No Scope at the Ridglea Theater
by steph
(Note from the editors: This article was written by guest contributor Stephanie Scarborough, local arts/crafts connoisseur and fellow local blogger. Photography by West and Clear’s Kevin Buchanan.)
Friday night Kevin and I ventured to the Ridglea Theater to see local rock/metal band No Scope. The Ridglea, which first opened its doors in 1950, has gone through an interesting transformation over the last several years. After losing business to the big multiplexes, it became a dinner theater in the early ’90s, then closed for three years before reopening to host laser light shows. Finally, in 1999, it became the award-winning music venue it is today.
Not being terribly avid metal listeners ourselves, the No Scope show was a totally new experience for Kevin and I. We were definitely the square pegs in the crowd—we’d never moshed before or “banged our heads,” as Quiet Riot would say. The atmosphere of the Ridglea is an interesting combination of old and new—while much of the original Mediterranean decor is still intact, most of the old theater seats are gone, as is the movie screen, and in their place is a stage, a bar and a mosh pit.
Before the show, we hung out at the bar with several of my co-workers, including No Scope guitarist, Bobby Ensminger, who divided his time between the bar and tending to band-related business. Once the show started, we were in the mosh pit with several psyched show-goers. Kevin ran to all corners of the theater snapping pictures, and at one point he even got pummeled by a stray mosher. They played several songs from their self-released album, and the music was loud, rowdy and unrelenting, but you could tell the band didn’t take themselves too seriously. They cite Seven Dust, Rage Against the Machine, and System of a Down as influences, but their sound is really all their own. The audience was certainly enthusiastic, and the band interacted well with the crowd. Be sure to visit No Scope’s Myspace page for upcoming shows.
This is just one of the many parts of our city that doesn’t get a lot of attention from the city or the mainstream press. While some people still want to push “Cowtown” all day, the reality is that Fort Worth is far from Cowtown these days. While this might not be a part of Fort Worth that you or I frequent, it’s just one aspect of an increasingly complex and varied place, a part of the fabric of the Panther City.
You also might be interested to know that contrary to what was recently reported in the Star-Telegram, the Ridglea Theater is not closing, nor is it being auctioned off. Unfortunately, the word is still out there, as the Star-Telegram has yet to print a retraction of their earlier article. Check out Ridglea Theater’s Myspace page for details on that as well as upcoming show schedules.
Now, a selection of more of Kevin’s photos from the concert:
You can view the rest at his Flickr page.
3 Comments, Comments or Pings
rikie6614
I’m glad to see that NOSCOPE is finally getting some attention they deserve. I lived in Lewisville and would drive to Fort Worth as often as I could to see NOSCOPE. I now live south of Houston and would still drive to Fortworth to see them. Every one needs to keep an eye on this band because they have real tallent. They do indeed have a sound of their own and, in my opinion, have got a lot of great songs to give to us. Spread the word!
Rikie
Jan 22nd, 2008
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