Reviews, Rants, and Recollections 2

Reviews, Rants, and Recollections 2 Reviews, Rants, and Recollections 2
I ran out of room on the other reviews page....so here's page 2 (dang, I go to a lot of shows!)

Reviews and recollections of the shows:

2000, April 22- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
It was Dylan's birthday (the 23rd), so of course he got spanked by the staff at the Patio. Great show as usual....fabulous jams once again and a rousing rendition of Prince's "Bambi". The dance prize was the ultimate dance prize....a Flowbee. Of course...the sucking power of the Flowbee had to be tested onstage, and ended up down Josh's pants. Minor scuffles erupted between the guitarists, providing the crowd with many laughs.

2000, May 18- The Filter Inn Cafe, Milwaukee, WI
Oh boy. So last night I was at the Milwaukee show. The Filter Inn is about as big as my living room. There wasn't much of a crowd...not that many more people could have possibly fit in that place! Takes the cake for the smallest place that i've seen Socko...hands down. The opening band, twin stars, was horrible. The singer couldn't sing to save his ass. But enough about them...Socko put on a short, yet amusing show...played mostly stuff off of Quatro, but snuck in Long Live the Dead guy, which I haven't heard in awhile. The end of the show was definately one of those well known wacky Socko moments. The dance prize was a kitty kat suncatcher.....while Josh was awarding the prize, D and Chris were meowing with their voices and Chris's guitar...this unnerved Josh, resulting in Josh nearly losing his mind and thus freaking out for a bit. Then, during Devil...Chris snuck in "Cat Scratch Fever", prompting a discussion about Ted Nugent, guns, bunnies, cats...you name it. Johnny won the battle of good and evil, mostly because the Narrator/Devil couldn't remember the words to the first verse...silliness....

2000, May 19- Hornucopia, Rock Island, IL
Ah yes, so Jezzi and Brad could not resist the possibility of seeing Socko two nights in a row. The place: Rock Island Hornucopia, a music festival devoted to music with horns. Let me just say that the 2 hour void between Chicago and Rock Island makes for the most frustrating drive known to man. Almost as bad as driving from Indy to Evansville. At least you can hit 90 during the void....anyway..we got there around 10ish and caught an amazing Salsa band called Orquesta Alto Maiz. We also caught glimpse of a girl selling beer that was less than fully clothed. Let's just say beer wasn't the only spillage. Socko took to the stage around 11ish. Started things out right with Don't Tell Me You Love Me. The retaining wall provided a great place for various Sockos to jump up on and interact with the crowd. The chosen attire for the evening: Grey Tuxes with Hot Pink shirts, as it was kinda chilly outside. Anyhow, the dance prize was a Family Circus bedsheet, which of course became a prop (read: Cape). Josh was the ultimate superhero with his stylin' cape. Such a superhero, that he felt compelled to make mulch angels in the retaining wall. Classic silliness. The guys scared the heck out of me with their dead on rendition of that Austrailian beefcake Rick Springfield's I've Done Everything For You (you've done nothing for me!). I had flashbacks of Socko's gig with Rick last year (the mullets, the spraybangs, Rick's hot chest..) Mama Mia! It was a fantastic show. Huge Crowd. Scary dance prize winner....all the makings of classic Socko.

2000, May 26- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
It's only taken me two months to update this. Sheesh. Anyhow... since it's been two months from this show...I have no idea what the heck went on....I know that the dance prize was an Alf T-shirt....but the rest....i'm blank.

