![\"elclub\"](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/elclub-169x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLast Friday night, Everett and I made our way to SW Detroit to a tiny music venue called El Club.\u00a0 We were there to see a metal band from the Pacific Northwest named Red Fang.\u00a0 It was loud.\u00a0 There was a lot of long hair and beards and beer and dudes over 250 pounds.\u00a0 Pretty typical when you picture “metal.”<\/p>\n
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However it was also incredibly tolerant and welcoming.\u00a0 This place was packed full of large, testosterone-fueled guys, slamming beers and listening to the sort of music you march into battle to.\u00a0 Yet, there were no fights, not even the usual chest puffing you see at pop concerts.\u00a0 There was a girl there with an ankle boot, on crutches, and the crowd parted ways to allow her and her friend a great view of the stage.\u00a0 When the mosh pit got rolling, a few guys escorted the girls to a place just outside it where they wouldn’t be trampled.<\/p>\n
Even within the mosh pit, if anyone fell, others helped them up.\u00a0 When crazies tried to crowd surf in a crowd where that was entirely impractical, no one let them crash to the floor.\u00a0 We were all just there to listen to some loud, heavy music, escape the world for a few hours, and remind ourselves why life is awesome (hint: because there’s music and great people in it).<\/p>\n
![\"redfang1\"](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/redfang1-169x300.jpg\")
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![\"redfang3\"](\"http:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/redfang3-169x300.jpg\")
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Metal, bringing people together, who knew?<\/p>\n