I went. Great show. Very crowded, maybe more so than that Saint Vitus show a few weeks back. Earthride opened up and were...loud n' proud.
US Christmas (who are on Neurot Records) were next. If anyone saw that Velvet Lounge show by them a year ago this was a whole new band. They fired the keyboardist and replaced him with a second drummer and a violinist lol. That band barely fits onto any stage they play. Very heavy and hypnotic.
As for Shrinebuilder? Truly amazing. They have grooves that no band of this earth can best. All four members contribute vocals, my favorite being Al Cisneros of Sleep/Om who seems to entrance himself or something. Wino on guitar lead the attack. Dale Crover really brought the pain on those crash cymbals. They played all 5 songs clocking in at 55 minutes. No encores, no jams. The CDs were sent to the wrong venue so no one could get 'em and the T-shirts sold out in a hot second. Will they ever tour again? I feel this was a once-in-a-lifetime show. I hope I'm wrong.