Billy Bragg at the Grand Ballroom, New York, NY

Tonight I had the privilege of seeing Billy Bragg live for the first time. The show was extra special because it was Adam's Birthday present ... and it was awesome.

Part Nader Rally, part punk rock show, part acoustic performance at a coffee shop, on-stage, Billy Bragg, is not like any performer I've ever seen - partly because he spent about as much time talking as he did playing. He bitched out an audience member who was heckling him about war in Ireland. He talked about the excitement he felt in the US over this election and warned us that, like Britain when Blair became PM after Thatcher, our expectations were high and likely to not be met. However, if Obama is elected, we shouldn't be cynical because this election, while it doesn't represent a change in the world, it does represent possibility. He was so good that I even enjoyed one of my least favorite songs - "Sexuality."


There were two especially profound moments for me though. The first was when he related an anecdote about going to see The Clash at the first Rock Against Racism show. At the time he was working in an office with a bunch of racist, sexist assholes but he never said anything to them because he felt like he was alone in his disgust. After going to the Clash show, his perspective changed and he went into work the next Monday and told the guys in his office what he thought. The point of the story was that people say that "what we are doing here is preaching to the choir" but he sees it as a way to come together and become invigorated with the notion that we are not alone in our beliefs. Then we can go out in the world and stand up for what is right with the backing of that knowledge.

The second special moment for me involved the interesting crowd. There were 2 meat-headish guys standing in front of us. Not the kind of guys you'd think would be at a Billy Bragg show. One of them was particularly into the show. When Billy began playing "There's Power In a Union," this guy along with half the crowd raised his fist for every "The Union Forever" and he dude-hugged his friend at every "With our brothers and our sisters from many far-off lands/
There is power in a Union." The friend - like many in the crowd - seemed a little uncomfortable at first but by the end of the song he was raising his fist with everyone else.


When I was a teenager, I would go to shows and be profoundly moved by the energy of the crowd - the bodies swaying together, the voices singing together, the towering-yet-accessible guy on stage. That's a feeling that is - for better or worse - no longer really a part of my life.

Tonight's show was a grown up version of that teenage feeling of camaraderie, energy, and hope and Billy Bragg is nothing short of a modern Woody Guthrie.*

* In fact, he played a Woody Guthrie song and noted how poignant and relevant the lyrics to Guthrie's songs are today.

Grammies & Druggies: A night with Paramore (Nov 28, 2007, Roseland Ballroom, NYC)

So Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore, has an adorable grandmother. Adorable.

I ran into her very proud grams in line for the ladies bathroom at the Roseland Ballroom, NYC on November 28, 2007. I wanted to tell Gramma Williams that Hayley had quite a voice but she was busy chatting it up with the girls behind me. So instead I'll tell you.

Hayley Williams has quite a voice.

I first saw Paramore on Steven's Untitled Rock Show on Fuse in their video for Pressure off their Fueled By Ramen debut, All We Know Is Falling. Hayley's amazing voice and coveted red hair coupled with their unexpected rhythmic changes sold me immediately. (Adam would call those unexpected rhythmic changes 'their drummer is too good for his own good' changes but as someone who can't stick to one rhythm when writing a song, I say: whatever.) In fact, I continued to flip to Fuse - a station which, until then, I rarely watched - to try to catch a glimpse of that video and the name of the band in it. Finally, I found it and out to the record store I went.

All We Know Is Falling is addictive. Addictive like pop rocks. Sometimes you don't even want it but you need to have it anyway.

And I'll admit it. Hayley and her 'I'm 15 and a rock star' life is living my dream. And then there's the hair. The fact that she's now 19 doesn't subdue my jealousy at all either. Me and my dishwater blonde are totally, completely jealous.

Hayley and Paramore lived up to my expectations at the show too. I'll admit my expectations weren't that high considering my love-hate relationship with the current pop-emo-rock trend going on. Nonetheless, Hayley rocked herself just like she does in the video and it was awesome to see a female up there head banging and dancing around like she fucking owns that stage. And she did own that stage ... and like the gracious hostess she is, Hayley would step aside during musical interludes to let the boys shine too. And shine they did.

Paramore is definitely a talented band. Perhaps, as Adam says, a little too talented for their own good but talented none the less. They are also a fun band - the kind of band that brings energy to the crowd not just the other way around. I think the place would be "tickin' like a clock", as Paramore says, even with a generally apathetic crowd.

