Elysium Echoes - Echo #1

Last Tuesday was my band's first public show. Elysium Echoes performed at the Simon Fraser University's Highland Pub for a very small, yet very meaningful, audience. Our friends, coworkers and family members were there, to take a look and have an idea of what is what we do on Tuesday and Sunday evenings when we say we have "band practice". Also to give them a taste of symphonic metal, a very unusual genre for Vancouverites to hear.

We played 6 songs. All of them covers of awesome bands such as Nightwish, Epica, Kamelot and Sonata Arctica. And even though we still have no original songs to play, we are trying to get there. We are very excited to start playing our own songs, and record a small album maybe by the end of next year. We just know it's going to be fun :) Many of my bandmates (me included) have been dreaming about recording songs, playing in shows and feel that stage adrenaline. Something words can't describe.

So our small setlist went well. We decided to play a bit later than scheduled because the pub was pretty hidden in the campus, and we figured people were lost. We also decided to play later because we were shitting our pants. Once all the gear was plugged and what not, we looked at each other and thought "Well, this is it. Maybe later?". We wanted to relax. And have enough time to "sober up" after a few bravery drinks. Once everybody was there, and realized some people had to leave soon, we decided to start. We didn't think the sound check was going to be so long. 20 minutes after playing with the sound board, turning up and down mics and amps in front of everybody, we were ready. We made so many mistakes. Mistakes that nobody else noticed. Well, yeah, because only the 5 of us played those songs two hundred times! In the pub were also a group of students that must have came back from a party because they were all dressed up and fancy looking. By the end of the second song they couldn't stand it anymore, stood up and left. I felt pretty good with myself. That meant we were being loud and metal enough. Or just that they were douchebags. Either or, I was having a good time. I even got to joke about it with the audience. They laughed. Good enough.

By the end of the setlist, I was singing louder, my lips weren't shaking anymore, and started to headbang harder. All my nervousness was gone. The setlist was almost over anyway. Might as well enjoy it :)

We received good feedback. Maybe our friends didn't want to say we sucked; but at least they will be giving us a second shot at another show. Great advices like how your nervousness is normal and will probably/hopefully never go away; about our gear; about our sound system and stuff like that were welcome.

Perhaps for our next gig we wont screw up as much, but if we do I'll make sure I enjoyed every second of it. Which is exactly the point ;-)