|
Game Unicon's slogan was "game all day, rock all night." Not only could attendees play any current-gen competitive game, but they could also rock out at a concert on Friday and Saturday night. Due to hurricanes, tornado warnings, and the Mothman, I was sadly unable to check out The Megas and Freezepop on Friday night, but I was definitely there on Saturday, which went from absolute suck to shreddingly superb over the course of the night.
Hit the link for the full story on Game Unicon's Saturday Night Concert (or click here if you haven't read Part 1 yet).
At first, the concert seemed like a train wreck. My schedule told me that the show started at 4 o'clock, but I heard rumblings that it wasn't going to begin until 5. Sounded like a perfect opportunity for a nap to me. After sleeping, I figured I'd have to fight my way through a thick crowd to get a good standing spot, so I got to the concert tent 15 minutes early. Turns out I should have waited another hour. The show was originally supposed to start at 4. Here's what it looked like at the rescheduled starting time of 5:
If no one shows in a few hours, I call that Marshall half-stack
Needless to say, the show's organizers were quite nervous. "It's five minutes before we're supposed to start and there are no bands here," I overhead one distraught staff member gripe into his cell phone. About ten past 5, a band member showed up and sound testing began. As far as I know, sound checks are supposed to be done early in the afternoon, well before the show. That was yet another train in the proverbial wreck.
The show finally started shortly after 6 o'clock. The first band up was The Motion Sick, an indie band from Boston. At first I was wondering why they were chosen to play Game Unicon, but I quickly figured it out as the singer waxed geek with lyrics focused on time machines, satellites, and poor old Aqua Man.
The Motion Sick dance to "30 Lives," acting out the Konami Code
The highlight of their set was especially fitting for the event, paying homage to the Konami Code in their song, "30 Lives." Mostly indie, a little bit surfy, and totally nerdy, The Motion Sick put on a great set despite the anemic audience. Check out their song, "30 Lives" in any of the newer editions of Dance Dance Revolution.
Planetoid arrived in their space van shortly after The Motion Sick finished their set. A three piece band also from the Boston area, these ETs blend classic- and stoner-rock for an unusual and catchy sound. Yes - unusual is a good word choice here, because these guys paint their skin, wear a clay horn, and don a robot mask, as well as stay in character before, during, and after their set.
Humanoids bent on the domination of mankind, the members of Planetoid referred to their human audience as "meat-bags" and reminded them not to break the stage lights since there were no power-ups hidden in them. The three aliens were perfectly in rhythm and put on a hilarious show.
Planetoid drummer, Admiral Time was nice enough to grant me, a mere human, a quick interview. Check it out:
Marc: So what color is your blood?
Admiral Time: I am not a water-based life-form, and thus do not bleed!
Well what color does the blue guy bleed?
I don't know - you're going to have to stab him to find out.
Pluto has recently been demoted to the status of a planetoid. Do you agree with this deposition?
Pluto is a mere ball of ice and is smaller than standard planets, thus it is logical to call it a planetoid.
What is the current exchange rate between Spacebucks and the US Dollar?
We aliens are far less concerned about petty issues such as money than you Earthlings, but if I had to give you a number, it's about 1 Spacebuck to 500 US Dollars.
If you were a My Little Pony, what color would you be?
Well, is there a silver one? Because I would have to be silver.
Planetoid were followed by Jesus Candy, the band of Game Universe owner, Jamie. They played a few covers and a few originals. Personally, I grew out of playing Blink 182 covers when I was 14, but to each his own. After working so hard to get Game Unicon off the ground, I suppose Jamie's shameless self-promotion is acceptable. He probably should have scheduled his band to play first, though.
Finally, the band I had waited all night to see took the stage in a hilariously melodramatic way. Equipped with Mario-meets-Conan armor, Powerglove played brutal metal renditions of our favorite game songs, like "Still More Fighting" and the Weapon theme from Final Fantasy VII, the Tetris and Mortal Kombat themes, and the intro song to Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
After a few songs, co-guitarist, Chris, told a heartfelt story of his youth - a youth ruined by an angry robot bird. The band proceeded to sacrifice multiple stuffed-animal birds while playing Storm Eagle's theme from Mega Man X.
The band also separated the audience into halves, and assigned each side to parts A and B of the Tetris theme. At the band's command, the two sides clashed in an inflatable sword battle with the Russian melody punishing the PA system.
Powerglove's set was more successful than the others because, being gamers, the audience actually knew most of the songs. Plus, there were no lyrics to sing along to other than "Go, go, Power Rangers." And that's not to mention these guys definitely know how to play their instruments. The crowed loved them so much that they begged for an encore, which went unfulfilled. That doesn't mean they're assholes, though (even though they never showed up for an interview) - co-guitarist, Alex, was more than happy to talk guitars with me. I'd say Powerglove were the highlight of the night.
After much anticipation, Bang Camaro, the darling band of Harmonix, took the stage. These guys (and girl) know how to put on a show - they went all out even though there were less than 60 people in the audience. On-stage antics included multiple people wailing on the drums, tossing guitars like toys, and jumping off the drum riser.
The best part of being in a band is jumping off the bass drum
Like Powerglove's, Bang Camaro's set was more successful than others since the crowd knew a few of the songs - the ones that are from Guitar Hero and Rock Band, of course. The band was able to captivate the audience during unfamiliar songs nonetheless due to their arena rock stage presence.
Bang!
Before their set began, an ambulance showed up to the concert tent. The band announced on stage that their sound tech had a medical emergency and had to be taken to the hospital. Thankfully, the tech from the other bands' sets was still around and was able to fill in. Feedback got out of control once in a while, but otherwise it was a good save.
My obsession with Rickenbackers was cemented even further over the weekend
Drenched in sweat, the band left the stage, but the audience wasn't finished with them yet. They begged and pleaded for one more song, which, unlike Powerglove, the band decided to grant. Bang Camaro played for a good hour by my estimation, and they put on a great show the entire time.
Bang Camaro want YOU for the Camaro Army
After the show, I was able to interview co-guitarist, Alex, and singer, Morgan Brown.
Marc: So are you guys still working with Harmonix?
Morgan: Oh yeah.
What have you been playing for games lately?
Well, I've been playing a whole lot of Battlefield 1943. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Puzzle Fighter, and Left 4 Dead, of course.
So are you more into the newer stuff or do you like older games, as well?
It's definitely a mix. I play through Symphony of the Night once a year.
Is it me, or did The Kings of Leon rip off your CD artwork?
Uhh... (looks towards Alex, who is pondering the question)
Alex: Wait a minute - yeah! They have the black thing, and the red!
Morgan: Oh yeah! I don't think they ripped us off, though.
Really? I think they ripped you off, guys! [sarcasm]
Alex: You know what? Yeah they ripped us off! [sarcasm]
Morgan: Yeah, they totally ripped us off! [sarcasm]
That's what I wanted to hear! Anything else you guys want to mention?
Alex: Yeah, we have our music on Madden '10, so definitely check that out.
All in all, the Game Universe concert was a bit of an awkward one, since the crowd was so damn small and because they didn't really know how to act at a show. Jumping up and down? Really, this isn't a Fall Out Boy show. It was a success anyway, though, thanks especially to the stage presence of Powerglove and Bang Camaro.
|
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 
