Mega Ghost - Lightning Bolt
Lightning bolt have the ability to play without constraints. They come with their own speakers and PA, where possible setting up their equipment anywhere but on a stage.
A good example of this was at an ATP I didn’t go to curated by Sonic Youth. Lightning Bolt couldn’t make (or chose not to play) their allotted slot - instead while everyone was watching Sonic Youth play on the main stage they got out their gear and set up at the back of the room. When Sonic Youth finished their set Lightning Bolt - with a massive crowd around them - started playing.
This uninhibited, play when and where you please makes their live performances very exciting but problematic - I either couldn’t get to them or found out about it too late, a lot. At the first ATP festival attended by both myself and Lightning Bolt, I was aware of them playing on three occasions - once at (but not on) the small stage, once in the pub and once in some random’s chalet. I missed them every single time.
On the second festival where our paths crossed, I managed to make it to the same room that they were playing in on one occasion. Due to a problem with their PA, they didn’t actually play. Finally, at the 10 year anniversary festival, I was determined and not going to miss them. I actually watched them twice that weekend - mostly due to their playing their allotted time slots on the allotted stage and actually on the stage.
This was in the smallest venue and despite being forced to play behind the barrier they were as close as they could possibly be to the crowd. I imagine normally there is some considerable restraint with a crowd with no barrier between them and the band to prevent careering into the drum kit if nothing else. To pop my lightning bolt cherry I got as close as I could politely get and when they started playing I nearly died. I’m not a mosh pit kind of guy but listening to them play a few feet away was a great deal different to watching from the balcony. Then my glasses were flung off my face. After a bit of blindly scrambling around (more because of darkness and bodies rather than bad vision) I found my glasses amazingly unscathed. A couple of songs in I had experienced Lightning Bolt and was starting to get a little sore - I retreated to safety for the rest of the gig.
