‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ — Buffalo Hardcore Show Endures, Builds Community Along the Way

(An 1120 Press Op-Ed) — Saturday’s hardcore show at LaSalle Skate Park was one of those life-affirming moments that only music can make happen.

And it almost didn’t happen… at least not the way organizers envisioned.

But that’s the thing about Buffalo Hardcore: It endures. It always has. And it always will.

Saturday’s show, organized by Owen Jones of Selfish Act and featuring Buffalo’s

Juggernaut with Bad Bet (Hamilton), Pure Bliss (Syracuse) and Bruiserweight (Montreal), was supposed to take place inside the skate bowl at LaSalle Park. But a lone BMXer had other ideas. He wouldn’t allow it. He refused to give up the bowl.

Hardcore shows inside the skate bowl are nothing new. And we don’t need to tell you, of course, the skating/BMX and hardcore/punk families are closely related. You’d think there’d be some kind of unspoken bond. But that wasn't the case. (Let's be clear, the BMXer had every right to his position. It's also worth noting he was virtually the only one using the bowl throughout the entirety of the day. It wasn't necessarily in demand.)

Initially, in wake of the BMXer’s refusal, there was some question on where the show would be held. But ultimately it was decided if the show wasn’t going to take place inside the bowl, then it was going to happen on its very edge. And so it did. And what happened afterward was perhaps cooler than anyone attending yesterday could’ve imagined.

The spectacle of bands and crowd drew West Side kids from other parts of the park. Many of them had never heard hardcore music before and could make little sense of what was happening. They were curious. They were interested. And ultimately, they joined in.

The hardcore community welcomed the newcomers with open arms. We witnessed veterans of the scene teaching the newcomers how to two-step and how to protect themselves in the pit. Bands made it a point to welcome the newbies at the start of their sets. It was very cool.

Of course, it was not all Kumbaya. There was a moment when worlds collided, and order had to be restored. But that’s not necessarily rare at shows, and the spirit of community moved in swiftly and peace quickly prevailed.

As for the music, Bad Bet, Pure Bliss and Bruiserweight played stone-cold killer and full-throttle sets. The day was made even better by brief surprise sets by Jeweltone and Selfish Act which kept the crowd energized as showgoers joined together for communal vocals on ‘Visions of Heaven’ and ‘Kill (YS),’ respectively. Juggernaut then brought the day to a close with a Masters-class performance (which was almost derailed mid-way through by a blown bass head before Pure Bliss stepped in to save the day).

Meanwhile, the lone BMXer rode essentially alone, save for a periodic skater here and there.

And so it goes.

Who knows: Maybe some kid from the West Side yesterday who never heard of

hardcore before will now become a lifelong fan. Maybe someday they’ll start a band. Maybe that band will be next the Snapcase or the next Terror or the next whoever.

On the edge of the LaSalle Park Skate Bowl Saturday, Buffalo Hardcore endured. Community was fostered. It was a good day.

It was life affirming — in the way that only music can make happen.

(See Our Gallery Below of Images from Saturday's show)

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