One night in Purgatory.

First came load-in. If you ever hauled gear into the North Avenue location, you probably remember that old, janky lift. These days, you trade the lift ride for what feels like a half-mile walk through the tunnels of Underground Atlanta. Nothing like a little cardio before a set. Luckily, the venue had plenty of hands available to help get our gear and merch inside.

We met the other bands and started getting our gear ready while they soundchecked. We were the only band on the bill rocking old-school amps, so naturally, it looked like we’d brought about ten times as much gear as everyone else combined. I almost felt like I needed to explain why we hadn’t switched to modelers. We just kept bringing in more stuff.

Our soundcheck went well, and afterward, we hung out backstage swapping stories until it was time to open the night.

Then we walked to the side of the stage and saw the crowd.

The room had completely filled up.

You spend so much of the afternoon focused on moving gear, getting set up, and making sure everything works that you almost forget about that part. Seeing everyone out there made it real. We got together for a quick huddle and pep talk, got ourselves fired up, and took the stage.

For me, all that excitement and anxiety settles down once the first note hits and I know everything is working. From there, it’s a complete blur.

Which is a pretty good argument for bringing people with cameras. Haha.

I could make this post twenty pages long trying to cover every moment and every band’s set, but I’ll let the photos and videos tell the rest of the story.