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I arrived at the show early, excited that I had enough time to pick up Season 6 of Oz at a nearby Target that I discovered the last time I was here. Heartbreakingly, the Target either wasn't selling it or was sold out of it, so I disappointedly headed back to my car to catch the rest of The Big Show on the radio.
Though I had been to this club before, their particular show was in a different room that was up a Sharpie smelling flight of stairs; a bigger room that was just as dark but had a few well placed bright blinding lights and a few cool but pointless blue screens.
Some band Energy opened the show, and my ears in the process. By looking at them, I thought that they were going to sound like a typical hardcore band, but they threw me a sharp curve by belting out some melodic vocals. They very much want to be Ignite, and there's nothing wrong with that. They relied a little too heavily on their singer's great voice and were sorely in need of guitar leads or more back up vocals. Despite that (I'm pretty confident that they will improve), I was really impressed with their set (which also featured a cover of "Where Eagles Dare") and look forward to hearing more from this band.
Modern Life is War was so good that it wasn't even funny. Their live show sounded like their CD turned up to 11 and punching you in the face. The non stop build up that is their music sounded so intense live. I thought the crowd would have been a non stop pit, but the pits were sparse ("D.E.A.D. R.A.M.O.N.E.S." was pretty lively, as were a few others), even though Modern Life is War completely owned the stage. They played a new song that sounded just as great as all their other material.
Immediately after Modern Life is War left the stage, some crusty looking fashion punks headed towards the front, no doubt pitching tents over A Global Threat's upcoming set. I've heard their name around for years, but I haven't actually heard any of their music. I found their straight forward punk rock to be pretty boring. The crowd seemed to like them, as they begged for one more song, which was (unfortunately for me) granted.
After all these years of going to shows, I'm not sure if I've ever actually seen Ignite. I've been to shows they've played, but always managed to somehow miss them.I was so super stoked about seeing them that I totally forgot about the almost hour set up time (mic problems) once the music started, as they blew me away. Their set was possibly one of the best sets I've seen. I've never actually watched a singer with such awe or admiration, but Zoli Teglas demanded it wiht his head scratchingly good voice. His range is jaw dropping, and a shiver went down the left side of my spine and neck during the chorus of "Let it Burn," which he said was about a friend of his' pregnant fiance who died in a drunk driving accident, taking four lives in the process. He also talked politics, reminding the crowd how hated and feared America is and how punk rock isn't doing anything about it because they are too busy worrying about their girlfriends or their hair (this led to an amazing cover of "Sunday Bloody Sunday"). Even though I was disappointed that they didn't play "Past Our Means," I was still very happy with their choice of songs ("Run," "By My Side," "Who Sold Out Now," "Bleeding," "Fear is Our Tradition," and "Bullets Included No Thought Required," among others), and their closing with "Veteran" couldn't have been a more fitting ending to this wonderful set.
Strike Anywhere, as usual, played an amazing set full of fist pumping anthems. They played a good deal of songs from their back catalogue, as well as some new songs that people seemed to already know the words to. The crowd was in constant motion during their entire set, never resting until they played the last note of "Sunset on 32nd Street," singing along to every word.
While Strike Anywhere's set may not have meant as much to me as seeing Ignite (I've seen them play many times before), I still enjoyed every moment that they were on the stage. It is rare that I go in the pit and sing along for one band, but this show had me doing just that for two of them, leaving the club incredibly happy.
Written by: RF