Show at Arena Building lets all ages rock out

The Arena Building will play host to an antique show Sunday, but Friday night it was a place to rock.

The venue, provided by the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, was the site of the first OFF!-n-Rage concert put on by OFF! Magazine and Rage 103.7 FM.

The band Battery Kate led the show, playing to a smaller crowd due to their opening slot. Despite having some issues with the sound (much of the guitar was drowned out by the kick drum, which reverberated through the arena) the band stayed tight with their post-emo riffs and toughed it out. Each song drew warm applause, even though the band was visibly frustrated and the crowd was still small.

In the audience, Squeaky Huff and his 6-year-old son, Devon, had been rocking out all night, throwing their pinkies and index fingers up in the air in the classic rock salute while Battery Kate played, encouraging them all the way.

But when Knotted Fear came on, they really went crazy, jumping up and down and headbanging ferociously. Huff has been a Knotted Fear fan from the beginning, and he passed that love on to his son.

"I gave him the demo and he was banging his head and going crazy," said Huff. "I told him when there was a show I could take him to, I would."

The all-ages format allowed Huff to bring his son, who rocked as hard as anyone.

"They got a lot of noises," said Devon of his favorite band.

Knotted Fear's Pantera-esque thrash metal drew many fans, including Cody Arnold, dressed in a black Pantera shirt and a stocking cap with a skull and crossbones on it.

"It's awesome," he said, bobbing his head with his ear right beside the deafening roar of the P.A. system.

As the night progressed, more fans came in, but organizers were just happy to have a show.

"It's amazing that it even came together," said Tara Herbst, a member of Rage's management staff. "It took a lot of hard work to get the show going."

msanders@semissourian.com

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