As Time Stands Still - Tempos

After much begging, bribing, indecisions, people deciding not to go or making other plans, Ferdi, Shawn and I went to Tempos to see iNeRsHa, Chromium and other bands. I was quite happy I had gotten my way. After last Saturday’s complete blackout of Chromium at my birthday bash, I had to make up for lost time and see the boys again. The fact that iNeRsHa were also playing was an added bonus.

On the way to Tempos we saw the most horrific accident on Hans Strydom. A car had run over a pedestrian, who flew into the car’s windshield. As we passed the accident, we saw the body was still there, and for some reason his pants were pulled down – not sure if they had come off during the accident. It was horrible to see and I couldn’t get that image out of my head. I still cant. What a horrible way to die.

When we got to Tempos, Knave was ready to start. I hadn’t expected to see them there as they were not advertised on the flyers. But nonetheless, it was cool to see them again. Soon after, the iNeRsHa boys arrived but I was a bit apprehensive about saying hi to them at first (who knows what they thought after I made an ass of myself last week!). But as soon as I got a wave from Kerran, I waited a bit then went round for a chat with him. He didn’t even know I had drunk all that shit, so at least that was cool. He told me he had really enjoyed the party. Cool.

Then the guys from Chromium arrived. Again, I felt a bit shy but I decided, screw that, and went to say hi to Adrian, the bassist. He seems to be the quietest of the four and not a man of many words but it was nice chatting to him anyway. I asked him about the Modderfudd gig that they played at earlier that day and he said they had the most amazing sound ever – wish I could have been there to hear it! I then caught Jared’s attention and first thing he said to me was that I looked a bit intimidated. Well, after last Saturday, of course I am gonna feel a bit intimidated! Who knows what these guys think of me now! But he said that there was nothing wrong with the way I acted, it was my birthday, I am supposed to get drunk. Phew. Relief.

Next band that came on was Libido. I was surprised to see that the bassist was one of the guys that did the sound at my party. They weren’t bad at all and even did a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. It was too hot to stand near the stage so I stood further away where it was cooler. Chromium’s drummer, Hannes, then came over to say hi. I told him I was there to see them play since I don’t remember their performance last Saturday so he was sweet to say that they would play for me that night. Awwwww. I was cheeky enough to ask him for his drumsticks when he was done with them, he agreed but I decided not to pester him for them after the gig since it was a new pair.

After 2 drinks I decided to switch to water. Not only was I thirsty but I was damned determined not to get pissed again. On my third trip to the bar, I ran into Matt, my favourite Chromium member. I always love a man who can scream, haha. Now here I had a really nice chat. I told him how disappointed I was about my blackout, waking up the next morning with no recollection of their performance and how idiotic I felt about the way I introduced him – and that there was a video of it. He laughed and told me that I shouldn’t feel embarrassed as you only turn 21 once. I almost did a double-take there – 21 once? Shit, this guy seriously thought I was 21!!!!! Cant believe he fell for the whole 21st party thing! Didn’t he read the small print that said “Again” on my 21 badge that I wore that night? Haha.

I was stupid enough to tell him that I am not really 21, but actually 27. His mouth dropped and he felt like a real twit for thinking I was 21. I reassured him he wasn’t one as I had told everyone that I was turning 21 again – obviously he didn’t catch the “again” part (hmmmm, no wonder he offered me “anything I wanted” at my party….). He flattered me even more by saying “well, in any case, you look 21 to me”. I felt like kissing him right then and there, but I opted for a “safer” hug. How sweet is he? I reminded him that he hadn’t given me his pick last week. He thought he had, but like Jared, he confuses me with Berny a lot (though Berny swears she didn’t get his pick either. So who did?).

Finally iNeRsHa came on. It was Sean’s last performance so they went all out. They were kick ass! They had a nice big crowd there and one of the best mosh pits I have seen in a while. Even though I was standing right on the edge, I had to keep moving back to avoid the heavy masses flying about. I phoned Berny and let her listen for a bit. It was sad not having her there. I always have more fun (and courage) when she is around.

After they finished I could tell that they were running late. There were still 3 bands left to play, and midnight was getting closer and closer. For the next band, 6 Hours till Sunday (it was more like one hour, haha), we decided to sit down and watch cause we were moeg. They weren’t that bad though. Had I had more energy I would have moved about a bit. I then felt a tap on my head and I was ready to moan at the person who did so (I hate being tapped on my head) when I turned around and saw that it was Fred from iNeRsHa. Lucky bastard. I let him get away with it, haha. I felt I was a bit rude with him though. Tired as I was, I didn’t get up to speak to him. I just said hi. He told me he would hug me but he was sweaty. Poor thing. I didn’t really know what to say to him so he said bye and walked away. Must remember to speak to him next time.

Then Hokum (ex-Marlowe) came on and I was quite disappointed with their performance. Too mellow. They were much better the last time I saw them. I stood there next to the few people in the audience and watched Chromium waiting in the sidelines. They were anxious to get on stage. So was I. I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on for. Despite being dead sober, I felt extremely dizzy. My body is still recovering.

It was obvious that everyone was pressed for time as most of the bands were cut short. Most only played about 4 or 5 songs. Finally, the moment I was waiting for arrived as Chromium got ready on stage. I went to the front and stood right by Matt. I waved to him and he gave me the thumbs up. I filmed a few of their songs but I cursed myself for forgetting to charge my camera’s batteries. They went flat almost immediately so I didn’t get to film as much as I wanted.

I felt very weak and tired but I tried my best to headbang a bit – all I could manage was moving my head slowly up and down, trying to stick to the beat. The mosh pit got a bit violent again and I almost went flying next to the tables, twice. Before I knew it, they were forced to finish. They would have gladly played one more song as you could see the guys were enjoying themselves on stage, they work so well together. But the sound guys told them to pack it up as it was already 1am and they were ready to close. What a bummer.

I was reluctant to leave, but Shawn and Ferdi were already on their way out. I walked over to Matt to say bye. He extended his fist to me, which I completely fucked up – I was going to high-fi him for some dumb reason. So we tried that one more time, both extending our fists this time. Why do I always do such dumb things? I apologized and said that I was sleepy already. He said he had noticed while they were playing. Shit, he was watching me standing there looking like a zonked out zombie! I told him I need to find the right combination of soberness-drunkedness in order to have a good time. No kidding! Berny, help me out here!!! So finally I said bye as Ferdi came back to fetch me and slowly walked out.

After the mission I went through to get someone to go with me to Tempos, who knows when I will see these boys again. I could never get tired of watching them play. Their stage presence is awesome. But I am glad I got to see them tonight.

Now I need to get my bloody licence!!!!