Bad Religion, Rise Against, From First to Last - 10/26/04 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
There is a reason that Bad Religion has been around for what seems like forever. They released their first cd back in 1981 and have been atop the punk world since the mid 1980s. They have inspired countless bands and have done wonders for the genre. Then why are they playing in a 1000 person club? Becuase they guys have integrity. Unlike most bands who "trade their passion for glory", these guys are still writing punk rock songs the way that they did 20 years ago, despite nearing 40 years of age. Although their new stuff is not my personal favorite, it is still rocking and as fast as anything theyve done in the past. These guys are great performers and obviously still love doing what theyre doing.
They played everything you could imagine, from their earliest songs to their brand new releases. They talked about the good times and the bad, the times they toured with a tiny little van, how they used to make black flag shirts with white t-shirts and sharpie back in the day, and discussed politics (even though i strongly disagree with their beliefs). These guys really have been through it all. And they are still running strong. "You", "conquer the world", and "modern man" were the hilights of my night, as well as "20th century digital boy" (i think thats the name of it) and "epiphany". bad religion played for just about 75 minutes and didnt slow down during the set. Singer Greg Graffin has one of the most identifiable voices in the punk rock world, and, despite mild balding, is still chugging the way he used to. I am proud to say that I am a fan of Bad Religion, and im sure the rest of the crowd agrees with me.
From First to Last opened the show with an out-of-place set of screamo/hardcore with too much fashion and not enough substance. Despite some crushing breakdowns, good screaming, and strong harmonies, they just did not get over with the fans. This band did not belong at a punk show.
Rise Against played right before Bad Religion and may have exhuasted the crowd a little too much. These guys are serious left-wingers, yet keep the preaching to a minimum, dedicating only one song to the vote. They express their message through their music, the way it should be done. They put on a great show, pulling 45 minutes of songs from 2003's "Revolutions Per Minute" and September's "Siren Song Of the Counter Culture". They played a blistering set of songs with every fan pumping their fist to the sing along sections. They closed the set with my personal favorite song, "Black Masks and Gasoline", which was a thrill as well as a hilight.
Despite an absolutely fantastic show, a crowd really can ruin a band's performance. I know that i am somewhat of an elitist when it comes to show etiquette becuase it is where I live my life. However I would have expected more from the crowd of arguably the greatest punk band of all time. Instead of circle pits, or even the crazy mohawk-street punkers, we had the bro-moshers. You know, the big tough jocks without shirts on pushing each other around like its football practice. That's not dancing, nor is that fun for anyone else involved. Every time someone would try to dance, they would get tackled or checked out of the way, so that they could await another victim. I, as well as those with me, came home covered in bruises and abnormally sore from these douche bags. It's really too bad that they may have made this show mildly less-fun.
OVERALL: 5 out of 5 stars even though the crowd sucked. Bad Religion and Rise Against were amazing and both played fantastic sets.
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