Last week I found myself armed with a quart of beer and a spiked denim vest on a Metra train headed towards Chicago. A perfectly good way to spend a Thursday afternoon in my opinion, but this was something of a special occasion. After a stop at the first floor of Ogilvie for falafel, I hopped on the red line and made my way to Reggie’s to see Municipal Waste and 3 Inches of Blood.

Unfortunately I arrived late, having expected the first opening band to not go on for at least an hour after the stated show time. Consequentially, I was only able to see the very end of Weekend Nachos’ setlist. Despite my brief exposure, I enjoyed what I heard. Besides, I have respect on principle for a group that includes nachos in their name.

A drink or three later, the second opener, Black Tusk, went on. As a Georgia native, I felt obligated to see this Savannah band. I headed inside and got a good spot on the stairs. Reggie’s has metal staircases leading up to the balcony and coat check. It’s not too high up and not too far back, and overall makes for a good viewing area if you don’t mind fighting for a spot. I decided to stand on the stairs so as to get an uncontested and unobstructed view. This was my first time seeing Black Tusk, and I don’t mosh when seeing bands live for the first time. I did not regret this decision. Black Tusk shifted immediately from setting up equipment to playing with all the energy one hopes for in a metal band. Even if they weren’t any good musically, I would recommend seeing this band live for sheer entertainment value. Fortunately, they were excellent musically, and played like a vigorous, heavier, slightly more Satanic version of Mastodon. I hate to use ‘heavier’ to describe sounds because it seems so generic, but that’s all that comes to mind. Black Tusk has a denser quality to their sound, and they make it work well.

Next was 3 Inches of Blood. I had seen both them and Municipal Waste before, meaning my rule no longer applied. I abandoned my spot on the stairs and moved towards the center of the crowd and waited patiently for my favorite Vancouver band (though reportedly they’re from a rural area surrounding it). The introductory drum and guitar of Deadly Sinners came on, and into the pit I went. As I’ve come to expect, they had an excellent setlist, were engaged with the crowd, and seemed genuinely happy to be playing. Any ego boost that the giant 3 tapestry hanging behind them has manifested in the Manowar-ish zeal for metal that made 3 Inches of Blood successful in the first place.

At this point I stepped outside to watch a non-concert goer who had decided to pick a fight with 2 bouncers get scared off down the road. This was made for good inter-set entertainment, as none of my friends had been able to make it to the show, leaving me there alone. As soon as I heard a guitar being tested I shot inside and was not displeased to see that Municipal Waste began playing as I got a beer and secured a spot.

Municipal Waste. Oh man. Municipal Waste.

This band is definitely in my top 3 for most fun bands to see. Both the guitarist/vocalist and lead vocalist are so full of energy that the audience would be hard pressed not to join them in that regard. They really have a knack for getting the crowd to let loose and turn the entire floor into a fun-spirited mosh pit. Sadly, in the interest of catching the train I had to step out early and missed a personal favorite, Boner City. With such song titles, it’s an odd thought to me that someone could go to a Municipal Waste show and not have fun.

Despite my early departure, I had a great time at this show. It was a great line up, and I’d recommend seeing any of these bands when the opportunity comes up. Not a bad deal at all for $15.