2000, June 13- Benson's Beer Tent, Fort Wayne, IN
Ah the beer tent. It was the third anniversary of the entity known as "Joanie". From what i've heard, Joanie was the single scariest event in Socko history. And she wanted Josh bad. Anyhow....it was a great night for a beer tent. Not too hot, not too cold, and a lot of beer. So the usual Ft. Wayne Socko freaks were in attendance, including Krafty, the guy who won the Alf t-shirt, and a guy with a fro sporting a shirt which read on the front "oops" and on the back "I crapped my pants". He, of course, won the dance prize (known as the "Joanie") of a exercise video tape. The show began with a little instrumental ditty with served the purpose of opening and closing the show. Very nice. 2 Socko relics were resurrected from the dead...Quarantined (YES) and When the Bough Breaks. Both sounded fantastic. I would have liked to report that Chris got all the words to Save Yourself correct. He was doing so well until the end when he was distracted by an audience member. Oops..he did it again.... It was a two set show....which hasn't happened in a fairly long time. Two sets of Socko = lots of silly fun, such as asking a Taco Bell Chihuahua toy questions about the Pacers, making fun of Jack Nicholson and the Lakers....yeah...

2000, June 16- Indianapolis Jazz Fest, Indianapolis, IN
Socko....denied! Torrential rain cancelled the Jazz Fest. Poop. All was not lost, as skee-ball, foos-ball, and video games satiated our tastes for Socko. Dry clothing would have been nice though....

2000, July 9- Rock Around The Block, Chicago, IL
After a 3 week tour of the west, Socko rocked the heck out of Chi-town on a muggy-ass, N'awlins like afternoon. Fun crowd, including an older African American gentleman with a pretty nice fro. Said gentleman repeatedly picked his fro in front of the stage, offered to give D a haircut, and then proceeded to cut his own chest hair in front of the stage. You would have thought that he'd be a shoo-in for the dance prize of a Jane Fonda record, but he disappeared right before presentation. So the dance prize winner was a girl that was dancing like a stripper in her bra the entire show. Me saying she was drunk is a gross understatement. So she gets on stage, and then proceeds to fondle any band member she could get her hands on. The band reaction was nothing short of priceless. In the middle of Don't Tell Me You Love Me, when the band falls to the ground, the dance prize stripper tripped on Chris and landed on top of him. I don't need to tell you that the music was great.....

2000, July 27- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
I think it's becoming some sort of trend for Socko shows at Piere's to be bizzare. The last time they played there, they had Rick Springfield opening. This time, they played in the country bar while a Britney Spears, Backstreet, Spice tribute show played on the main stage. Played badly, I might add. So, of course there were constant moments in the Socko show where "I want it that way" were uttered. Silly. Dance prize was a Culture Club/Billy Idol poster.

2000, August 4- The Firehouse, N. Manchester, IN
Socko played at a neat little all-ages club in N. Manchester, which may be further from civilization than my town. But it's a nice little town, filled with nice people. Socko played a nice show with no cursing, making Hasselhoff's "bulging crotch" a challenge. Bulging crotch became Sasquatch. Isn't that nice? The kids hollered for "I Like Cows", so the guys played it...with Josh on bass and Matt attempting to play the trumpet. Definately a nice time....dance prize was a Furby keychain and an Urkel coloring book.

2000, August 13- Retro on Roscoe Street Fair, Chicago, IL
An outdoor show. They guys were supposed to go on at 6, but a mixture of leaving late, getting lost and wrecking the Bull prevented them from arriving on time. After the speediest set up to date, Socko played a fantastic 30 minute set.

2000, August 24- Czar's, St. Joseph, MI
...And the people of St. Joe danced...
...And the Sockos rejoiced.
-Czars 8:24
Czars is usually one of those bars in which Socko entertains themselves by being very drunk and silly because the crowd tends to be on the non-participatory side. The place is usually as dead as Scott Baio's career. Not last night. The first set started off a little slow. The guys began to entertain themselves by repeatedly setting off the bomb effect. Then they played "I've Done Everything For You". This middle-aged, fat, sunburned yuppie guy got up, and put Kevin Bacon to shame with his aerobic dance moves. I'm talking splits, flips, all kinds of crazy moves. The set ended with an oldie, but goodie....Do that Stuff. After a long break, the guys got back on stage and something unprecidented happened. The people of St. Joseph, MI actually DANCED. A full dance floor of people groovin' out to Socko. Things got very very interesting towards the end of the set. Long Live The Dead guy turned into a floorshow, with this chick gyrating like only a stripper could. She then met up with scary yuppie guy and did some acrobatic humping on the floor. Wow. But wait, it gets better. Then the chick stole one of the bowling shirts from the merch booth. Eric politely got it back from her, and Bitch stole my hat easily became Bitch stole my shirt. She spent the entire song sitting on stage and making obscene gestures with the mic stand, simulating oral sex, and being downright nappy. But wait, it gets better...Dancin' Queen became Lap Dancin' Queen when the same chick got a guy on a chair and began to do a lap dance. Sockos were shocked, and started up the porn music in the middle of the song. The manager was not a happy camper, and kicked both parties out of the bar. The dance prize winner was fat yuppie guy, who was so out of it by the end of the show, I don't think he even realized he won the Mc Donald's temporary tattoos.

