Insomnium @ Thee Parkside
@insomniumband
Insomnium @ Thee Parkside in San Francisco with replacements Nick Cordle and Mike Bear
Insomnium was missing a couple of their members on this tour. Their substitutes were good, and the crowd did not seem to be smaller or less appreciative. In fact the crowd was way too large for the venue. The listed capacity of Thee Parkside is 250. However, that includes the restaurant which is larger than the stage area. When a band goes on everyone from the restaurant goes in to see the band. That means there are 250 people packed into a place that doesn’t reasonably hold more than about 70. It was impossible to move.
The employees of Thee Parkside were all nice, but you don’t want to play here as a traveling band if you expect a crowd larger than, say, 80 or so. The lighting was minimal, only a few small red lights. The stage is small and only a foot, or so, off the ground so if you aren’t in the front row, you can’t really see the band. Even though it was in the 60s outside, the inside had no ventilation or A/C so it felt like a sauna. I’d be surprised if the indoor temperature while the bands played was under 100 degrees.
