Fri 3 Dec – Dead Kennedys
Alright, so I sucked it up and plunked down the 60 and some odd dollars for my own ticket and for a friend's b-day present. It always feels strange to pay in excess of 12 dollars for a punk show ('member when they were $5?)... anyhow, this is a special occasion, right? A chance to please my nostalgic, inner high-schooler street punk self.
Was it worth it? Yea, pretty much. It definitely exceeded my expectations.
I missed Social Task and Narcoleptic Youth. I've seen Narcoleptic Youth a few times but the only thing I remember about them is the lead singer rocks Xs on his eyes. Are they sXe or...?
So I caught Angry Samoans for the third time this year. They seem to get around. Though for a band that plays so much they play the same songs over and over and over again. They literally have the same setlist they go off in order for all their shows. It only changes when their set length does, usually when they're not headlining. I don't actually have any material of their's, but I know many songs by heart just from osmosis. My friends do merch for them so I've gotten to see the band more than is necessary. They play short, snotty, fast, thrashy punk songs in their old school sound. The lead singer Metal Mike looks like/reminds me of Flea, he has that goofy, 80's, basketball jersey & backward hat wearing, skate punk style. Except he looks like he's 50+. They played a lot of their recognizable stuff... You Stupid Asshole, Homo-sexual, Lights Out, They Saved Hitler's Cock, etc. They played a good, fun set and ended, as usual, with My Old Man's a Fatso. I like the Samoans, but seriously the whole 'Baby One More Time' and other features of their set are tired out. Time to mix it up!
Now the real reason we were all here. The Dead Kennedys... yes with only East Bay Ray and DH Peligro as the original members. I was a huge fan when I was a younger punk and though I love Jello Biafra, I was obviously still at the show. It wasn't going to stop me. There apparently still is a huge market for a Jello-less DK. From a free market perspective, there is still quite a demand. The main argument though is that most of the songs are indeed written by Mr. Biafra... anyhow...
They started out with a fucking bang with Foward to Death. The pit was a violent vortex, like a human whirlpool that was sucking at the edges, indifferent to whether you wanted to be in or not. If you were close, you were getting sucked in. It was fucking chaos. They played the hits... Police Truck to a crazed response. Let's Lynch the Landlord was amazing as well being sung by most of the crowd. Though the highlights for me during the regular set were of course Kill the Poor and California Uber Allies, and the speed, accuracy, and power that both MTV, Get Off the Air & Nazi Punks Fuck Off! were played with was unforgettable. Too Drunk Too Fuck was raucous, sleazy, and just pure fucking Punk rocking.
They called for two encores, the first back to do Bleed for Me and Holiday in Cambodia.
The second ended with Chemical Warfare complete with a Sweet Home Alabama breakdown.
They had the crowd after Holiday and could have ended there at the climax, but the crowd wanted more.
All in all it was pure Punk Rock. Fast, urgent, fantastic riffs, quality, rocking. Played powerfully and crisp. The replacement vocalist Skip def. held his own with solid vox. East Bay Ray's guitar licks are so fucking catchy and original yet fittingly punk. It reminded me of my love for the genre and, that, when its done right/at its best--Punk is still tops.
Alright, so I sucked it up and plunked down the 60 and some odd dollars for my own ticket and for a friend's b-day present. It always feels strange to pay in excess of 12 dollars for a punk show ('member when they were $5?)... anyhow, this is a special occasion, right? A chance to please my nostalgic, inner high-schooler street punk self.
Was it worth it? Yea, pretty much. It definitely exceeded my expectations.
I missed Social Task and Narcoleptic Youth. I've seen Narcoleptic Youth a few times but the only thing I remember about them is the lead singer rocks Xs on his eyes. Are they sXe or...?
So I caught Angry Samoans for the third time this year. They seem to get around. Though for a band that plays so much they play the same songs over and over and over again. They literally have the same setlist they go off in order for all their shows. It only changes when their set length does, usually when they're not headlining. I don't actually have any material of their's, but I know many songs by heart just from osmosis. My friends do merch for them so I've gotten to see the band more than is necessary. They play short, snotty, fast, thrashy punk songs in their old school sound. The lead singer Metal Mike looks like/reminds me of Flea, he has that goofy, 80's, basketball jersey & backward hat wearing, skate punk style. Except he looks like he's 50+. They played a lot of their recognizable stuff... You Stupid Asshole, Homo-sexual, Lights Out, They Saved Hitler's Cock, etc. They played a good, fun set and ended, as usual, with My Old Man's a Fatso. I like the Samoans, but seriously the whole 'Baby One More Time' and other features of their set are tired out. Time to mix it up!
Now the real reason we were all here. The Dead Kennedys... yes with only East Bay Ray and DH Peligro as the original members. I was a huge fan when I was a younger punk and though I love Jello Biafra, I was obviously still at the show. It wasn't going to stop me. There apparently still is a huge market for a Jello-less DK. From a free market perspective, there is still quite a demand. The main argument though is that most of the songs are indeed written by Mr. Biafra... anyhow...
They started out with a fucking bang with Foward to Death. The pit was a violent vortex, like a human whirlpool that was sucking at the edges, indifferent to whether you wanted to be in or not. If you were close, you were getting sucked in. It was fucking chaos. They played the hits... Police Truck to a crazed response. Let's Lynch the Landlord was amazing as well being sung by most of the crowd. Though the highlights for me during the regular set were of course Kill the Poor and California Uber Allies, and the speed, accuracy, and power that both MTV, Get Off the Air & Nazi Punks Fuck Off! were played with was unforgettable. Too Drunk Too Fuck was raucous, sleazy, and just pure fucking Punk rocking.
They called for two encores, the first back to do Bleed for Me and Holiday in Cambodia.
The second ended with Chemical Warfare complete with a Sweet Home Alabama breakdown.
They had the crowd after Holiday and could have ended there at the climax, but the crowd wanted more.
All in all it was pure Punk Rock. Fast, urgent, fantastic riffs, quality, rocking. Played powerfully and crisp. The replacement vocalist Skip def. held his own with solid vox. East Bay Ray's guitar licks are so fucking catchy and original yet fittingly punk. It reminded me of my love for the genre and, that, when its done right/at its best--Punk is still tops.
