#garyrogers

So boom. 2017. I’m at this metal show — wild, I know — but it was the opener for a Denzel Curry concert and the whole thing was put together by none other than Mikey Alfred and Illegal Civilization. If you know, you know. Mikey’s a genius (I don’t care what anyone says about that $700,000). Back then, he was basically curating the LA version of Kids (you know, the ‘95 cult film), but with more Golf Wang and fewer consequences.

Now, picture me: double XL white tee, red corduroy pants, a burgundy/navy plaid Supreme box logo hat, and some beat black One Stars fresh out the Flower Boy era. I thought I was the flyest dude alive, but let’s be honest, I probably looked like a cartoon character drawn by a kid who just discovered Odd Future in 2011 — which is, in fact, what I was. Odd Future, Tyler, Goblin, all that? That’s what made me pick up a skateboard in the first place. From there it was a domino effect: Supreme Cherry, IC2, Viva La Bam reruns, Jackass chaos, that Billionaire Boys Club Japan skate edit with Terry Kennedy, Nino, and them? I was deep in that culture. And don’t even get me started on Deli Status and Cesar Bugatti (aka Esco) — man’s a fashion god.

Anyway. I pulled up to this show alone, out of pure love for Illegal Civ. I think the film screening happened before the music started, and everyone was sitting on grass like it was a backyard cookout at Tyler’s house. I swear half the crowd was dressed like a Golf Wang catalog come to life. Nico was even there — like Nico. Wild.

Then the music started. The opener was doing numbers, and the pit was violent. Like, not your average rap show “we’re all sardines getting shoved around” type mosh — this was different. Elbows flying, kicks being thrown. I’d never been in anything like it. Long story short, I found myself on the ground in the middle of the pit.

And then… out of the chaos… Gary. Freaking. Rogers. Dude from SKATELINE on Thrasher. No lie. In a Thrasher tee, gold grill shining under the flashing lights, lifts me up like some heroic NPC in a skateboarding RPG. I already clocked him earlier in the crowd, but to have him physically pull me off the ground — save my literal life — was crazy. I remember thinking, “Damn, this man’s hair smells… interesting?” Not bad, just… memorable. The kind of scent that sticks in your mind when you’ve been spiritually reborn in a pit of metal-head madness.

He dipped right after — no convo, no clout grab. Just vibes.

Denzel Curry killed it, by the way. But that was my second time seeing him live, so no offense — the real headliner in my story was Gary Rogers from SKATELINE.

In conclusion: Go to concerts alone sometimes. You might just meet your heroes… or get saved by them in the middle of a mosh pit. Either way, you’ll walk out with a story.