In the span of a little over a week, I saw two artists who couldn’t have less to do with each other—but were both thoroughly enjoyable: Roy Blair, an alt-pop artist with a very young and conventionally dressed concert crowd, and Kreator, a German thrash metal band from the ‘80s filled with a bunch of men in their 50s who could’ve been dressed as a biker gang. Kreator performed at the Ramova Theatre on May 20, and Roy Blair played Outset on May 29.
Kreator was technically my second metal show, as I had seen Poppy in 2020 pre-COVID. I went with my dad, though, and I was not about to rush into a mosh pit with him. I made sure to get the full experience this time. I went with my friend, who has far more experience going to metal shows than I do. Metal is not my vibe, but ultimately, I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.
Going in, I knew virtually nothing about Kreator. After reading up on them a little bit, I found that they’re a German thrash metal band that originated in 1982. Mille Petrozza, Kreator’s frontman, is the only member to have been with the band from the start. When their first album, Endless Pain, was released in 1985, Petrozza was only 18 years old. Throughout the years, Kreator has explored various genres and has been Germany’s Metallica equivalent.
With Kreator being a metal band from the ‘80s, I pretty quickly discovered that my friend and I were among the youngest people in the venue. If I had to guess, most people there were in their 40s and 50s. The theater was filled with fans with hair going far past their shoulder blades, donning black denim jackets littered with band patches sewn all over. I knew I was in the right place if I wanted to experience a real metal show.
My friend and I were upstairs near the merch tables when the first band started. All I heard was the thumping guitars and muffled yelling from the vocalist. I immediately looked over at my friend with my mouth agape. We made our way downstairs, and my earplugs felt like novelties. While I had ringing in my ears for a while after the show, it was worth it.
When Kreator came on, I was instantly transported back to the ‘80s with their outfits and set—it was epic. Petrozza sounded as good as ever. The concert was far from sold out, but the people who were there were absolutely locked in to the show. While I participated in my first wall of death, it’s hard to call it a real wall of death because there were probably a dozen people max. A wall of death typically consists of two large crowds running at each other, making a “wall” of sorts. This was a weak one. That being said, I still fell.
I highly recommend the Ramova Theatre—it has great rock acoustics, which is perfect for metal concerts. One advantage of the venue is its parking; even for those who don’t buy parking beforehand, there is more than enough street parking nearby. I thoroughly enjoyed my first true metal experience. It’s been one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time.
As for Roy Blair, I had been waiting to see him ever since a friend recommended this artist to me back in 2023. I hadn’t previously heard “Thunder,” his most recognizable song, but I swiftly fell in love with his music. “Cat Heaven,” his debut record, is a snapshot into the bedroom pop era where artists like Rex Orange County, Mac DeMarco and Clairo were raiding everyone’s Spotify playlists. While I don’t necessarily deem Roy Blair to be bedroom pop, he certainly fits that mold.
As much as I liked “Cat Heaven,” it wasn’t until his 2024 album, “Chasing Moving Trains,” which was released a whopping seven years after “Cat Heaven,” that I had really fallen in love. “Chasing Moving Trains” was released five days after Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia.” I was in Japan when both of those albums came out, so they both carry an immense amount of sentimental value since they soundtracked my entire trip.
With such a sizable gap between releases, it wouldn’t be a stretch to guess that he would’ve lost a bit of the fanbase he had built up in the early stages of his career. Thankfully, the turnout for his scattered U.S. shows in the last year has proven his fanbase is alive and real.
As soon as I entered the venue, everyone I talked to was extremely nice. I spoke with numerous fellow Roy Blair fans, some of whom had travelled from New York or Los Angeles to come to this show. The show was almost sold out.
Roy Blair’s opener, Jack Larsen, is a substitute teacher for Chicago Public Schools, which is a pretty cool side gig. He put on a great opener with amazing vibes. Then Roy Blair came on and performed an amazing show. The setlist was (almost) everything I could’ve asked for. He played a mix of songs from “Cat Heaven,” “Graffiti” and “Chasing Moving Trains.” While he didn’t play some songs I had been hoping to hear, such as “Dennis” or “Lightleak,” he played “Rain,” my favorite song.
Roy Blair’s stage presence was not game-changing by any means, but he still put on a fantastic show. There was a point during “Chasing Moving Trains” when he botched the lyrics and restarted the entire song. While that certainly isn’t unknown for artists to do, it made me respect his dedication to putting on a good show.
The crowd at Roy Blair was the best crowd I’ve experienced in a really long time. Everybody I talked to was really chill. Everybody was ultra respectful. The vibes were absolutely immaculate. The crowd was into it when more energetic songs, such as “Strawberry,” were performed, and everyone was locked in for more sentimental songs, such as “Chasing Moving Trains” or “Garden.” It was such a great experience.
While Kreator and Roy Blair have absolutely nothing to do with each other—and there’s a decent chance both have never heard of the other—they both created unforgettable experiences for me. With being to over 70 shows in a relatively short period of time, my bar is pretty high. It’s safe to say, though, that I was pretty happy with both shows.
