On the eve of a deep freeze that is supposed to bring record-breaking cold temperatures across the country, we reminisce about our own very first experience with extreme weather. 'Twas the Saturday before Christmas 2009, and Family of Love was rehearsing here in the afternoon. This was a special occasion, like most Family of Love gigs around that time; geography had prohibited some of its core members from getting together that often. When canceling the show didn't seem like an option, a consensus was reached that we would "play ball" until we got snowed out. Weather predictions had been wrong so many times before and hyped up dozens of snowstorms that went way soft-- it was a risk everyone was willing to take.

Shortly after the show was under way, we were quickly being proved very wrong-- a rare occasion that the weatherman may have underestimated. Everyone that night had a fairly split decision to make-- to get out while you still could or run the risk of being indefinitely snowed in. The stakes of this decision were particularly high, as this was a time before there was heat of any kind at Shea. Those who left probably had a nice, cozy, warm evening. Those who stayed would rock (or get rocked) in their winter coats. Thankfully, Family of Love rose to the occasion and brought up the temperature at the Stadium that night with a blistering set, led by the endless thrashing of NYC drum guru Greg Fox and the searing riffs and screamage of O.G. Shea all-star (and then Liturgy bandmate) Tyler Dusenbury. A lot of people trekked it home in the elements afterwards, and a lot of people had to crash on the couch-- but courtesy of the Fam's performance (and the hot toddies supplied by SDJ alum Hard Nips) they all did so extremely satisfied.

Thinking we may have had to call off the show at some point, we had decided to forego our normal mic set up for recording, opting instead to place a single microphone at the back of the room pointed towards the stage. The fact that all of those big, heavy sounds fit into one tiny microphone is one of the more baffling concepts in the archives. And although this was the Family's first and last performance at Shea, Tyler has since come out of retirement to bring his dust-bowl psych project A.M. Gems to life at Shea-- a memorable night in it's own right, ironically taking place on a 90 degree day in June. Here's to hoping this set can have the same effect some four years later, and bring a little heat to what could be 2014's coldest day. -AR