The part of the show that really endeared me to Paramore, though, was when they covered a Sunny Day Real Estate song and attributed the band's formation to one of the boys putting the song on a mix tape for Hayley back in the day. Their intro to the song was, like all their stage banter, a little contrived. Nonetheless, I love it when bands share the history of their music with their audience. It's how underground music propagated and it's an important tradition to continue.

An another important tradition that was alive and well at the Paramore was one that I've harped on more than a few times here: punk rock community.

Everywhere I looked at the Roseland Ballroom that night I saw kids wearing t-shirts proclaiming "To Write Love on Her Arm." I thought: What the hell? Is this a new band I've never heard of? If so, that name is quite a mouthful. Am I really so out of the loop that I've never even heard of the band let alone heard it?

When I got home I googled "To Write Love on Her Arm." And no, as the cool kids reading this know, To Write Love on Her Arm is not a band at all. Instead it's a grassroots organization dedicated to alleviating the self-destruction behaviors tormenting youth or, in their own words,

TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

I think that is awesome. The phrase "To Write Love on Her Arm" comes from a story the founder wrote about helping a friend overcome addiction. Read the story here. Now, they have a little bit of a religious bent which I'm not into, but they are open about their beliefs and have stated that their mission is to help everyone:

Identifying something (such as a band, store, venue or project) as "Christian" often alienates those outside of the church/Christian culture, and we don't want to do that. TWLOHA aims to be inclusive and inviting. This is a project for all people. This is a project for broken people, and it is led by broken people.

Like I said, awesome. Donation to TWLOHA can be made via paypal at www.twloha.com and 25% of all money goes to the following organizations:

NATIONAL HOPELINE NETWORK (1-800-SUICIDE) - WWW.HOPELINE.COM
The National Hopeline is a non-profit organization that fights suicide at the front lines. Their toll-free call line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and links the caller to the nearest crisis hotline in their area. To date, they have received over 2 million calls from individuals struggling with thoughts of suicide.

TEEN CHALLENGE - WWW.TEENCHALLENGEUSA.COM
Teen Challenge is a rehab program with locations in 70 different countries. "Teen Challenge endeavors to help people become mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well, and spiritually alive." Many Teen Challenge centers offer treatment for free, and that is made possible through donations.

MERCY MINISTRIES - WWW.MERCYMINISTRIES.ORG
Mercy is a non-profit organization for young women who face life-controlling issues. They provide residential programs free of charge designed to address the whole person: spiritual, physical and emotional. Mercy homes are located in the USA, Australia, and the UK.
Construction is underway for Mercy's first home in Canada.

S.A.F.E. (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) - WWW.SELFINJURY.COM / 1-800-DONT-CUT
"S.A.F.E. Alternatives is a nationally recognized treatment approach, professional network and educational resource base, which is committed to helping you and others achieve an end to self-injurious behavior."

KIDS HELP LINE (Australia) - WWW.KIDSHELP.COM.AU / 1-800-55-1800
Offers free, confidential, anonymous 24-hour phone and online counseling for young people (5-25) in Australia.

INDIA:
Back in January, three of us traveled to Kolkata, India, as part of a group there to experience the work being done in the fight against human slavery. We partnered with two different organizations, and as part of our commitment to the children we met and the work we experienced, 5% of the money we give away will go to those
organizations:
Apne Aap - WWW.APNEAAP.ORG
Sanlaap - WWW.SANLAAPINDIA.ORG


***


Fucking A. Who said that kids today are apathetic and uninformed?

Not me. Not Hayley either.

Well, there's a million other girls who do it just like you
Looking as innocent as possible to get to who
They want and what they like it's easy if you do it right

Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!

Stroke your emo - Dashboard Confessional at the House of Blues, Atlantic City, November 10, 2007

Dashboard Confessional is not one of my favorite bands. I'm not sure Dashboard would even break the top 20. Dashboard Confessional is, however, a band full of memories. From my initial rash, un-informed hatred of their emoness to certain friends to good times and bad. Their music makes me especially nostalgic for my time in St. Louis singing at the top of my lungs to songs from 'A mark, a mission, a brand, a scar' in my nice, big apartment dreaming of a certainly impossible man who would write those dreamy words for me:

I'll be true I'll be useful I'll be cavalier I'll be yours my dear And I'll belong to you ... if you'll just let me through ...

Those same words that I sang into Adam's ear while he stood begrudgingly next to me at the Dashboard Confessional show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on November 10, 2007. That song, 'As Lovers Go,' is especially poignant for me since I see myself as the antagonist of the song. But enough about me, on to the show.

