Reviews, Rants, and Recollections

Reviews, Rants, and Recollections Reviews, Rants, and Recollections

1995-April 2000:

1995 Late November- Rhino's, Bloomington, IN
Well, this was my very first Socko show. My friend Ivy had this Socko tape (Bovaquarium) in the computer lab one day and got me hooked. She then dragged me to B-town to expose me to the live version. Life has never been the same. I believe that the Twistoff's opened. Socko had on dresses, a common occurrence back in the early years.

1996 April ?- Rhino's, Bloomington, IN
Rhino's again. I don't remember a whole lot about the show itself, but I remember that Ivy's friend Pat Bonar launched himself off of the rafters and hit the floor. I believe that was also the time that Pat and Bob came back to Lafayette with us and stayed for about 2 weeks.

1997 April (Grand Prix)- Riverstix, W. Lafayette, IN
This is the first Socko show I went to in a bar, right after I turned 21. It had been so long since I saw Socko last, and I discovered in that time that my friend Dave's roommate Brad was really into Socko. Turned out that Brad and I had the same birthday as well, so as soon as we were 21, we went to Riverstix. I honestly don't remember much about this show....but I remember that Phil was the bassist, Chris on guitar, Trout in a UPS uniform, and Demian in a dress. This HUGE guy knocked me to the slimy, gritty, nasty floor. A plastic fishing game may have been a dance prize. Sarah and I came home from that show completely bruised and battered. But it was worth it!

1997 August something- Hoops, W. Lafayette, IN
I know there was a show the first week of school, and it was the "Full Trucker Effect" release party...but other than that...I have no idea...

1997 October 30- Hoops, W. Lafayette, IN
The night before Halloween....Trout had on a plastic kiddie Halloween costume and boxers. I think the costume was a Ninja Turtle one, but Brad thinks otherwise. The costume eventually ripped, so it was duct-taped to his body. Garcia's visors were distributed. Another random bass player.

1998 January 15- Hoops, W. Lafayette, IN
This was the show that some idiot yelled at me for beating the crap out of him during "Bitch Stole My Hat". He kept knocking Sarah and I into the speakers, so I had to retaliate with the elbows...I think the dance prize was a St. Paddie's Day hat or something...

1998 February or March ?- Hoops, W. Lafayette, IN
Brush with greatness at this show...I stood next to Fuzzy Gerdes from National Velveeta and Crazy Monkeys fame, and offered him ear plugs (the sound at Hoops was TERRIBLE!) and I think it was one of the first shows that I remember Rob playing bass....

1998 April 22 (Grand Prix)- Hoops, W. Lafayette, IN
I have a set list from this show....which is how I know I was there, but as for the show itself...i'm blank. Oh wait, flashback, there were these two girls standing in front of us, who were right in front of Chris. They were smoking a lot and blowing the smoke right in Chris's face. So for awhile he was blowing their smoke right back to them. It was kinda amusing. I do recall maybe the dance prize being a Lionel Richie album..

1998 April 24 (Grand Prix)- Skulls, W. Lafayette, IN
I think I said something really stupid to Trout during sound check. They played the exact same set as the Hoops show that week. I remember that there was this chick in front of us that had a rather revealing outfit on. Trout kept making comments about her lack of a bra. We left at set break for a Taco Bell run....

1998 October 30- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
This was my first time at CSW. I dragged my pal Jon with me....we travelled through terrible fog from South Bend to get there. A good time was had. The dance prize was a "Knight Rider" novel. I want to say that this was the first time I saw the boys with the orange jumpsuits. The night before Halloween, and Elvis showed up....along with a few drag queens...

1998 November 28- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Awwww yeah....This is the night that Sarah, Angie, and I won the dance prize (Farm Aid bandannas from 1985). I got to sing some of "Vinnie's Hooch" and Trout gave me a huge (gallon) bottle of water for some reason. Sarah also confronted Trout with the fact that he looks like Chuck Barris from the Gong Show....

