City Arts Fest: Reignwolf @ Laser Dome

all photos by Dave Lichterman

I kept trying to start this post about my experience seeing Reignwolf at the Laser Dome and having to stop because I wasn’t sure where to begin. So let’s start here: I had never seen Reignwolf before, nor had I been to the Laser Dome. I also wasn’t supposed to be at the show, we hadn’t assigned anyone to cover it. But somehow, a few hours before the show began, I found myself catching a bus and heading through the rain over to Seattle Center. And I am so glad we were able to get there - you’ll be able to see in the photos what an amazing performance it was.

We arrived after sound check before the doors opened to what appeared to be many huge speakers at the bottom of the laser dome. The crowd began to fill in with some people taking seats near the back, some laying down on the floor, and still others standing close to the stage - more than once I heard “Should we get close or sit back here and just watch the lights?” I tried to do some of both throughout the show.

As the show started the lasers began to ripple across the ceiling and the sound roared around - the sound never got too loud though. Early on in the show I heard Jordan say something along the lines of “I’m too far away, let’s get closer!” and then saw his head pop up - he had moved onto the speakers. Soon enough he was in the audience letting the guitar wail.

They played a long set - full of the psychedelic rock and roll we love. What was awesome about this show was their level of engagement - they climbed up on the speakers, they sang into the audience, they walked around and leap and yelled and generally sang their hearts out. As a whole the band seemed to be as in awe of their surroundings as the audience, captivated by the brilliant lights that filled the ceiling above. Dripping with sweat as the whole show ended, they said thanks and took a well deserved bow.