2000, August 25- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Another night in good ole Fart Stain. The guys had swanky new outfits. The usual guy won the dance prize of a Billy Ray Cyrus video.

2000, August 31- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
A very short night in St. Joe. Highlight of the evening: a fire-eater performing during "Devil". Schweet.

2000, September 28- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
The HOME tour rolled through Fort Wayne.....and it was fantastic. Wonderdrug, the Mudkids, and the Blue Moon Boys were awesome! I could have lived without Shaffer Street. Lots of mullet watching occurred. Josh had a bandage on his hand due to "bizarre bowling incident". Heh. The set was short, and it was the first Socko show i've seen without a dance prize...but wow...what an energetic show with a great crowd! The HOME tour sure started out with a bang.....

2000, October 7- Indiana Derby, Anderson, IN
So Socko entertained the people in the free hat line at the Indiana Derby in the freezing cold. It was one of those Spinal Tap-esque moments, and definately one of the more interesting venues. Fun.

2000, October 27- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Ah..yes. It's all coming back to me now. Sarah and I went to the Fort Wayne performance of Iron Maneater, a tribute to Hall and Oates and Black Sabbath. One word: AWESOME! Chris was Hall, D was Oates, and Josh was Ozzy. Hall and Oates kicked Ozzy's ass..and an innocent doll was decapitated by Ozzy.

2000, October 31- The Bluebird, Bloomington, IN
The B-town version of Iron Maneater. Same show as Fort Wayne, with a much crazier crowd. Costume contest rocked as usual....former Socko Jeremy won the costume contest with his geek gear. It was great night until someone robbed Betty Page and Daryl Hall. Bunch of savages in that town.....

2000, November 22- Piere's, Fort Wayne, IN
I think this was the debut of the leather clad, rock out Socko. Shiny new outfits, lots of rock.....

2000, December 7- Sputnik Coffeehouse, Homewood, IL
So Annie, Denise, and I took this roadtrip to Illinois in the middle of a snowstorm to celebrate Annie's birthday. After hanging out at Super K, we got the guys to pick us up and had some Boston Market. That some good eats! Then there was a massive snowball fight in the parking lot. Then we went to the Sputnik, an all ages place. Luckily there was a bar next door. Socko played to a whopping crowd of 9. There were chair races, and a lot of random silliness. We picked out a new Goth boyfriend to hang in the Beemer o' love. Then there were fru fru fruity drinks, watching Anne and Denise swim in an indoor/outdoor pool in the middle of winter, and some TV watching.

2000, December 8- Sideouts, Island Lake, IL
So the next day we hang out in Chi-town while the guys go to Merrillville to pick up some of their recovered equipment. About 3pm we left to go find Is-land Lake. Approximately 3 hours later (not kidding) we get there. We smuggle in our own drinks...and make asses of ourselves trying to keep it a secret. The show was fun...then we bowled. Big Lebowski style, complete with White Russians. Let it be known that Chris and Matt are pretty good bowlers. Let it be known that Jezzi, despite taking bowling class at Purdue, stinks at bowling.

