Review by Dave Hofer
Photos by MXV
With ages ranging from over 50 to you-could-be-my-biological-child, the sold-out Saetia, Pg.99, City of Caterpillar, and Crowning show at Chicago’s Metro on April 28 was a time machine, nostalgia, and a good cause all wrapped in one. All four bands were on point, but I have always found this subgenre a bit samey, that combo of emo-chaos just a little too melodic for my taste. Combine that with a large venue, a barricade, and 20-plus years of advancement in heavy music and the show seemed more like watching bands in a zoo than their natural habitat, which is a smelly basement or DIY space that holds 100 people. That being said, to see this tour sell out an 1,100-capacity venue 20-plus years after these bands’ heydays was a sight to behold and speaks to the quality of the music and those it resonates with.
For context, I was “there” in the ‘90s when screamo evolved out of hardcore into its own little subgenre, to the extent of playing a show with Orchid and Jerome’s Dream to basically no one at the Fireside Bowl circa 1998. I have the first (The) Locust LP. I tried to see Combatwoundedveteran one time but their van had broken down. And so on. The idea of aging and time stopping for no one was in the back of my mind the whole night; I’ve lived long enough to bear witness to the recycling of fashion and music trends AKA what’s old is new, again.
The evening kicked off with locals Crowning. If you listen to this band’s recorded output, you might think they’re from 1999 if it weren’t for their recordings being clearly modern. In a live setting, they melded seamlessly with their more aged peers and balanced the hallmarks of screamo well: part tension, part release, all angst. Crowning was interesting in that they were the lone current band. They did an admirable job putting their own spin on things, albeit within the confines of the genre.
Next up were City of Caterpillar, a band that was only active from about 2000-2003 and I totally missed the boat on them first time around because I was too busy listening to Cephalic Carnage and The Red Chord. Of the four bands on the bill, City of Caterpillar were able to do the most within the limitations of screamo, adding a dynamic, post-rock, Pink Floyd-vibe to the evening. They did the classic, “this is our last song (but it’s 10 minutes long)” thing, but again, their dynamics made for a nice reprieve to the usual bombast, including a very quiet portion where you could hear a pin drop in the room, the crowd was so invested.
In the direct-support slot was the prolific Pg.99 (or Pageninetynine, as seen on some of their releases), who were the most ‘90s of any band for one main reason: multiples of everything! Two singers, four (!) guitarists, two bassists, and — god bless him for holding it down — one drummer. The gimmick of more than two guitars has been lost on me ever since a friend saw the Syracuse hardcore band Godbelow (who had three guitarists) and told me how great they were live with their guitar interplay and whatnot. I picked up their 1999 album Painted Images With The Blood Of and . . . it sounded like one guitar. Pg.99 was no exception in this regard. They sounded no more full or complex because of their nine members, and were even treated to a heckle from the crowd, “You guys should be crazier!” which speaks to the idea of screamo being much better suited for a sweaty basement or other non-traditional venue. Sure, the crowd was feeling it and push-pitting, but the disconnect between the energy of the band and the audience was obvious to someone other than me.
Before Saetia took the stage, representatives from the Chicago Freedom School took the stage to talk a little about their mission to provide young people with the tools needed to enact social change in their communities. It was great to see a band like Saetia, who were never this popular in their lifetime, using their own platform and success as a way to benefit and uplift others. The Chicago Freedom School representatives said that the show raised over $10,000 for their organization, an incredible feat of decency.
In my previous role as a buyer for a record store, the Saetia discography that was released in 2016 (aptly titled Collected) was a recurring seller, highlighting the fact that they, for whatever reason, and of all the screamo bands from that era, were going down as one that endured and transcended generations of punks. Flash forward almost 10 years and they’re more popular than ever before! Not to be a Negative Ned, since I’ve already stated my general indifference to screamo, but an hour is way too fucking long for a band like Saetia to play, and only highlights the repetitive nature of this style. The 12/8 time signature, sea-shanty feel of the songs all blend together after 20 minutes or so. Obviously, I was in the minority, although I did see some people leaving after Pg.99, who were clearly a big draw as well.
Overall, there was nothing bad about this show, the three touring bands all earned this well-deserved victory lap (and for a good cause, to boot), and all four bands were very tight and well-rehearsed. It’s just that this iteration of screamo spanned a period of five or six years before it ran its course and evolved into second wave, which brought a more-dynamic and expansive set of ideas to the table.