1998 December 5- Hoi Polloi, Mishawaka, IN
This was Socko's first show at the Hoi, and supposedly Socko wasn't supposed to curse. Well, that didn't work out so well, as Trout didn't try too hard to supress his language. Dance Prize: Debbie Gibson biography. They busted out into "Shake your love" one time too many....

1998 December 27- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
Because we decided to watch X-Files before going to Piere's, we missed most of the first set. This guy in a waterbuffalo hat won the dance prize of a cup of olives. Eric was being tried out at this show, and he had on the blue jumpsuit. Chuck Krone (original tromboner) also made an appearance and played bone on a few songs....

1999 January 22- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Once again, FOG. My friend Erin and I thought we might never make it to the Fort from Peru. The second set was interrupted by a fight, prompting the boys to bust out into "Eye of the Tiger" and the dance prize was a Barbie Soccer outfit...

1999 February 18- Boiler Room, W. Lafayette, IN
I was driving home from work and decided to take a 2 hour detour to Lafayette to see Socko. Trout and Josh launched themselves off of the balcony during "Bitch Stole My Hat". I heard "Rocks" and "Devil's Advocate" for the first time at this show. Eric had on a crash helmet and a cape.

1999 March 17- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
Ah, St. Paddie's day. I won the dance prize this night, a Carpenter's Christmas album. Many new songs at this show. I dragged my brother with me to this show, and made him a believer....

1999 April 3- Metro, Chicago, IL
Brad and I decided to meet up in Chi-town for a couple of shows. We were standing outside of the Metro, when Chris, Demian and Eric walked by. Chris came back and gave me a free pass for the show. They wore the new jumpsuits for the first time at this show....white with flames..... Dance prize- A-team trading cards and Bernice Harris's homework....

1999 April 3- Durty Nellies, Palatine, IL
Ah....after talking to Chris for eons at the Metro....Brad and I cruised on over to Durty Nellies. The place was PACKED! Full Trucker Effect became "Phil Choi Effect". We wormed our way up front....and had a smashing good time. Dance prize: A-team trading cards...I have a set list for this show...

1999 April 9- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
This is the only show that I have gone to alone. I couldn't convince anyone to go with me, so I just went by myself. Go here for the set-list Dance prize- Dukes of Hazard watch....

1999 April 16- Club Hoi Polloi, Mishawaka, IN
I got paid to be at this show!! I won't say how....but anyway... Trout had to curb the cursing, so "Vinnie's Hooch" came out really weird. Trout also shared his waffle iron burn with the crowd and offered waffle iron safety advice. Dance prize- Dukes of Hazard watch. I presented Eric and Demian with fine art (Luke Skywalker and Han Solo paint by number). Demian made me sign it backstage after the show and it is now displayed in the van.....

1999 April 17- Subterranean, Chicago, IL
Good lord! This was my most interesting Socko experience to date. The night started off typical...said my hi's to D, Eric, and Chris. Josh donned a duct tape Fu Manchu towards the end of the show. The dance prize- CB dictionary. They also tried out a new Tromboner...I think his name was Paul. Well, after the show I discovered that the people I came with (and was staying with) left me. I didn't have their phone number on me. So I begged Demian for a ride because I swore I knew their address. Well, I got the right block, wrong house (i'm a dumbass). By this time it was about 4:30am, and I didn't have anywhere to go. So I ended up at the Spa with the boys. The Spa is everything the song says it is. After a night of fireworks, wrestling, and skunky Croatian beer, I found my way back to the place I was staying. Go here for the set list...

