The Melvins ‘go berzerk’ at 123 Pleasant Street

The Melvins played a sold-out show at legendary Morgantown venue 123 Pleasant Street Wednesday night.

People were into it.

West Virginia University history student James Fortuna said the show was a dream come true.

"I went inside, and I couldn’t believe the Melvins were playing," Fortuna said. "It was so sick."

The Melvins are a historic rock band best known for influencing Nirvana. They are currently on a tour that will cover 51 cities in 51 days – a feat that may be a first in the music world.

Morgantown marked the group’s West Virginia pit stop, and they made it a good one.

The show began with a slight audio tease, in which Buzz of the Melvins came on stage, picked up his axe and hit the strings with such precision the walls of the venue moved.

People were struck. Mesmerized, Fortuna recalls closing his eyes and letting the music take him away.

"It was like being on cloud nine, only it was cloud 10," Fortuna said.

The show carried on at a mellow pace at first. The Melvins warmed up the crowd with a slow, heavy progression of notes. They built up tension, and while they played, they did not seem afraid to carry on and keep the crowd waiting for the eventual climax.

And once it hit, it hit.

A charismatic young man with curly hair went along with the build of the notes. He began leaping up and down as the excitement drew near, and after a certain point, he moved toward the front of the crowd and linked arms with a buddy.

The band rocked back and forth, egging the crowd on. They wanted chaos.

Nearby members of the audience showed resistance to the curly-haired music lover and pushed back. The shoves were read as menacing. A punch was thrown, and the curly-haired man was struck.

Luckily, though, a fight was snuffed out before it could begin, and the show moved along.

The crowd stood at attention, and heads began to bob.

At moments, the Melvins’ sound would reach its peak, and the riffs would rage on, but overall the band strung out its set into a melodic piece, undermining the expected quick in-and-out thrash experience.

I found it quite intriguing, and it showed these artists as more than just the grunge-punk hybrid they are commonly made out to be.

The night concluded in heavy applause.

A relatively new band known as Tweak Bird took the stage before the main act and impressed the veteran crowd with their own brand of garage rock.

A two-piece band, Tweak Bird’s drummer really stuck out throughout the performance – he was simply fun to watch.

As I left, the show seemed to sink in as quite a unique thing to watch.

Morgantown was lucky to host such an event.