Babes In Toyland @ The Visulite

Almost 20 years to the day since I last saw Babes In Toyland.  I wish I'd had more opportunity to do so, because this band is still as ferocious as always.

The Visulite is fast becoming my favorite venue in Charlotte.  It is a small club, with a small dance floor area and then an elevated areas with chairs and general standing.  There is no real bad spot to see a show, though its better with a medium sized crowd, like tonight, where you can get up close and not feel claustrophobic.  It is also a 3 minute drive from my house.  Weather was my excuse tonight, but soon I'm gonna walk to a show.

I arrived only moments before Babes In Toyland hit the stage, and got a prime spot right in front of Kat Bjelland's mike.  A new bass player, but the venom of the band was the same as I remember from the Metro in Sydney 20 years ago (Babes toured Australia in conjunction to performing at Livid in Brisbane that year).  He's My Thing kicked off the night and sounded great.  Kat's guitar and voice were of point, and Lori Barbero's relaxed style drumming masked her tight, driving sound.  While I really only remember the songs I know (Bruise Violet, Handsome & Gretel), the whole set was fantastic. The main set finished with Sweet 69, and the crowd soaked it up.  Dust Cake Boy was the brutal encore song and a great topper to energetic noise.

Bjelland still has a great stage presence and that blood curdling scream.  The band seemed very relaxed and were enjoying themselves.  In a smaller venue I think they also seem to enjoy the audience interaction.  I hope it's not another 20 years before I see them again.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 397th concert.
This is my 8th concert at The Visulite.
This is my 41st concert in Charlotte.
This is my 46th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 205th concert in the USA.
This is 2nd Babes In Toyland concert.