1999 May 1- The Duck Inn, Evansville, IN
The drive to Evansville is absolute HELL! US 41 has got to be the most boring road EVER. So Brad, Sarah, Dave, and I decided to go to the Duck Inn after spending the morning in Indianapolis (Dave and Brad ran the mini-marathon). We got to the show pretty early, as mullet-watching at the Super K-mart wasn't holding our attention. So anyway, we watched sound-check...and then proceeded to drink nasty beer from a dirty plastic pitcher. By the time Socko played, Sarah and I were pretty tipsy. The show started with "Anyway You Want It" and Sarah and I were the only two up by the stage, giggling from the nasty beer. More people eventually filtered up front, and they had to stop in the middle of "Goiter" to laugh. This guy (who ended up with the dance prize of A-team trading cards) had on a shirt that said "I love to fart". Eventually they regained their composure, and completed the set which included some Tom Jones. Well, the second set was just crazy. Trout babbled about the macarena and the taco-bell chihuahua. Both were randomly inserted into "Full Trucker Effect". D showed Trout how to do the Macarena. Trout then violated the mike stand with his tounge while Chris and D were singing "Right at Home". Another song was stopped because Chris was drooling beer out of his mouth instead of singing. Shortly after that, "Barracuda" was played. Grand finale...."Separate Ways". I was serenaded by Trout towards the end of the song. All in all, a great show...but the trip to Evansville...NEVER AGAIN! Go here for the set list...

1999 May 20- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
Ah, Sarah and I decided to take a little trip to St. Joe to see the boys. Spotted Mike at a restaurant before the show and was later yelled at for not saying "hi". Before the show, Dylan informed me that my "artwork" may appear on Socko's new website. Sweet. The boys had on polyester, and nobody was dancing. Sarah and I couldn't take it anymore, so we went up there and danced with this guy from Domestic Problems. Josh decided to bust out into "the greatest love of all". It was TERRIBLE but hilarious. The Domestic Problems guy won the dance prize of a Mr. T trading card, which he got autographed by the band. Go here for the set-list.

1999 May 28- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Yet another show at CSW. It seems that every time I go to CSW I see a drag queen or two. Pretty cool. Anyhow, this was a pretty good show. They played Next Big Thing and Madame Blavatsky, two songs I haven't heard in awhile. Dance prize was a CB dictionary. Go here for the set-list.

1999 May 30- HempAid@Rainbow Farm, Vandalia, MI
Yes, Erin and I camped at Rainbow Farm. Pretty fun. Socko showed up about 30 minutes before they were supposed to play, and put on a hell of a show. Set break was even entertaining, due to the Naked Hippie Slide. Eric did some Irish dancing, Chris sang lead on Rocks, and I won the dance prize again! I had some of them sign the lovely Family Circus comic book, which Mike contends is the source of all evil in this country.... Go here for some pictures of this show.

1999 June 12- Elbo Room, Chicago, IL
Stranded in Chicago Part II: Impatience. Sarah and I went up to Chi-town to see Trout for the last time. We got off of the train late, and waited for Carrie for an hour. After an hour passed and no Carrie, we decided to head on over to the Elbo Room. We finally made it there, after walking about a mile from the EL station. Promptly upon arrival, we bumped into Eric....who lead us backstage. Talked for awhile...blah blah blah....found out that Demian actually reads this ranting...blah blah blah.. THE SHOW: Right off the bat we noticed that this was a night unlike any other. Eric played trombone for the first set, and there was a new face on bass, Jeremy. There were also times that a keyboard was played by Eric, complete with silly sound effects. It was great. The first set rolled right along smoothly. The second set had Eric back at bass, and Jeremy suspiciously missing until the very end of the show. Two Journey songs were played, and I was serenaded once again by Trout during "Separate Ways". "I Like Cows" was truly interesting, with Jeremy up on stage half-naked and practically oozing out of every pore on his body. Demian and Jeremy provided endless entertainment by way of their childish antics. I love it! Poo on the people who think that because Trout is leaving that the band is going to be less silly. They obviously haven't met Jeremy. The dance prize was a "Clash of the Titans" puzzle. AFTERWARD: I wished Trout well, and said my goodbyes....and we were off. Luckily, Carrie left us a message with her address, and it wasn't too far from the Elbo Room. For once, we weren't stranded in Chicago! WHOOHOO! Go here for the set-list.

