2008 Woodie Awards
Freak show hosts second human suspension show
Bands provide soundtrack to wild night of piercings, suspension show and fire dancing at Airport Bar and Grill
By: Liz Laird
Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Entertainment
Another Friday, another freak show. Preppies, punks, old and young made their way out to the Airport Bar and Grill for Freak Show No. 2 on Friday the 13th.
The front lawn was enclosed with chain link fence covered by black tarps, a backdrop for the heavy metal bands, piercing exhibitions and a fire show.
As the local band Dead in Adam screamed out lyrics and shredded heavy chords in the background, Michael "Brodie" Minor, 21, grabbed some water at the bar indoors.
He was preparing for his upcoming "resurrection" suspension, where he'd get "six hooks in the gut" and be lifted up by them.
Minor had a calm smile on his pierced face as he moved his hand across his blond mohawk and discussed the suspension.
"I've got an ability to do it. Other people don't," Minor said. "I can do it, so why not?"
Outside on the lawn, sitting on a table under a floodlight, Heath McKinney, 20, was getting "mass pierced."
Mass piercing, as Minor described it, is a bunch of single needles pushed through the top layers of skin. The process is known as pleasure piercing because the piercings are temporary and jewelry can't be put in them.
McKinney shivered under his hot pink hair and examined the question-mark-shaped design made with the piercings in his arm.
The piercing didn't hurt, but it was cold, he said.
As Visible Darkness from Reno, Nev., set up its equipment, Sjarif McNeal chatted with the band.
McNeal checked the purple marker dots on his arms to count how many places he would be pierced for the suspension he'd be performing later in the night.
He would be lifted in the air in a "crucifixion" pose, which brought up the question of whether the choice of poses, crucifixion and resurrection, had anything to do with the recent Easter holiday.
"We resisted the urge to have a show on Easter," McNeal said, laughing. "Not all of us are trying to offend people."
Aside from his usual piercing exhibition, McNeal would also participate as the bassist for the Kunst Conspiracy.
Visual Darkness took the stage, did a sound check, and then the outdoor power went out, leaving only the fire pits as lighting.
This caused an impromptu chicken fight between members of the audience and a drum solo.
After about 15 minutes, a single floodlight illuminated the lawn and the band began its set.
The lead singer took off his shirt and stomped around the lawn as a scantily clad Kitty Bailey, who also performed at the last show, performed fire poi.
A brown-haired, shirtless man, Shaun Presley, performed fire breathing to the beat of the band's song. After blowing 4-foot flames into the night sky, he stood on the sidelines and watched the band, smoking a cigarette.
Once the band was done and the Kunst Conspiracy took the stage, things really started to kick off. As the band played its metal and rock mix with synthesizer accents, Presley blew more flames and the human suspensions began.
Minor was suspended, as promised earlier in the evening, in a "resurrection" pose that required six hooks pierced down his belly. His girlfriend, Casara Prouty, was suspended simultaneously in the "lotus" position. Sitting with her legs crossed in front of her, she was pierced in each calf, each knee and twice on her shoulders under her neck. The straps were then laced through her piercings into a circular metal object attached to a crane that looked like a mean wind chime. She was lifted from her chair and swung back and forth to the enjoyment of the wildly cheering crowd.
Once she and Minor were released, they enjoyed a long kiss in front of the audience.
Once the suspensions were over and the Kunst Conspiracy rocked its last song, all audience members under 18 years old were sent home. The show then moved inside, where Blownload took the stage.
During the band's set, contraptions with chains, ropes and handcuffs were put to use by men and women in fetish gear. A woman bound a man in a groin cloth to a wooden structure and then hit another woman with a riding whip.
After a couple of short displays, the dominant and the submissive took a break to watch the show, planning to continue their activities once the band was done.
However, the small audience was so enthusiastic about Blownload that the band was urged into an encore.
During the encore, a rumor quickly spread that police were in the parking lot.
The party was broken up, leaving the S&M practices and heavy music for some other Friday in the future.
