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On Oct. 7, Midwest Takeover Fest returned for its second year at the Showcase Skate Park in Rogers. The unique festival featured underground metal and hardcore bands from all around the Midwest.

This year, After the Burial claimed the headlining position with other Minnesota bands including With Dead Hands Rising, Nostalia, and Said the Shotgun to the Head playing before them.

Aside from the obvious lineup changes, there were a few other variations from last year.

“There were 400 kids there; over double last year’s attendance,” said After the Burial’s vocalist and Midwest Takeover Fest’s organizer, Nick Wellner. Not only did the show sell out, but it sold out in only 45 minutes, before the second band had a chance to get off stage.

Though this may seem like excellent news, it came at a lofty price. “We had to prevent re-entry for a while, people were doing whatever they could to get in,” Wellner continued.

With a large number of fans packed into such a small venue, the temperature became almost unbearable. “Some kid even passed out,” said Said the Shotgun to the Head bassist, Buc Page. “They had to call an ambulance and everything.” Although injuries are almost unavoidable at hardcore shows, it is rare that an ambulance is required.

This year, Midwest Takeover Fest featured 12 bands, each stemming from either metal or hardcore roots.

“There was a lot of metal on the bill this year,” said Page. With a fine line drawn between the metal and hardcore kids, there can be a great deal of tension throughout the crowd. However, this year’s Midwest Takeover Fest managed to avoid the drama.

“The energy was very positive,” said Marcus Fiore, a regular at Minnesota hardcore shows and vocalist of the hardcore band, Live in Honor. “Hardcore gets a bad rap for its violence and sometimes negativity, but everyone just came together for the music that night,” Fiore said.

Police even showed up to ensure the safety of the crowd, but no fights broke out; just the usual chaos that a show can contain. “Just like at any other show, I took a ton of stage dives,” said Fiore. “But it is all in fun.”

At nearly all hardcore shows, the word “mosh” is redefined with stage dives, circle pits, and variations of hardcore dancing. Midwest Takeover Fest had its share of moshing. Hard rock and metal shows will normally classify moshing as pushing and shoving, but at a hardcore show, moshing signifies dancing.

Hardcore dancing is not the typical vision of grinding up on another person in a club, but rather is more like a form of karate. Dancers swing and punch their arms and move their feet in a way that looks like they are fighting an invisible person.

Overall, Midwest Takeover Fest was a success. The crowd created a positive atmosphere, while still generating plenty of energy, no fights were initiated, and all of the bands played amazingly. The worry for next year is finding a large enough venue that can contain the gigantic hardcore and metal scene that Minnesota has formed.