Chris Carraba is adorable ... and tiny. He came out - to roaring applause - to sing with each of the opening bands (neither of which, in my opinion, are worth mentioning ... or remembering for that matter) which, aside from being a rousing endorsement, gave him a badge of integrity in my book ... and proved that he has quite the voice. When he finally arrived on stage for his own set, he was effectively naked - it was just him and his guitar. For most of the show, the mic effects blurred his vocals, but the onstage banter i made out was amusing. For all I've read about his stage fright, he seemed at comfortable, at home on stage. Despite the obnoxious, collar-popping crowd, I enjoyed the quiet, graceful momentum built up and torn down with each song.

I may not rush to see Dashboard Confessional again but the show, like the songs, will hold a special place in my heart for a long time. Which, I suppose, brings this blog post back to me again. This is what connects me, reluctantly, to those other kids at the show - the deeply personal and private way I think about Dashboard Confessional.

I read an excellent (albeit pray to the glorifying, mythical talk of music fan turned journalist) book, Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. Dashboard Confessional comprises an entire section. For good reason. Despite the debatable history of emo - from Rites of Spring and Sunny Day Real Estate to Face to Face to the Get Up Kids and Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional is probably the band most widely associated with emo. I came to terms with my love of poppy punk/rock long ago; yet it was this book, tracing the history of emo and describing the intense - familiar - way the fan's feel about the music, that allowed me to admit that I, too, have an emo place in my heart. It is not a large space - I need more rock than Rites of Spring or Sunny Day or many of the new wave of emo bands can provide - but it is there nonetheless.

Motion City Soundtrack at the Roseland Ballroom NYC 11/9/2007

Motion City Soundtrack is the first band that my sister introduced me to. This fact makes me simultaneously sad and proud.

Truthfully, the first time I heard Motion City, I was going through my sister's iTunes copying songs onto my computer. Her AIM away message has sported Motion City lyrics a few times so I took a listen to The Future Freaks Me Out. I have come to deeply adore that song but at the time I thought it was kind of wierd and hipster - probably because I skipped through it too quickly. Eventually (I'm not sure when), I came around and became addicted. So when I found out Motion City was coming to town I was stoked. Recently, on a long drive with my cousin, he played me Anberlin and Mae. Both bands made it on my list of bands to check out so I was doubly stoked to see them opening for Motion City.

Prior to the show I went out and bought all the bands' new albums. Motion City's was, of course, awesome. Aberlin and Mae got a few good listens with no complaints.

We arrived at the show - Roseland shows start so damn early - around 7:30. Just in time to see Anberlin play. There was a lot of the singer standing with one foot on an amp and screaming about how "this show is for YOU." The songs were filled with excessive and unnecessary keyboards. I was less than impressed.

Next up was Mae - I was hoping for the best. In a review I read, Mae's set was described as one 30 minute long song. That's about right.

Finally (after taking a bit of their sweet rockstar time), Motion City took the stage. After the angering experience of the Lawrence Arms show, I am almost at a loss for words in describing Motion City Soundtrack's set. It was amazing. It gave me hope. It made me nostalgic. All at once.

The minute the band hit the stage that intangible it was there. Everyone in the band was into it - I thought the keyboardist might do some serious brain damage he was head banging so hard. Each member was sining along to themselves and all seemed to be having a genuinely good time. Even better, the minute the band hit the stage the crowd brought it. You could feel the collective energy starting with the first note of the first song. I thought: This is a punk rock show. I don't care how un-punk rock you think Motion City Soundtrack is; this show is what punk rock is about.

Up front, the jersey & long island kids got going the typical east coast circle pit. Justin (the lead singer) was quick to ask all those running around to turn around and give each other 'a big hug.' He told the crowd that they can rock out and dance but 'no [making elbowing motion].' About 60 seconds into the next song, he stops. Some crowd-surfer had gone down and Justin was distraught: 'Is everyone ok? I saw a big hole ... ok, sorry, just wanted to be sure.' I thought: I love you. I take comfort in knowing that somewhere, somehow the punk rock ethics and etiquette that so effected my life are alive and well ...

CMJ Weekend: Bloodshot Records, The Lawrence Arms, and Diatribe on Punk Rock Community

I started out my CMJ weekend by heading to the Bloodshot Records BBQ at Union Pool - Free Beer! Free Food! (after the $10 cover). We arrived late because that's how I roll and guess what? No food and the beer might have been free but it also might have been dog piss. They only charged us $10 for 2 people though.

