and Hot Wings and they didn't play as much 1970s butt rock. Thanks to the FCC cracking down on so-called "indecency" and allowing big radio companies to become bigger, new rock has long taken a back seat to other formats. Look at New York City. They haven't had an active rock station in years. The largest city in America with an active rocker is Philadelphia, though WMMR, like WGRD plays way too much butt rock.
But, it's a sign of the times. Gen-Z avoids terrestrial radio like the plague since Spotify, Pandora, and other streaming services do a better job of playing their favorite tunes. Even some CHRs are playing more 90s and 2K content because young people don't like hearing their favorite songs be shredded into Swiss cheese because of the FCC.
You see, rock music is a business. Put it in the right hands and it will do well. Give it to someone who cares more about their sorry ass and it will fail. When you work for the man for years and you have the "I'm my own boss" mentality when you start your own business, well, I have a news flash for you. YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR BOSSES!
I look at Billboard's Hot 100 and currently, the sole active rock song in the Top 40 is Jelly Roll's "Do Me A Favor". I saw his documentary "Save Me" and it was touching. I do relate to him in many respects. He was rejected as a young boy because he was chubby and wore Kmart clothes. However, he had friends in high school. Too bad they led him to a life loaded with drugs, including meth and crack. After the birth of his daughter while in prison, he knew he had to change his life. He began writing songs that would help and inspire others, which led him to a successful singing career. Not only is he doing great on the CHR and rock charts, but country as well.
While metal and hard rock are absent on the pop charts, festivals like Upheaval prove that rock is far from dead. It's too bad that we paid good money to see a bunch of bands and one of their top acts was AWOL. If In This Moment comes back to Grand Rapids as a headliner, I hope nobody goes. However, if they're an opener, I hope somebody will have the balls to throw a cell phone or another blunt object at Maria Brink's head. I just hope that they don't put a net to prevent such a thing ala when The Blues Brothers played that honky tonk bar.
For someone who had a hit song called "Whore", Maria Brink sure is a cunt.
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