Thomas looked highly energized, so much that I was almost suspicious. Surely he hadn’t … done anything, substance-wise? There was no way to ask without pissing him off, and I liked him better like this, whatever the cause. We watched the set from a defensive position in the back of the scrum, shoving flailing kids back into the pit and helping fallen girls and large men alike off of the increasingly slippery floor. Fall to Shadows weren’t bad, despite their unfortunate nu-metal vibe and the fact that I wasn’t at all sure what they were on about. (“I lament (?) you from my—[shaking? shaven?]—chest [____], WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”) When they finished, we ambled to the bar like victorious athletes and gulped water.

Thomas spent the keyboard-heavy, sparsely attended Secret Keepers set bobbing on his toes and opening and closing his fists while I bopped along, too, semi-bored. Seconds after they finished—“You guys are fucking awesome, EOB is up next, everybody be safe out there”—the men in suits started pressing forward, pushing us up to the front of the stage.

“Are you cool with this?” Thomas said.

“We’re here, right?” I said.

We were surrounded by pinstripes and solemn, shiny heads. Some of the suit jackets had been decked out with punk stuff—metal studs, anarchy-symbol pocket handkerchiefs—but most were anonymous, which, as intended, just made them more intimidating. A roadie in a suit came onstage.

“CHECKKKKKKKKKKK!” he screamed, neck veins bulging. He pointed upward. Louder. “CHECKCHECKCHECK CHECKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.” He pointed upward again. “CHECK MOTHERFUCKING CHECK,” he screamed. “CHECK DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DIE DIE.” This got big cheers.

Then, without further warning, the band was onstage, hurriedly plugging cords into guitars. We were right up against the metal barrier in front of the stage, and I felt hands pressing into my back and shoulders, urging me to create space where there was none.

“All right, motherfuckers, you know who the fuck we are,” the lead singer said. “We don’t want nobody getting killed tonight. But if there’s, uh, a little damage along the way, who’s to say we won’t be a little stronger for it? This is ‘Variation on a Spectacle,’ let’s go.”