We got there just in time to see Centro-Matic. I generally like Bloodshot Records' bands and love the Old 97s. For years I've been hearing the praise of Centro-Matic as the new Old 97s but never really gave them a good listen. Now that I have, all I can say is that their music is good alt-country but nothing special. As for their live show ... well the guitarist looked like he was about to fall asleep and I was right there with him.

In one word: Dissapointing. And the Bloodshot merch stunk which was doubly dissapointing since I'm currently on a big band shirt kick.

After that we head up to Greenpoint to see The Lawrence Arms. Since we had no interest in the opening bands and since our tummies were growling due to lack of free BBQ, we decided to get some food. Prior to this decision we walked aimlessly in the wrong direction for 2 blocks. Whoops. Once correctly situated, we decided to sit down at this small polish joint mostly because it was the first decent looking restaurant we came across. The food was quite delicious and our waitress was adorable.

Because Adam and I are huge dorks, we often play "top 5" or "if you could" games. Tonight's was "What is the one current band you haven't seen that you really want to see?" Both of our answers was: The Lawrence Arms. At the time, we didn't know how dissapointed we'd come to be.

After finishing our food, we headed over to the venue. Perhaps it's because I'm from Chicago where the Lawrence Arms sell out the Metro, but I was pretty surprised by how few people were there. I later came to be surprised at how big of an asshole those few people could be.

Finally, the band came on. They were wasted and slurring which made it tough to understand their banter which, according to them, was hilarious. Only the drummer - who was rocking out and singing along behind his kit - seemed into the show at all. Apparently, they were playing the same set that they played the previous evening on the Rocks Off Boat Cruise. One word: Lame. Don't worry though, it gets lamer.

About midway through the show a 200 pound (I'm not exaggerating he later told us how much he weighed) meat head decided it'd be "fun" to stage dive into the sparse crowd. First of all, stage diving is pretty much never ok; let alone stage diving by a two hundred pounder. I didn't come to a show to play basketball with this asshole. Moreover, the only case when crowd surfing itself is ok is 1) if the crowd is packed and 2) if you way less than 120 lbs. Niether of which was the case this evening.

Eventually a most pit forms behind us (we were almost at the stage) which is fine. Unfortunetly, Meat Head decides that instead of moshing in the pit like any community-respecting punk properly trained in punk rock etiquette, he starts jumping on top of the people standing up front. Adam and I are getting more and more pissed off. I'm elbowing people left and right (and so is everyone in the pit - always a sign that things are not as they should be) and Adam is pulling crowd surfers down. At one point (or two or three), I shoved Meat Head.

Meat Head then decides to start shit with me. The song ends and he says "Does it really bother you that much?" blah blah blah. I respond, "If you're going to mosh, get in the pit." Then Adam gets into it with him. According to Meat Head, he was just having fun so it should all be ok. As Adam told him, "It's fun for you." Meat Head then pulls the 'punk rock community' card with Adam. Adam's response: "Just because we like the same band doesn't make us a fucking community." Moreover, doing something that is fun for you but not fun and potentially dangerous to the rest of the crowd, aka the 'community,' is really the antithesis of community, is it not?

While all this is going on, Meat Head's shrimpy friends decides he's going to get some cool, macho points by going after Meat Head's leftovers. That's right, he starts shit with me. Things were said back in forth or more accurately, I called him out on his lame, insecure bullshit and he responded (everytime) by asking me "Why are you even here? At a punk rock show?"

At this point there are only a few songs left (Like a Record Player and 100 Resolutions - two of my favs). Adam pulls all crowd surfers down and takes a clearing round around the pit and my elbows get more than a little contact. We sing along and try hard to rock out and enjoy the last few minutes of the show. Truthfully, the show was pretty much ruined for me and I was livid ... at those guys, at the injustice and irrationality of the underlying assumptions of the things that were said and done, at the Lawrence Arms for making no effort to regulate their crowd, and at myself for being so upset by it.

Note: Adam and I were engaged in the same behavior - pulling crowd surfers down, shoving/elbowing/generally making unwelcome all the assholes making the show less welcome for others, yet Adam gets asks about his allegiance to a punk rock community while I get told that - because I don't want to have a 200 lb asshole jump on top of me - I don't have a right to be at a punk rock show. It is assumed that Adam is defacto a part of this so called punk rock community despite his actions while it is assumed that I am not and surely can't be if because of those same actions.