1999 June 16- Wrigley Beer Tent, Fort Wayne, IN
Ah, the first show sans Trout. The boys put one one of the best shows I've ever seen. So many new songs, as well as old favorites sung by Chris and Demian. I got the distinct privilege of wearing Josh's visor and got to sing some of "Full Trucker Effect" with him. There was a Night Ranger cover in there and the usual craziness. Go here for the set-list. Dance prize- ZZ Top tour program.

1999 June 18- Club Hoi Polloi, Mishawaka, IN
Ack. This would have been such a good show, if we would have been able to hear the boys. The PA/monitors were all messed up, so you couldn't hear any of the vocals. Sort of the same thing happened at the Beer Tent. Anyhow, the boys were pretty hyped up anyway and put on another good show. Go here for the set-list. Dance prize- MC Hammer T-shirt.

1999 July 14- Wrigley Beer Tent, Fort Wayne, IN
After a much deserved vacation, the boys were back in full force at the Beer Tent. They performed a similar set as the last beer tent, complete with some awesome song ending jams. Their music just keeps getting better and better. The new songs just blow me away. The dance prize was half of a moldy watermelon that had been in Josh's fridge for a month. The guy who won it ate it after the show. ICK. Go here for the set-list.

1999 July 22- Forest Park Live, Kokomo, IN
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I want to take ya.....no, not that Kokomo. Ah....so Erin and I went to see Socko at FPL...interesting place. They had mini-golf inside the bar, and Erin and I played a round with Josh and Demian. Josh and I tied for last, and Demian was the grand champ. The show was a lot of fun. The guys are improving their music and stage show. The dance prize was a broken fan, which Josh claimed may just be the stupidest dance prize ever. Go here for the set-list and our scorecard.

1999 July 24- Subterranean, Chicago, IL
HOT. It was HOT. Socko was looking a little fried, due to playing outdoors hours before the Subterranean show. In fact, they played three shows in approximately 24 hours. They should have been dead on the stage. But alas, no....this is Johnny Socko we're talking about here, and of course...they rocked the house once again. They stuck to nearly the same set that they played at Kokomo and tried not to sweat to death on the stage. Dylan resorted to playing topless...whoohoo! The dance prize was a Price is Right board game, which provided endless banter ("The people who bid $1 need to be shot!"). The after-show congregation at the Spa was fairly low key. Most of the guys were too exhausted to move and opted for a much needed and deserved night of sleep. Josh and Eric were insane enough to stay up and chat. Go here for the set-list.

1999 August 5- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
Yet another show in the lovely town of St. Joe. It was "comedy night" at Czar's, which was an interesting concept. Two stand-up comedians opened up the show. Then Socko took to the stage. Eric from Jumpin' Jive filled in for D, who was in Utah. The crowd was non-dancing, despite being offered the lovely dance prize of a Cindy Crawford make-up book. The band conjured up some comedy of their own by making Josh the "ugliest Hamm's spokesgirl EVER". Hamm's in a can was inserted everywhere possible. Near the end of the set, I played witness to the most bizarre Socko occurrance to date. The band was in the middle of Don't Tell Me You Love Me (the Night Ranger Cover) when they all (well, Josh, Chris and Jeremy) collapsed on the floor, paused for about a minute, and ended the song in true ROK form. Chris said that they saw this on an old Night Ranger live video once. It was definitely the highlight of the evening. This was the first time I heard the new song, Dancing Queen. It rocked the house. All in all it was a pretty good show, but D was really missed up there. He is definately less easily replaced..... Go here for the set-list.

1999 August 26- Boiler Room, W. Lafayette, IN
The Boiler Room was packed, and the crowd was rowdy. Met Jen Brown, fellow socko addict, at the show. Socko played many new songs, including the first performance of Save Yourself...another great new song. Josh flung himself off of the balcony once again during Bitch Stole My Hat. The end of the show was perhaps the most entertaining....after Chaka Kahn won the dance prize, they busted out into Don't Tell Me You Love Me...afterward they attempted Sister Christian with Dylan on vocals. They tried to end the show with Devil, but some rude punk kid kept throwing stuff on stage, prompting them to end the set midsong... Dance Prize- Olan Mills portrait of a random late 70s family. Go here for the set-list.