2000, December 14- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
St. Joe is known for being silly....and last night was no exception. Pokerface Ace opened...and rocked the house. Then came Socko....what a silly silly show. At soundcheck, they practiced the two new songs, Stories to Tell and Come to Bed. Wow. They're pretty dang cool. Upbeat and rockin' both of them. D had a tinsel boa and afro puffs. and he kept accidentally hitting the ceiling with his knuckles. The bomb effect kept going off. Hey Hey Hi was an absolute disaster...having to be restarted 3 times and Chris and Eric falling on the floor laughing the third time. Josh got physically abused by some disgruntled fan, ending the show on a sour note. But it was pretty crazy fun in St. Joe.

2000, December 22- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
It's the Big Rock Show Tour....with The Aurelians and Chris Coolidge. I was very impressed with everyone. Great music, rockin' fun.

2001, January 26- Elliott's, Anderson, IN
So Anderson is notorious for being slightly off kilter, and the Andersonians did not disappoint. The highlight of the evening was this girl who we swore was on acid doing this ballet throughout the beginning of the second set. Awesome. She flashed us a few times. Awesome. Then there was turtleneck sweater guy who had this Stallone-esque demeanor about him. He looked to be about 12, but thought he was hot shit. Chris made fun of him a lot. Then there were the humpers, a gaggle of 3 girls, all dressed the same....and humping each other. Socko's show was equally hilarious, with a lot of cutting up, mimicry, and random silliness. I think i'm falling in love with Anderson, where the audience is just as entertaining as the band....

2001, February 8- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
Czar's is beginning to not be so funny anymore. Another weird night in St. Joe. The opening band, Ether....wow. Just amazing. Three kids, ages 14-17, rocked out like rockers twice their age. Watch out for them. They're going to be big someday. Socko was not in the most fantastic of collective moods. Probably because being dicked around by the same bar owner multiple times ceases to be amusing anymore. Or maybe it was the pizza. Anyhow...it got pretty weird...I think Come On Eileen was butchered, and another semi-famous Indiana band was parodied. Josh was in rare form and barely escaped being Sharpied by yours truly.

2001, February 10- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
CSW again. The usual people were there, dressed to the nines in their swanky 70's garb. Love those guys. Socko played very well. D is getting used to his valve trombone (that's a HINT as to what's happening in the upcoming weeks). A few of us were pretty obnoxious by the merch booth.

2001, March 2- Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
Eric's last show. It was an emotional night as the guys said goodbye to Eric. Crowd was kind of lackluster, but the guys put on a rockin' show.

2001, March 16- Elliott's, Anderson, IN
I love Anderson. Elliott's is a place where Socko gets absolutely no crowd reaction, yet they keep getting booked there. And the crowd gets weirder and weirder with every passing show. Josh wore this green outfit, which prompted Chris to repeatedly call him "Jackass, with the jackass slacks". Very appropriate....as Josh indeed looked and acted like a complete jackass. This girl that was a few sandwiches short of a picnic kept trying to get us to dance. She was trying to dance, but fell on her butt more than once. Sheesh...drunks. Rod Steele was in da house....and was getting a lap dance from a lovely drunken lass..when her husband came over and calmly removed her from his lap. Only in Anderson. But the event that took home the dance prize: During "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", this mullet appears out of nowhere and does this acrobatic dance, complete with handgestures and lip syncing. He knew every word. He had most of the band in tears. It was beautiful. He won some rotten coleslaw from the Bull. Only in Anderson.

2001, March 17- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
St. Paddie's Day. Of course, in traditional fashion, Lucky Charms and Guinness was served and shared. It really is good. Really. Dance Prize: Riverdance video. Also, there are few things funnier than Chris trying to Irish dance after partaking in herbal refreshment.

