I had bought tickets to this event a couple of months ago, and was surprised at how expensive they were. Well, I’m happy to say I think others agreed with me because this is the only time in my own personal history that I can remember Ticketmaster saying they overcharged for a show and refunded me some of the money. The people that *I* know that listen to Dropkick Murphys aren’t in any position to shell out 35 or 40 bucks for a ticket.
I’ll review Myth first – I love seeing shows here. There’s multiple levels and all kinds of railings and bars to lean on and you can see in most spots. They have the telescreens so you can see more of what’s going on around the stage, which is cool. And the sound quality is always top notch. Not sure if it’s a good room or a good sound engineer or both, but this place has got amazing sound quality every time I’ve gone. They also have whores walking around pouring shots into people’s mouths for two dollars which makes it more trashy, but whatever. [I'll add the caveat of punk rock shows should not be seen here, since it's way too polished. Punk should be in a basement or dirty bar, not a nightclub.]
Civet is an all-girl punk band from L.A. Lots of energy and lots of three-chord punk. The only thing I have issue with is that they’re punk rock, but they look like they spent hours on their hair. That being said, they’re pretty hot. The drummer was really good and really fast and had killer endurance. Being a drummer, I know how hard it is to play that fast for an entire set, and she didn’t miss a beat. Some cool fills and stage antics from her. Decent as punk rock goes.
H2O is one of those bands that has paid its dues and served its time and all of those other cliché things you say when a band has been around for like 15 years. I’ve never really liked these guys at all, but I appreciate what they’ve done for punk and hardcore, so I’ll give them credit for being old guys who are still giving it their all. They have great energy on stage, which is awesome since they’re my age (I hope). But after 15 years, you’d think they’d put in more than three or four chords per song – I know, I know, it’s punk rock. It’s just not my style of music. Lots of clapping, and lots of singing, and lots of “you say X when we say Y.” They begged for crowd participation, which always annoys me, and they also started War Pigs and put their own cornball lyrics to it – annoying. Kudos to the singer for grabbing someone’s flyer from the crowd and reading the details of the event on stage. Very DIY.
Dropkick Murphys (if you don’t know) are a sort-of-irish-punk-band. What I mean is they’re all Irish through and through, but they only sort-of play punk (no Mohawks, but still punk – and no, not Green Day punk either). It’s got tons of traditional sounds, melodies, and instruments from Ireland put in. And they have TONS of energy! They’re also an older guy band, but these people really brought the fun for the crowd. Started with a traditional Irish ditty and went right into punk rock. It’s really nice to see people have fun playing music they are passionate about. This may be the one exception I’ll give to the limit of 5 people on stage for a band. They had 6 or 7, but they all kept switching instruments, different guitars, accordion, bagpipes, flutes, traditional Irish guitars, banjos, etc. They had fun and so did we. Also, the drummer was incredibly fast, creative and sang at the same time on a couple songs – that’s serious talent, especially for a punk band. All kinds of older stuff and a couple of new ones. I think that was what the crowd wanted. There’s a reason these guys have a huge following (and it’s not because everyone’s Irish when they’re drunk).
I realized two things at this show – Dropkick Murphys bring in an UGLY crowd – guys and girls. Seriously REALLY rough looking. Also there were far too many utili-kilts in the crowd for my taste. My friend Chicken Little claims Seattle invented the utili-kilt, but not the douche-bags that wear them. Apparently, there’s a d-bag club in the Twin Cities that just received their order.
And you always hear about how violent Dropkick Murphys shows are. I think this one was toned down a bit due to their recent mainstream popularity brought on by movie soundtrack recognition (good for them, seriously). But there were of course those that chose to bring the beatdown. When I left the show there were multiple guys in wife beaters laying on the frozen cement in handcuffs face down with girlfriends crying and police jotting down notes. That stuff brings a smile to my face – cause I’m glad that’s not me.
Top 5 things about the show
1. Dropkick Murphys are awesome live
2. Civet girls are smoking hot
3. Old guys rockin hard (TWSS)
4. Instrument changes for the Murphys
5. Civet’s drummer is awesome
Bottom 5 things
1. Dirty ugly people
2. Civet’s fashionable time-intensive hair
3. Black Sabbath embarrassment
4. Punk rock is really singy sometimes
5. 3-chord songs in general
http://www.myspace.com/dropkickmurphys
http://www.myspace.com/h2ofamily
http://www.myspace.com/civet
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4 comments:
I totally disagree about the Myth being a good place to see a show (or at least a Punk show). While trying to just have a good time with some friends, I was kicked out for unintentionally "bumping" people. Wait, this is a punk show right? Anyways, while complying with Security orders, I was roughed up on the way out and was threatened with pepper spray all the while leaving. I call for a complete and total ban on the Myth for any punk show. If you want to watch Enigma there, go right ahead
TC, I agree with you 1000% on the no punk shows at the Myth rule. It is a mainstream place, and they never allow "touching" on the floor. It totally changes the punk dynamic to a MUCH more mainstream dynamic and waters it down (which is why I saw people handcuffed in the snow outside afterwards). Punk rock needs to be performed in dirty bars or basements for the full effect, but it would have been really hard to cram a couple thousand drunk fans into a smaller venue. All I was saying is you could hear all the instruments and actually see things. It definitely wasn't a punk rock atmosphere, I agree. (And yeah, the security are a tad "aggressive" - must be roid rage.)
does jason wade (Resin, Faggot) still live in the twin cities? have you heard of the latter band yet, chao?
Whoever wrote this is a fucking tool. Saying Dropkick is kinda punk even though they don't have mohawks, and complaining about Civet's hair. Punk is not about the look, it's about unity, the message, respect, the different type of people in the crowd and the energy. Not about older bands needing to play more chords, hair styles, everyone looking a certain way or age.
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