Punk Rock community is an interesting thing for me to think about. On some level I find the idea/ideal very attractive and it probably contributed to my general attraction to punk rock music and the punk rock scene. But the truth is that I have never felt like a part of that community. I've been going to shows by myself or tagging along with people I didn't know that well or forcing friends that weren't really into it to go withe me since I was 14. In case your wondering, standing in a crowded venue loud with the sound of voices and crowds of friends by yourself, isn't fun and it doesn't make you feel like a part of a community - it makes you feel alienated. I kept going because once the band started, it was awesome. I guess in those moments of singing along and dancing in the pit I felt like I was apart of something. But it ended there. Maybe that's what kept me believing in the ideal of a punk rock community. But believing isn't feeling.

The Glitz! The Glamour! Bad Religion on Broadway!

Monday night I saw bad religion at the nokia theater times square. Does anyone remember when music venues weren’t named after big corporations?

Going to times square is always an ordeal. The tourists, the flashing lights, the traffic – I have a hunch it’s pretty close to hell. We step out of the subway, get our bearings and walk 2 blocks on that strange patch of triangular cement that exists between broadway and 7^th. Suddenly, to our left, there was a huge screen screaming Bad Religion and prominently displaying their new cd cover. Adam says there was a music video clip but I missed it. We walked up to the entrance where security guards yelled “All exits are final!” swept us with metal detectors before letting us in the door.

And wow. It was just so … shiny. The carpets were clean and the color was obvious. There were escalators. Multiple sized televisions dotted the walls playing a plethora of concert stills, advertisements, and the occasion video of the current show. We stopped at the merch table for a bit (disappointing) then entered the stage area. We walked down to the pit, got a choice spot at the back of the floor directly in front of the stage, and sat down … on the clean, nicely varnished hardwood floors. I noticed some security people walking around with flash lights. I assumed it was to make sure people stayed in line. It wasn’t. It was to make sure the floor stayed clean, which was probably a legitimate liability for them.

The “All exits are final!” call must have scared many people off. A half hour or so before the first band it was pretty empty. And there, in the middle of the pit, was the typical drunk frat boy douche trying to mosh with the few early-risers not pressed up against the stage barricades in anticipation and adolescent glee. This guy was wasted. It was around 7:30 and he could barely walk. So it came as no surprise towards the end of the second band’s set, he slid to the floor and started dry heaving. Some pious soul picked him up and lead him the foot or so to the back railing where he proceeded to start vomiting. By this time the band had ended and this poor douche became the audience’s spectacle of choice. The guy standing next to me, who I have decided is perhaps the nicest person in the world, went and brought the garbage can to the guy. Douche boy then fell over while vomiting into it. Once the guy was walked out by two security guards, tripping over his jacket which had fallen around his ankles, one of the female floor cleaners stood guard by the mess waiting for cleaning tools and help. At this point the crowd became very invested in protecting others from the soiled area. Yells came at anyone who dared walk in front of the girl guarding the spew. The most intense yells came when some guy walked dangerously close then kneeled to tie his shoe. Finally, cheers erupted when a guard came with disinfectant cleaner. I think, for some, this was the highlight of the evening.

But not for me. Bad religion was where it was at.

So let’s start from the beginning:

First band was The Briggs. On first myspace listen they were ok. On first site, they were douches. Two singers with the same voice. Lyrics like “This song is for you, this song is for us, this song is for the world.” Overall, been there, done that. There’s not much to write home about.

Up next was The Gallows. A british hardcore band full of tiny, skinny boys in tight jeans. But damn, did they put on a show. Amazing split leg jumps were executed by the singer and guitarist to the envy of any kid on the track team. The singer spent 80% of the show in the pit. This was mildly problematic since he had a corded mic and here on the east coast the kids love their circle pits. (On a side note, I’ve never really gotten down with the circle pit. I mean, what’s the point? At least with slam dancing or moshing, you’re, you know, dancing. But the circle pit seems like Nascar. Don’t they ever just want to go right??). Towards the end of the show the singer told us that his and his brother’s (the guitarist) mom and aunt were in the audience. On the next song, the guitarist ran up to the upper seats where his mom was sitting, slung his guitar over the railing, and played. Then he kissed his mom and ran back on stage. I’m not sure if his guitar had a wireless pick up or what but it was cute either way.

And finally … drum roll please … BAD RELIGION.

