Cavalera @ Queen B’s Vinyl Cafe
It’s not often that Arizona receives the start of a tour – that is unless the band lives there, that is. So, to be invited to cover a show at the Queen B Vinyl Cafe for the beginning of the Cavalera World Trilogy Tour was a shock. The punk pack were excited to not only cover a collection of bands we were new to, but the chance to go out of the normal venues we frequent and enjoy a night at Queen B’s. With Dead Heat and Face Pulp opening, it was sure to be a night of new music with new experiences a plenty.
Driving to Cottonwood, we needed a bite before the show. Fortunately, next to the vinyl store is the rest of Queen B’s allure. The Queen B Vinyl Cafe serves food as well as coffee, cider, mead, and wine all made with the Puscifer logo on the label. As far as recommendations, the pack had the Judas burger with the Puscifer Queen B sparkling mead which carries AZ wildflower and honey notes. If you happen to be in the area, we highly recommend stopping by for a drink if not a whole meal.
The meal took a touch longer than expected and we were only able to catch the last song or two of Face Pulp’s set. Though, with what we did hear, Face Pulp is an intense hardcore punk/death metal fusion from Flagstaff, AZ. This is a band the Punk Pack will be keeping an ear out for them in the future for their old school punk vibes.
Following shortly after, Dead Heat took the stage. This band was a real standout for our experience. Hardcore/Thrash band from Oxnard, CA; Dead Heat brings a lot of energy. It was unfortunate that what appeared to be the Queen B’s sound tech shouted to our photographer, “No lights,” which made the rest of our photos too dark to share as the opening bands were not on stage but in front of the stage in the darkness of the audience. It was also to the disappointment of the Dead Heat’s vocals, Chris Ramos, who replied on mic, “We like the light,” which left many of us wondering why this direction came from sound and why Queen B does not say they don’t allow camera lights and push the openers off the stage. We wanted to do right by the openers and cover them as the Punk Pack does everyone else.
As Cavalera took Queen B’s actual stage, the disrespect to the openers became clear. We had moved to the ADA section that had been suggested to us multiple times throughout the night. It’s a nice little spot by sound that gives an excellent view of the bands and stage. Then as Cavalera started, staff encouraged the crows to move up to the stage and completely blocked the view of the ADA seating. Our writer as well as two other attendees in the ADA section voiced displeasure at the situation; though nothing changed. While Caavalera, with the brief view the Punk Pack had, have an amazing sound even though the visuals were almost a complete mystery to the ADA section.
For the Punk Pack’s first trip to Queen B Vinyl Cafe, it may also be our last even though the Pack has friends performing at Queen B’s in the future; it is a hard pass. As delightful the food was, the venue portion of Queen B’s was not only unimpressive but needs work to actually accommodate ADA requests. Until then, It’s a lovely stop if you are a local Cottonwood resident but not worth the drive otherwise.
