The Magic Stick is an iconic venue for those who grew up in or around Detroit. I personally have seen endless amounts of punk, ska, hardcore, metal, and dance music acts upstairs over the last two decades. This night in particular was one for the record books. 

The Magic Stick lined up 3 solid openers in Bison Machine, Cheapshow, and Dirtwolf, only to be followed by three of the best bands in music today; Fucked Up, Municipal Waste, and The Black Dahlia Murder.  

Fucked Up came on after the 3 local bands finished. Before Damien made his way out to the stage the band got all tuned and started their intro and it kept going for probably longer than normal. I have been waiting to see Fucked Up for years. David Comes To Life literally pulled me out of a very dark period last year and helped me understand defiance and perseverance on a new level. So when they played Queen of Hearts it was no surprise that I would almost tear up.

The set came to a fever pitch and Damien overheard a fan say "Play the fucking Other Shoe" and he went to start the tune and stage management let them know they were over in time. Maybe Damien learned his lesson. The 5 minutes he spent making the packed out crowd wait for him to come from the green room when his band was already playing, could have been spent on a set ending performance of "The Other Shoe". 

Following Fucked Up was the kings of spilled beer Municipal Waste. I say this because I have never seen a band have more beer spilled on the stage and thrown at them than Municipal Waste. So much, that their stagehand spent most of their set on his knees with a bunch of towels trying to dry the Magic Stick stage.

Then came the fucking ladder pit. That wasn't before countless people used the ladder to stage dive into the crowd. From behind the left speaker stack I was photographing and this gigantic dreaded bearded lanky son of a bitch kept pushing me out of the way to stage dive. For a second the dudes in Municipal Waste seemed to think it was the stage manager from SNAFU but alas it was just some dude who had similar features, but about 10 times more drunk.

At this point I made my way out into the crowd to try and get away from being mowed over by this 7 foot tall crusty in which the ladder had made it's way into the pit and even more people were jumping off into what seemed like an abyss of drunken sweaty bearded Detroit beefcakes. Instead, it was the booze drenched floor that most seemed to keep hitting the ground like when I try to jump on a skateboard in my 30s. 

I went to the Majestic post getting Municipally Wasted at the Stick to see Mustard Plug. After their set I rushed back to see The Black Dahlia Murder. In a rush and hurry, I ran right up onto the stage and back behind the speaker wall I had left about 20 minutes prior. That's when I realized I was in the huddle with The Black Dahlia Murder...

Wham began to play over the PA (some few days after George Michael's death) and I didn't say a fucking word. I just listened to them laugh at each other and get pumped before running out onto the stage. This is one of the biggest death metal bands in the world, fucking local heroes to us here in Michigan. They could have easily thrown me off stage (even though I was shooting for the sponsor and was on Jay's Guest-list with a full access pass.) and I wouldn't have contested it. They ripped through their set and I was able to get some shots but not nearly as many as I wanted. You want to shoot but you don't want to give up such a good spot on the stage and the next thing you know the set is over and 500 people are pushing to get into the Majestic for The Suicide Machines set. What a fucking show!

Black Christmas is our Holiday Party for Detroit Punks, Skunks, Hardcore Kids, Metalheads, and every thrashing Detroiter in between. It's where the middle finger is a sign of respect and admiration not as an all out "fuck you" to the recepient

"These photos were originally taken for For The Love of Punk, please follow them and give them some love. I wouldn't have gotten these pics without becoming a photographer for them. So help me give back to them by giving them a follow and like on social media."  - Chris "Sherburt" Smith For the original post please visit For The Love of Punk http://www.fortheloveofpunk.com/review-gallery-black-christmas-detroit/

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© Kimberly Lawson. Please do not repost images without prior consent & proper credit.