Liz Laird can be reached at llaird@theorion.com
The front lawn was enclosed with chain link fence covered by black tarps, a backdrop for the heavy metal bands, piercing exhibitions and a fire show.
As the local band Dead in Adam screamed out lyrics and shredded heavy chords in the background, Michael "Brodie" Minor, 21, grabbed some water at the bar indoors.
He was preparing for his upcoming "resurrection" suspension, where he'd get "six hooks in the gut" and be lifted up by them.
Minor had a calm smile on his pierced face as he moved his hand across his blond mohawk and discussed the suspension.
"I've got an ability to do it. Other people don't," Minor said. "I can do it, so why not?"
Outside on the lawn, sitting on a table under a floodlight, Heath McKinney, 20, was getting "mass pierced."
Mass piercing, as Minor described it, is a bunch of single needles pushed through the top layers of skin. The process is known as pleasure piercing because the piercings are temporary and jewelry can't be put in them.
McKinney shivered under his hot pink hair and examined the question-mark-shaped design made with the piercings in his arm.
The piercing didn't hurt, but it was cold, he said.
As Visible Darkness from Reno, Nev., set up its equipment, Sjarif McNeal chatted with the band.
McNeal checked the purple marker dots on his arms to count how many places he would be pierced for the suspension he'd be performing later in the night.
He would be lifted in the air in a "crucifixion" pose, which brought up the question of whether the choice of poses, crucifixion and resurrection, had anything to do with the recent Easter holiday.
"We resisted the urge to have a show on Easter," McNeal said, laughing. "Not all of us are trying to offend people."
Aside from his usual piercing exhibition, McNeal would also participate as the bassist for the Kunst Conspiracy.
Visual Darkness took the stage, did a sound check, and then the outdoor power went out, leaving only the fire pits as lighting.
This caused an impromptu chicken fight between members of the audience and a drum solo.
After about 15 minutes, a single floodlight illuminated the lawn and the band began its set.
The lead singer took off his shirt and stomped around the lawn as a scantily clad Kitty Bailey, who also performed at the last show, performed fire poi.
A brown-haired, shirtless man, Shaun Presley, performed fire breathing to the beat of the band's song. After blowing 4-foot flames into the night sky, he stood on the sidelines and watched the band, smoking a cigarette.
Once the band was done and the Kunst Conspiracy took the stage, things really started to kick off. As the band played its metal and rock mix with synthesizer accents, Presley blew more flames and the human suspensions began.
Minor was suspended, as promised earlier in the evening, in a "resurrection" pose that required six hooks pierced down his belly. His girlfriend, Casara Prouty, was suspended simultaneously in the "lotus" position. Sitting with her legs crossed in front of her, she was pierced in each calf, each knee and twice on her shoulders under her neck. The straps were then laced through her piercings into a circular metal object attached to a crane that looked like a mean wind chime. She was lifted from her chair and swung back and forth to the enjoyment of the wildly cheering crowd.
Once she and Minor were released, they enjoyed a long kiss in front of the audience.
Once the suspensions were over and the Kunst Conspiracy rocked its last song, all audience members under 18 years old were sent home. The show then moved inside, where Blownload took the stage.
During the band's set, contraptions with chains, ropes and handcuffs were put to use by men and women in fetish gear. A woman bound a man in a groin cloth to a wooden structure and then hit another woman with a riding whip.
After a couple of short displays, the dominant and the submissive took a break to watch the show, planning to continue their activities once the band was done.
However, the small audience was so enthusiastic about Blownload that the band was urged into an encore.
During the encore, a rumor quickly spread that police were in the parking lot.
The party was broken up, leaving the S&M practices and heavy music for some other Friday in the future.
Liz Laird can be reached at llaird@theorion.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Shaun Presley
posted 4/18/07 @ 9:30 AM PST
Haha nice!
Were any pics taken of this show? I'm trying to find any pics of me spitting fire that I can for myspace.
Oh, and just to clerify, it wasn't exactly a rumor about the cops showing up. (Continued…)
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