Monday, December 21, 2009

Concert Review: Affliction $5 Christmas Concert

Traveled down to Long Beach this weekend for The Affliction $5 Christmas Concert.

I was sold on the lineup: TSOL, Suicidal Tendencies, Pennywise and Danzig. The fact that it was only $5 (fifteen with the ticketmaster fees, f' you very much ticketmaster) cemented the deal.

TSOL: TSOL makes me think of that movie Suburbia, the one from the 80s, where the girl is out on the dance floor and the guy comes up and says, 'I think I want to fuck your brains out.' Maybe someone once told me that TSOL was in that movie and it stuck? I don't know. Anyway, the band plays phase-one punk that's full of new-wave tints. There were some sound issues that could have been based on the fact the arena wasn't quite full yet, but overall the set was good.

Suicidal Tendencies: Judging from the crowd around their merch booth (and on stage at the end of their set) this was a Suicidal Tendencies show. Where TSOL kept things new-wavey, ST brought the hardcore, running fast and mean through songs like Subliminal, I Saw Your Mommy and I shot Reagan. They did not play Institutionalized. They did play Send me Your Money. What I learned from their set: A.) I know way more ST songs than I thought. B.) There are a bunch of yolked-ass mean-looking mother fuckers who love this band.

Pennywise: I'll be honest here and say I know next to nothing about Pennywise. That's not to say they aren't great. They just were never a part of my punk-rock education. They play melodic jocko-punk that's full of f'-the-authority rage. It's sing-along mosh-pit music and they do as well as I've ever seen.

Danzig: Danzig can do no wrong. That's the long and short of it. He's got the voice and the swagger and the attitude and he kills it every time. He's like an eviler, awesomer version of Elvis. That's the easy comparison, what wit the voice and all, but it's true. Danzig needs to get himself a running Vegas show. Highlights of the set: It's the break down the middle of Bringer of Death and Danzig is crouched down at the front of the stage and the crowd is screaming and he says: 'You know this song is about killing people? Lots and lots of people.' Also: Olivia Thirlby was rocking out, headbanger style, right next to me. I can't imagine it was actually her. But it looked enough like her to throw me off.