I bought last minute tickets to Jiluka after hiking all day and having an absurd amount of caffeine. Resale tickets are flat rate and don't have any fees, so I got two tickets for $60! Mom offered to go with me since I had no one to go with, so that's who the other ticket was for. Even though they were only the openers, I was so glad I spontanously went. Their set was AMAZING and I hope they tour the U.S. again so I can see them headline. I also met some super cool fans while I was there! I was so happy to finally meet some vkei fans in real life and not just online.

I met THE Raymond Watts today! I've been a fan of Schwein and KMFDM for about four/five years, so this was a really big moment for me. Just two years ago would've never thought I'd get the chance to see him perform, and now I've had the chance to hold a whole conversation with him. Full disclosure, I cried on the drive home. I was sooo nervous to go to this show, and if you know anything about Ray Watts or PIG you would understand my nervousness. My only exposure to his personality was from interviews circa 1995 etc. Luckily for me, he totally wasn't like that at all anymore! I had such a pleasant conversation with him about how I got into PIG through Schwein, and he even expressed his condolences when I mentioned being a Buck-Tick fan [Atsushi Sakurai, the lead singer of Buck-Tick, died in 2023]. He also signed my CD for me, which I bought that day and hadn't even taken the plastic off of yet. So, now I have a signed PIG CD and picture with Raymond Watts in my room. I got a XXL t-shirt (it was all they had left, the merch girl even asked me "Are you sure?" YES! Yes I am) and a cool mirrored cross necklace with 'PAIN IS GOD' on it. All in all, it was probably the best show of my LIFE! Raymond even grabbed my head like a basketball while he was on stage, which was mildly terrifying. The stage was already as tall as my shoulders, and watching a 6'3" man come at you with both hands on top of it is a bit scary. Worth it though, I felt like I was blessed that night.