2001, April 5- The Annex, Madison, WI
MORE Tour day 2. So it started in the rain in Madison Thursday afternoon. Load in for the second show of the MORE Tour at the Annex. 5 Sockos, 8 Youngbloods, and 5 Knee Deeps. The show began around 9:30 with Knee Deep Shag, from Kalamazoo, MI. Knee Deep reminds me a lot of Ben Folds Five, with a little more rock and a better singing. The singer from KDS is out of this world. Amazing. They put on a pretty fabulous show. Did I mention that they're a pretty attractive band? Then came Socko......with a solid hour of hyperactive rock. Not a lot of dancing, but the crowd really dug Socko. Youngblood closed the night. I have never seen anything that quite resembles Youngblood.....2 trombones, 2 trumpets, an alto sax, a Sousaphone, and 2 drums laying down some funky beats with a mob-like atmosphere of a N'awlins brass band. Very impressive.

2001, April 6- Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
MORE Tour day 3. The next night, we met up with Kyoko and Co. at the Cubby Bear. Order this night was The Dog and Everything, Youngblood, KDS, and Socko. The Dog and Everything....ug. I don't really like to trash bands, because I know that it takes a lot just to get up on stage and perform...but this is the second time i've seen them, and they do absolutely nothing for me. As Kyoko says, "I might have liked them about 6 years ago when I was in my Pearl Jam stage". Then Youngblood got the crowd moving. Knee Deep was absolutely incredible at the Cubby Bear. Earlier in the day I commented to Brad that although I liked their sound, I wasn't energized by their performance at the Annex. That feeling changed after the Cubby Bear show. Musically solid and extrememly energetic set, complete with the most awesome Led Zepplin cover I have ever seen. It was a hard act to follow, but Socko did follow and did not disappoint. Josh played the Jackass as usual donning an electrical tape 'stache. Don't Tell Me You Love Me was played to rival the Led Zepplin cover played by KDS......and wow.....it was the best performance of this song yet. Show ended with Dancin' Queen.

2001, April 13- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
MORE Tour in Fort Wayne. All bands were amazing. It's been awhile since the show, so I can't go into a lot of detail....the Knee Deep Guys are sooooo nice. They invited me to a BBQ. Of course I went and got sick so I couldn't go...but anyway. I think I vaguely remember giving Felicity love advice about some guy at her gym. Weird.

2001, May 6- Fox Island Co. Park, Fort Wayne, IN
Outdoor fun in Fort Wayne. Fox Island is really cool. Sarah put together a great little festival, and Socko rounded out the entertainment on Sunday night. I got to check out Fevertree (super-nice kids from N. Manchester that ran the Firehouse club last summer), and Northern Kind. Socko played a fun set. This little girl was standing in front of Chris and giving him the oddest look. By the end of the night, she perfected the rock sign! The kids were alright and had a great time. Unfortunately Matty had a run in with Bambi's mother on I-69 on the way home. The Bull needs deer whistles.....

2001, May 12- Elliott's, Anderson, IN
What can I say, it was another night in Anderson. I finally got to meet the wonder that is Molly Martin. Molly Martin is awesome. Molly Martin got to experience Anderson. Molly Martin is cool! How many times can I say Molly Martin in one show review? Anyhow, the Andersonites weren't nearly as weird as they usually are, but weird regardless. We figured the college student population home for the summer evened out the weirdness. Dance Prize was an Iron Maiden mirror.

2001, May 17- City Park Grille, Petoskey, MI
After a rough week, I decided to go on the road with the guys for 4 days. Petoskey is a very pretty town. The folk are fairly normal. Food was darn good. But the show felt like an Anderson show. Save Yourself suddenly became a country hit. I made a new friend, a drunken Yooper named Jason. Jason kept insisting that Matty was bored playing bass and that he really needs more work. After show fun included the Big Lebowski....

2001, May 18 and 19- Up Front and Company, Marquette, MI
Oh my goodness, we went over the Mackinaw bridge and it was unbeliveably beautiful. We discovered that there is no other way to experience the bridge other than sticking your head out the window and looking down through the grate. I loved the UP. The weather was perfect. Marquette sits right on Lake Superior (or Mutha Superior, eh Molly?), as does the Up Front and Company. What a nice place! I was very impressed by it, and the locals really seemed to dig the band. Partied with the Yoopers, but missed getting a pastie. Maybe next time....

