Asked to typify the city of San Francisco as an animal, I'd call her a chameleon. Asked again to typify the crowd that showed up on a moody Sunday night to listen to Oakland masters of stoner metal (High On Fire) and Japanese masters of apocalyptic post-rock (Mono), I'd say the 70% all-male crowd was a mixture of metal worshiping beasts and borderline trendsters—a peculiar amalgam. These two bands are great enough in the mastery of their sounds that they could tour as individual headliners. How they got booked together mystifies me a little. Having only heard either band's music for the first time just last week I didn't really know what to expect when seeing them live. Most people seemed to be there last night hungry for an intense experience. I've never been to The Independent on a Sunday night before and am surprised at the devotion people have to the music they love. And maybe this is an anomaly to the San Francisco scene. The music performed this night built in intensity, band by band, and the audience merged in a spirit similar to what might be experienced in a darkly lit church somewhere in the ethers of time. Openers Coliseum were the perfect band to usher in the energy of the night. A Pabst Blue Ribbon beer commercial sound and energy brought forth by the hulking Ryan Patterson who endearingly beckoned the crowd to gather closer to the stage so that our energies could meld better stormed through a 40-minute set. New York City's Panthers shifted the mood to a new and different level of commitment though. Something wonderful about 00's music is that you can take a handful of punk and metal and glam and slam it all together and still get an enthusiastic rise out of a crowd. Hosting the most ill fitted sound of the night, yet still excitable to the crowd, Panthers played their part. It was not until Panthers left the stage though that the crowd really started to feel excitement about why they came out this night.Mono. Singular. Distinct. Unusual. A sound exp...
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