Revisiting our sold out show (and running it back 1 year later)

This post was originally published by Kirk on Facebook on May 15th, 2025. We wanted to revisit this blog and share it here as we will be joining Slackjaw (again) with Raven at Exit/In on May 1st 2026 in Nashville, TN. Could be a show for the ages.

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Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of playing my first sold out show in Nashville.

Titans of Siren opened for Slackjaw, and it was one of the most surreal experiences of my life.

As a band playing with a well-known band like Slackjaw, we were hoping that there would be a good turnout, but we truly didn't know what to expect heading into the show. That tone changed quickly when the band received notice earlier in the day from The Cobra (venue) that the show was sold out. SOLD OUT!

We showed up to the Cobra at 5:30pm and started loading our gear and merch in. All of the other members of the bands were extremely nice and wished us an amazing show, which was very kind of them. Being on the road can be draining, and sometimes bands just want to hang out in the green room and deflate. I have no problem with that, and I never feel any disrespect towards bands that grind away and just need some alone time.

Anyway, with Titans being the opener, we were the last band to soundcheck. This was so that we could keep all of our gear on stage for our set.

After we got done sound checking at 7 pm. The door guy, Richard (amazing guy and great advocate for Titans of Siren), came to ask the sound guy (can't remember his name, sorry) if he was good to "let them in."

I'm thinking, "Let who in?" No one shows up when the doors open for shows unless you're playing a bigger club. When we got to the Cobra for sound check, the place was empty. We figured the bar outside the venue room was still empty like it was the hour previously during load-in. It was cool that there were a few people who were excited for the show and came to the venue an hour before the opener went on. Granted, I was sure that there were only a few people waiting at the door.

Well, the doors to the venue opened...1 person walked in, 2 people walked in, 3 people...10 people...25 people...50 people.

My heart started pounding, and I had to get out of there for a minute.

I walked across the street (while avoiding more people coming into the venue) to the Walgreens for some fresh air and to grab a Celsius. I remember drinking my energy drink on the sidewalk in front of the Walgreens while staring at the Cobra. The line to get in the venue was wrapped around the outside of the venue and stretched well into the parking lot. I had never seen anything like it.

Going into a sold out show as a local band, you put a lot of pressure on yourself. Every musician daydreams about playing to a screaming sold-out crowd. Well...

What if we don't play well? What if we don't sound good? Will the crowd like us? Will they hate us? Will anyone actually be watching? Will the crowd enjoy our stage presence and antics? What if we don't pass this "sellout crowd" litmus test that was aced by every great band to ever exist?

8pm hit, and it was showtime. The second the house music stopped and lights dimmed down, we began walking on stage to the song "I'm a Flamingo" by Marc Rebillet. The song symbolizes an inside joke within the band. It's a ridiculous song, and it fully embodies the silliness and fun energy we like to bring to the stage. Much to my relief and excitement, the crowd roared.

What transpired over the next hour was something that I can only describe as an adrenaline-fueled blur. You always hear performers use the cliche "We fed off the crowd's energy" to heighten their performance. Well, we had the crowd chanting, moshing, clapping, singing along, etc. Folks at the bar outside of the venue told us afterwards that they could feel the building shaking.

The picture here is during our song "Nothing Wrong With It." My buddy, Gray, was kind enough to hop on stage and play my guitar while I was solely focused on screaming and working the crowd.

I was nervous going into the song due to the fact that I'd never been in a situation where I've stood on stage with JUST a mic in my hand. I've always been behind drums or a guitar. I told myself that even if I feel uncomfortable, I have 2 mins and 30 seconds (the duration of the song) to make an impression.

Well, the song started, and I don't know why, but I went absolutely feral. I was jumping off stage, bouncing off people, giving high fives and trying to be as noticeable and energetic as I could. Funny enough, my mic came unplugged through the first verse after I jumped off stage. We always have gear malfunctions at Titans shows, so this was par for the course. I tell myself that it's good having organic hiccups during shows. It's rock & roll after all.

I couldn't tell you what part of the song this photo was captured, but I'll love it forever due to the fond memories it holds for me. The memory of being scared, nervous, heart pounding, and proving to myself that we belong on the stage. The memory of embodying the song I wrote, and going for it. I wrote this song in high school. I would have made my 16 year-old self so proud. So, thank you Derek Jones for the great picture.

After more great songs and crowd interaction, the show came to an end. It felt like a fever dream as I stared out into a sellout crowd cheering us on as we ended the set. Waves of hands applauding all the way to the back of the room.

Taking our gear off stage was a rush. Our instrument cases were in the very back of the venue room, so walking back and forth through the crowd was filled with pats on the back, high fives, and lots of people screaming hilarious profanity-laced compliments: "THAT SH*T WAS F***ING AMAZING!" I was ecstatic.

After packing up, it was such a pleasure talking with new fans at our merch table. We signed so many shirts, CD's, cassettes, and took TONS of pictures with numerous new supporters. We felt like celebrities.

Like any musician grinding away in Nashville, our night ended with the show ending + an encore. We packed up merch, went to our respective homes, and went to bed. We were exhausted and all had to work the next morning.

If you've read this til the end, I really appreciate it. I'll have fun re-reading this in 6 months when I'm randomly thinking about this show.