Bad Religion’s stage presence, while awesome, was in stark contrast to The Gallows. As Adam says, there’s no ego in Bad Religion shows. None. It’s refreshing. While there was a sense of punk rock community and values in the Gallow’s singer’s time in the pit, it was a community about him. The kids danced and ran around him. Bad Religion is more like, as they’ve called themselves “a gang of teachers.” They seem more interested in making each other laugh (Brian Baker – of Minor Threat fame – apparently does crazy stuff on the guitar just to amuse Jay Bentley. Bentley seemed utterly amused.) than in looking cool. Greg Graffin is the only singer I’ve ever seen who can pull off the ‘acting out the words to songs with his hands’ thing. Sure, it’s still insanely dorky but since he’s not trying to be anything else, it works. I have a special place in my heart for Greg Graffin. He is my professor father if he was an atheist and in a punk rock band … which sadly, he’s not.

Where The Gallows on stage banter was rock-fucking-roll (“We’re leaving today to go to Australia. We gotta show those convicts how it’s done … [ crowd yells ] ah, shut up, we invented you too …” or ealier “We’re from London-town and honestly, not much good music has come out of there … but how about some Black Flag?”), Bad Religion’s banter made you feel like you were hanging out with your dorky best friends. At the end of one song, Bentley went on a screaming rant about running for mayor of New York City, seriously dissing Giuliani. Jokes were made at the expense of the New York Giants (“This next song is something the New York Giants sorely need – The Defense” and the New York/Boston rivalry (“We haven’t rehearsed this next song much but it’s ok, because this is just practice before our big show tomorrow in Boston …”).

About a third through the show, Graffin tells us how happy he his to be back on Broadway and goes into an impromptu musical-theatre-esque song ending with the line “cuz no one in this band can play guitar … except Brian.” This causes an offended look from Greg Hetson. Graffin then tells us that that lovely rendition was all because “Where his he? Where his he? … Simon Cowell is here tonight! Looking for his newest talent!”

Later, mid way through the show, the band takes an extra long time between sets. I couldn’t quite hear but it looked like Bentley couldn’t remember how to play the next song. Graffin, eventually covering for his band, tell us Trixie the bartender asked them to take a long time between songs so everyone could get drinks. He called it the “alcohol intermission.” (I called it the “we’re old” intermission …). This rant still didn’t fill the time so Graffin asked to have the house lights up to see the “cheap seats in the back.” Graffin said that’s where he’d be … he “spent his time in the pit as you all know but …” and then he mimed a hip fracture. Bentley missed the lights up so they did it again and he commented: “You know who’s back there? … Your moms and dads … it’s ok cuz I’m dating your mom!” The audience booed ... I thought, actually, you are those dads in the back. (In fact, Graffin was spotted at a Fall Out Boy show. When asked about it, he said that his kids wanted to go so he took them. Awww.)

But what about the music you may be asking?

The truth is Bad Religion’s music speaks for itself. Intense, passionate, articulate, intelligent. What else can be said? I will say that, having only seen them live at Warped Tour, they are, in fact, far superior at their own shows. Perhaps because they have time to talk to and get to know the audience. This modest, self-depracting quality is what makes Bad Religion shows so special. After the band walked off the stage, pre-encore, they came rushing back. Jay Bentley ran up the mic and blurted “We have 7 minutes to play 3 songs.” The rest of the band hurried but with less gusto. Jay taunted “Drunky McGoo” (Brian Baker) to hurry up and get his guitar on. After two songs, Graffin pointed one finger at the side of stage, mouthing “one more.” His insistent, repetition makes me think whoever was in charge was not having it. They played another song (“Infected” of course) anyway. The truth is, however old the members of Bad Religion get and in whatever capacity (performers, spectators, parents), they are here for the kids and for the music. Period.

Songs they played (courtesy of Adam – not in order):

We're Only Gonna Die

Fuck Armagadden...This is Hell(from How Could Hell Be Any Worse?)

Suffer(From Suffer)

No Control
I Want To Conquer The World
You (from No Control)

Modern Man

Anesthesia
God Song
21st Century Digital Boy(from Against the Grain)

Generator
Atomic Garden (from Generator)

Recipe For Hate
American Jesus
Lookin' In
Skyscraper (from Recipe for Hate)

Infected(from Stranger Than Fiction)

Come Join Us (from the Gray Race)

Supersonic
Sorrow
The Defense (from the Process of Belief)

Social Suicide (from the Empire Strikes First)

52 Seconds
Heros and Martyrs
New Dark Ages
Requiem For Dissent
Dearly Beloved (from New Maps of Hell)