Soulwalker - FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, Kyle Hales, from the post-hardcore band, Soulwalker, talks about the story of his first experience with live music. You can check out the story below:

In my eyes, I technically had 3 "first shows"—so let me explain...

The very first concert I ever attended was for the Christian band MercyMe back in the early 2000s. I was a young kid and don't remember much about it other than the hype from the church group I was attending with. It was at a huge outdoor music venue, and I want to say we pre-gamed... with fried chicken and sweet tea, of course. No beer for the church kids.

The first rock concert I ever attended was at the NC State Fair in 2008 for Skillet. I remember thinking how absolutely insane the show was, how heavy the guitars were, and how cool their light show was. Two of my friends from school were there with me. I headbanged so hard I couldn't hold my neck up straight for days. Absolute game changer for me.

THEN in 2011... I finally went to a real show with real heavy bands, seeing none other than my favorite band of all time—Underoath. I will never forget the lineup: Letlive, Stray From The Path, Times of Grace (Killswitch Engage members' side project with Jesse Leach), and then Underoath as the headliner. UØ was touring their 2010 album Disambiguation. A lot of folks don't like this album because it was their first (and only) album without Aaron Gillespie, but that album was special to me because it was my introduction to heavy music in a live setting.

The night started with Letlive, who had just released their debut album Fake History. Now, picture me—an awkward youth group kid with a buzz cut—seeing Jason Butler absolutely flail himself about on stage while the bass player spins his bass constantly and the drummer is STANDING on his kit while playing. Jason even came down into the crowd and disrupted the mosh pit to breakdance in the middle of a song. My mind was completely blown.

Next up, Stray gets on stage. Pissed-off New Yorkers with something to say. All I remember about their set was how absolutely nuts the pit was. Mic piling. Stage diving. Crowd in total sync with the band. You could tell the fans really believed in what Stray had to say. I would go on to see Stray like 5-6 more times after that and it was always nuts.

Times of Grace came on third, and while I wasn't a huge fan of the music, I did get to see Adam D shred guitar and chug beer for 45 minutes. A spectacle anyone could appreciate.

Then the band of the night... Underoath comes on stage with the sickest lights I have ever seen, glow-in-the-dark beach balls bouncing around the crowd, and unmatched energy. The mood of the room shifted, and Spencer Chamberlain was in total control of us. The set felt like it was hours long, but in the best way, because they played songs from all their albums with Spencer at the time.

I had never seen a band perform an encore before, so when they played their last song and scurried off stage, I thought the night was over. Then, a couple minutes later, they came back on stage and performed three more songs—the last of them being Writing On The Walls. Never in my life did I think I would be able to see my favorite UØ live. Night. Made.

To end the night, I dapped up Jason from Letlive, who was holding a small dog and wearing a fur coat. I still have my OG copy of Fake History that I bought from him. My buddy and I got back in my truck and headed home in pure shock and awe... then my truck almost broke down in the sketchiest part of town. But we made it though!! What a sick night.

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