1999 August 27- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
CSW again. Got there really early and talked to Chris for a bit before the opening band, Red Ball Jets (great rockabilly band from Fort Wayne) took to the stage. Then came Socko...opened with Dancin' Queen, a really catchy new song. Eric wore a fez, Josh wore 3-D glasses duct taped to his head, there was a glowing penis in the crowd and the dance prize was Macho Power, an antique exercise apparatus. Sometime during the second set, Josh was again pumping himself up with Macho Power when suddenly half of the thing shot across the bar. Whoops. Go here for the set-list.

1999 September 17- Dill Street Bar, Muncie, IN
Well, me and my pals got there around 9:30. Dill Street was absolutely dead. 10:30 rolled around, there were about 7 more people in the place than when we got there. It looked like it was going to be a "rockin" night. The guys, my pals and I watched cartoons until 11 when they were going to start. Chris was sporting a new hair color, bleached blonde....
11pm: Socko takes to the stage. Me and my friends are the only people who were even close to the stage. Josh announced the dance prize (a tacky wooden plaque that read "to heck with housework, I'm going garage saleing!"). After five whole minutes on the stage, Chris gave me the dance prize. I gave it back. The first set rolled along, and a few more people filtered up front. They played a lot of their new songs during the first set. (Just LOVE those new songs!) By the time set break came along, there was a decent crowd. Second Set: Finally, the "Fun-cie" party people arrived. They started off with Boots, which sounded exceptionally good. They did their dramatic rock star act during "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". The set moved along smoothly, and the crowd was having a great time. Before re-awarding the dance prize, they played what is perhaps my favorite of their new songs, "Dancin' Queen". I tell ya, that song gets stuck in my head for weeks...I just love it! They ended the set with perennial fav Niteklub. Go here for the set-list.

1999 October 7- Boiler Room, West Lafayette, IN
Light crowd at the Boiler Room, possibly due to the fact that it was the Thursday before October Break. The guys have new outfits, short sleeve buttonups with tacky ties and cut-off polyester pants. Josh played the role of Professor Silbert, complete with thick black glasses. Dominant theme was "Video Killed the Radio Star" which Chris heard before the show and couldn't seem to get out of his head. The guys played one long set and the dance prize was a twist-it hair video.

1999 October 22- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Socko played to a packed house at CSW...Jackie Fly opened...The dance prize was a Gerber Faucet, referred to as "the kitchen sink". Socko jammed a lot during the show, showing off their immense musical talent. For some reason, "I Want It That Way" kept showing up in songs.....after the show, Richard the sound guy popped in Vanilla Ice, prompting Jeremy, Eric, and Josh to bust out into one of Ice's famous dance moves...

1999 October 30- The Bluebird, Bloomington, IN
Wow. Wow. Wow. It was the Flash Gordon Specatcular...and was it something...Chris was Flash, Demian was Dale Arden, Jeremy was Ming the Merciless, Eric was Prince Barin, Josh was Vultan, and Dylan was Dr. Zarkov.....the Lite Brite read "Hot Hail". Clips from the movie were played on a screen while the boys played. Highlights included Dale feeling herself onstage (priceless), Flash throwing footballs out to the crowd, a sprite-bottle space ship, and former Tromboner Nils Fredland joining in on Bitch Stole My Hat. The Queen melodies were great, and the show ended with Josh dressing as Freddie Mercury, complete with bad teeth and wife-beater shirt. Pictures from the show are HERE!

1999 November 18- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
Rick Springfield/Johnny Socko...one stage, one night! Piere's was rockin' with Rick (he's so HOT) Springfield playing to a crowd filled with mullets and spray bangs. Enough about him...on to Socko! In a nutshell, they were flashed, Matt Wilson's back, Jeremy's leaving soon (sob), and the show was short, but oh so sweet with Demian modeling the dance prize of an '82 Rick Springfield tour shirt with 3/4 sleeves.

