Send us a text The mic warms up fast with holiday chaos, sharp humour, and a plan for two more shows before the year winds down. We jump from a country car show with family—airbrushed villains, chocolate strawberries, and easy laughs—to a brutal barbed wire main event where experience, timing, and trust turn danger into a story you can feel in your ribs. There’s no glory-mongering, just blunt respect for the toughest competitor in the room and the strange pride of still lacing up near 48 while the crowd roars. The heartbeat shifts to home as Josh hits orientation, walks across a grade-six stage, and pockets a courage award. That small ceremony carries more weight than it seems, because courage threads through everything here: the will to referee another wild night, the patience to plan a Christmas special that might misbehave, and the backbone to confront a music industry that treats loyalty like a luxury tax. We put numbers on the table—Anthrax at Festival Hall at $180 versus Foo Fighters in a stadium starting at $99—and ask the only question that matters: what’s fair, and who decides? Between venue capacity, promoter games, and dynamic pricing, the math doesn’t add up for fans who’ve kept the flame alive for decades. So we draw a line. No GoFundMe, no gifts, no guilt. Love the records, skip the show, and keep your dignity when the price tag feels like an insult. We close with a grin and a track that nails the mood—If You’re Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough—because resilience is the only encore that never gets old. If you’re into honest stories from the ring, real talk about live music value, and the kind of dad pride that sneaks up on you, press play, subscribe, and tell a mate. And if you’ve been priced out of a show you love, drop your take—what’s your breaking point?
