When Sparta last toured through the gray (or is it “great”?) city of Dallas, I got sort of ripped off. My roommate told me to be at the venue at 9:30 p.m. sharp. I got there right in time – for Sparta’s last song.
Luckily, it was the song “Air” from the band’s 2002 full-length debut album, “Wiretap Scars” (the only album that all Sparta listeners generally tend to agree on as “good”; the other two are up for healthy debate). When my roommate redeemed himself by informing me of Sparta’s return, I accepted the mission.
A band called Aloha opened. This band had a very solid sound, but one that I’ve heard countless times over; they combined nice dance-style drum beats with guitars that sunk beneath the noise.
The guys seemed a little too relaxed, and it was a very uninteresting performance to watch. I was ready for them to leave the stage; solid does not necessarily mean entertaining.
To my surprise, Sparta’s road crew then hoisted a large stage. I expected Sparta to be headlining, as they were arguably the most popular group on the bill.
I was really caught off guard to find that they would be playing a shorter set. It turned out to be better that way – not even ten minutes into the set, Sparta’s lead singer Jim Ward snapped at a crowd surfer who had apparently washed up onstage to stay off and stop crowd surfing. He said he’d throw the perpetrator out himself (though his words were a bit spicier).
All I could think was: What? Most bands are grateful to work people into a frenzy. It’s part of the rock concert experience, as Mr. Jim Ward should understand.
He got his big break as a founding member of indie band At The Drive-In, a group that never would have succeeded without a legion of devoted followers (many of them crowd-surfing connoisseurs).
Ward tried to make himself seem like a hero, pointing out all of the people that were getting kicked along the way. I now wish I had had a sign that said “JERK” in huge block letters, but none were at my disposal.
There’s a very simple, unspoken rule at rock concerts: if you’re in the front, anything goes. Especially at a GWAR show (if you’re not familiar with GWAR, Google them).
I guess the guy had a point, though; who in their right mind would crowd surf during a Sparta set?
The band’s sound is not altogether heavy, relying instead on electronic, experimental, and otherwise less-than-conventional sounds with the occasional hard-hitting screamed-out chorus.
However, I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. Part of it had to do with Gypsy’s sound system, which never does vocals justice, and part of it had to do with the lead singer’s undying arrogance.
In fact, after one particular song he actually thanked the audience for not singing along. The less enthusiastic concertgoers who had drifted to the back seemed to be muttering their complaints along with me. Respect points lost, Jim.
Now that I’ve gotten all of my complaints out of the way, I would like to commend the band for putting on a pretty decent performance.
They managed a great mix of songs both old and new, though most of us in attendance were dying to hear “Cut Your Ribbon”, one of Sparta’s liveliest, heaviest, not to mention most popular songs.
Déjà vu hit me like a ton of feathers when the band closed their set with “Air” once again (as I headed out the door). It just wasn’t as good the second time around. I was too busy fighting the itch to crowd surf.
