UTG PHOTOS: Snails with Must Die! in Grand Rapids, MI (03/05/16)

March 14th, 2016

Benjamin Howell

snails feature1

Snails came trailing through The Intersection on March 5 for the Enter Slugz City Tour and we were fortunate enough to receive a last-second call to cover the show. After one of the most anxious, hour-and-a-half drives of my life, I arrived at the venue shortly after Grimebag stepped off stage. Must Die! had already begun his set and the venue was completely packed from the first step in the door. This was by far the most diverse crowd that I had ever encountered at a show. Everyone was painted up and had their own unique rave accessories to throw around.

Must Die!_

The booming house music could be heard from well down the street, so by the time I made it into the venue my body was trembling from the bass. Every step closer to the stage made me wonder which would kill me first, physically shaking apart or falling into a seizure from the insane light show. The fans in the front row were entirely willing to knock each other unconscious from headbanging to the beat. I felt like I had entered a twilight zone that existed somewhere between a rave party and a war zone.

Snails-13

When Snails took the stage, every person in the venue made it their mission to get to the front row. Without ever missing a headbanging beat, the troopers in the front defended their positions with blood. Within ten minutes of his set starting the security had to reposition the barriers and escort a girl off to the side of the photo pit because she had a busted nose and her belly button ring was ripped out. Surprisingly, she wasn’t a bit interested in leaving the show so she earned herself a special sidestage view. The performance was every bit as powerful as the atmosphere in the room. With more bass, more lasers, and more flying glowsticks, the intensity of this show never seemed to stop growing.

Snails-18

Towards the end of Snails’ performance, Must Die! took the stage to join him in an incredible b2b execution that massacred the whole crowd. The fans in the front row were now corpses that just draped over guardrails. Everyone—crowd and artists included—had given it their all and the result was one of the most exhilarating shows that I have ever had the privilege to capture. At the end of the night, I was asked to do my first ever “family photo” where I took a quick shot of Snails and Must Die! with the seemingly endless crowd at The Intersection. This show proved to be an invaluable learning experience and one of the wildest I have ever been to. Check out our full gallery of images below! (Click the images to view them full-size)

snails end