The night we found ourselves in Hell was a good one. Tense with anticipation for the main event, the crowd packed the building. Frank Iero’s fans spanned generations and genres, which is fitting as the man has been making music for nearly twenty years at this point. Luckily, there was no drama over “real” fans and everybody in attendance was there for Iero himself, and not the legacy of his past acts. Some may have been around for his MCR days, but this night was for him and his original work.
As the only opening act, Silent Rival has a very big job to do- The crowd was there for Frank, and everybody knew it. Despite this, they were able to sweep the crowd along in their journey, and certainly earned a fair number of new fans. Frontman Cody, with her comfortable demeanor and confident display of her skill, was a vision to watch. The band was dynamic without trying too hard and engaged well with the crowd, playing on the gate, and getting the crowd to sing along somehow overcoming the fact that they didn’t yet know the words. One lucky concert-goer even got to keep the black glove Cody wore on her left hand. As their set was over, visibly grateful for the positive reaction of the crowd, they surrendered the stage with aplomb to the reason we all were there.
Frank Iero and The Patience Photo Gallery
Frank and his band took the stage and immediately set to making the walls bleed with their intense energy. The pace they set was high, and they managed to keep it that way for the duration of the show. Admittedly, the fans were already frothing at the mouth for their taste of Iero, but he delivered on their hopes and more. Many had arrived with pre-made signs, and many others held paper plates bearing messages, which were all made by a young girl who had been in waiting in line the whole day and used them as an opportunity to stave off boredom. Frank was gracious and grateful for the love, inviting them to throw the signs on stage (many took him up on the offer), which started a deluge of items being pelted in his direction, including a thankfully poorly thrown fidget spinner which managed to miss hitting anyone in the head.
With a fan base as rabid and devoted as this, it was surprising that Frank Iero is booking spaces as small as the Hell stage at The Masquerade, but perhaps the problem is exposure. These people already knew something that I was just discovering, but I am proud to call myself a convert. If you find Frank Iero and the Patience at a venue near you, it would be well worth your time.