1999 December 3- Witz End, Steven's Point, WI
Well, I drove up to Wisconsin to go to the show with Brad, and it got cancelled due to van problems. Ah well. I like Wisconsin and had a good time regardless.

1999 December 11- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
Easily one of the best performances ever! The opening act didn't show, so Chris and Matt did a short acoustic set before the show. They played Coffee Girl, the first time I've ever heard that song performed. It was incredible! Then the boys got on stage and played their butts off. X-103, the local "alternative" radio station broadcasted the first part of the show live on the air. Boots to Ya Momma is sounding better than ever. The dance prize was a set of dog obedience tapes.

1999 December 22- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Christmas show! Socko opened with a rousing rendition of "Boots" and rocked the house for two full sets. Various pieces of Christmas tunes were inserted in some of the songs. Bitch has a new prelude, Demian singing Purple Rain. The dance prize was a tacky statue of an old man that had "Grandpa, you're the greatest" or something like that on the base.

1999 December 30- The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
So it was the Bunker Bash, complete with hired dancers. Why do you need to hire dancers when Jen Brown is in the house? Anyway, the band was in cammo and played on a scaffolded stage. Very post-modern. They debuted the new song, "Old School Master" which features Chris's lovely wife, Kari on vocals. Excellent. Dance prize was a chock full o' electronic equipment. The encore: a sing-a-long of "I Like Cows" with no mics. Beautiful.

2000 January 13- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
Czar's...I am beginning to think that no one dances in Southwest Lower Michigan...because this is the third show they've done at Czar's and the third one with no good competition for the dance prize. Josh was out of hand during the entire show. He was definately in rare form with his random utterances and fluid movements. Dance prize was a half of a doll...which was won by a couple making out in the stairwell. The band was flashed...and the guy did obscene things with the dance prize. Fun.

2000 January 15- Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
UPS uniforms were the chosen attire for the evening...what a great show. The place was packed, and the band rocked out...dance prizes included a New Kids on the Block cartoon video, a fire safety video, and another half of a doll.

2000 February 4- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Quatro release party in Fort Fun, and fun it was. Massive crowd that was kinda dead at first, but eventually got drunk enough to move some. As Josh would put it...rok occurred. Dance prize was some cheerleader cartoon video thing.

2000 March 1- Boiler Room, West Lafayette, IN
I'm getting real lax about writing these reviews...forgive. Anyway, the crowd started out very very light, and then everyone showed up. Fun show. Everyone was dancin' and having fun. This show was the day after Purdue's loss to IU. As you may know, most of the members of Socko went to IU at sometime or another. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the dance prize was the front page of the Indianpolis Star proclaiming IU's victory and a hand painted IU t-shirt. There was a lot of booing, hissing, and Brian Cardinal jokes, but it was all in good fun.

2000 March 17- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
I haven't been to a show like this one since the Hoops days...massive crowd, rowdy as heck. D was sportin' a new hair-do, mini afro puffs. He kinda looked like a bottle brush. Numerous onstage antics, such as Josh eating Lucky Charms and Guinness (it's not bad), the devil winning the contest instead of Johnny during "Devil Went Down To Ga", and some nasty chick with a nipple piercing in the audience flashing the band. Dance prizes were a potato, a box of Lucky Charms (half eaten, of course) and a Tae-bo video. Great show!

2000 April 9- Peabody's Down Under, Cleveland, OH
Ah...the flats. It was a Sunday night at Peabody's, and there were three bands. Livingston sucked, they played the same song 7 times. Dysfunctional Ray kicked ass with their little drummer. And then there was Socko....short show...they played mostly stuff from Quatro. D is now sporting a porn-star moustache. Tres Chic. For some odd reason, the crowd allowed Johnny to win the battle of good and evil. Strange. Dance prize was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Video.

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