2001, May 20- Lakeview Mayfest, Chicago, IL
Insane drive from Marquette to Chicago in the middle of the night. Played Scrabble for awhile with Josh (rather, got my ass kicked by Josh) and attempted sleep. The Bull began to take on a strange smell. It was probably a combo of BO and leftover food from the Up Front. Tried to park the Bull at the Cubby Bear for some sleepy time, but rabid Cubs fans nixed that plan. Evil Cubs fans in Mickey D's bathroom as well. I was in no mood to be polite, so I wasn't. Did some light shopping before the show. Show was really good. Great turnout, and the guys played well. It took me several days to get back to a normal sleeping schedule, but I had a really great time.

2001, June 13- Broadripple Beer Tent, Ft. Wayne, IN
Ft. Wayne is being overtaken by beer tents! Socko played at one of them, and unfortunately the owner of it has some kind of anger problem. Those crazy Ft. Wayne boys were there and this time they switched decades. They were sportin' their finest "Crush Groove" 80's wear, complete with boombox. Those guys are awesome! Socko played a set that had Chuck Krone (old tromboner) singing Copacabana, and Socko later busting out into Dr. Love. The second set barely began before the owner had a hissy fit and unplugged Socko in the middle of Devil Went Down to Ga. Sockofans were pissed, but Socko saw it as an opportunity to go home early and weren't bothered by the owner's rudeness.

2001, June 29- Columbia Street West, Ft. Wayne, IN
CSW. They got some new spotlight thingy that was burning our eyes out. The highlight of the evening...the band busting out into "Pussy Control" in the middle of Old School Master. You see, at CSW...you can pretty much tell what time it is by the cheezy dance music that Richard the sound guy plays. And my least favorite song on his list is definately Pussy Control. So they sing Pussy Control, and Demian says to Richard, "There you go Richard, we played it before you did." Dance prize was a Riverdance T-shirt.

2001, July 5- Jayceefest, Hobart, IN
Socko in the Region. The opening band, Voodoo Chili played some fun 80's soft rock like Styx and Bon Jovi. They played Freebird before that asshole started yelling for it. Fun! It was a full moon in Hobart, and you know what that meant....something bizarre was going to happen. And happen it did...and her name was Mother Mary. At first glance, it was difficult to ascertain if she was a she or a he. She was dressed like Molly Ringwald on biker crank, thrift store duds with a twist of bum stench. Grey skirt, loose black shirt, a blazer, beret, oversized shades, 80's boots with double socks, and a hell of a lot of junk jewlery...she was the dancin' queen. And she danced. And she danced. And she won the dance prize of a 18 wheeler cake pan. She shocked the crowd. She shocked the band. She said she was Mother Mary. She. was. awesome.

2001, July 8- Rock Around The Block, Chicago, IL
Wow. Rock Around the Block, the Socko event of the day....was pretty durn freaky. A lot of the colorful people from last year, like afro guy and the heckling old ladies returned and kicked it up a notch. Afro Larry amazed everyone by mooning the crowd, dancing hysterically, and smoking 5 cigarettes at once, including one in each ear. He won the Oak Ridge Boys shirt of course, since Socko's been trying to give him the dance prize for about a year now. He usually disappears before they can give it to him. Then there was the greasy hispanic guy that invited me to sit on his Toy Story blanket. I said no thanks. He put on quite a show. Picture a tanned beer gut bouncing around, then put a cowboy hat and falling down shorts on it. He had company of course, when this synchronized dancing couple came out and went nutso. We got flashed. We saw ass...and Afro Larry really wanted to share a little something else with the crowd, but restrained himself. Fun was had....and Socko put on a hell of a performance. I'm more than impressed with their harmony of Elvira (Giddy up a um pappa um pappa mow mow).

2001, July 14- Indy Jazz Fest, Indianapolis, IN
The Jazz Fest actually happened this year! It was a beautiful day in Indy, and Molly and I hit the Jazz Fest. Awesome, fun crowd! It was a short show, and the guys played an outstanding set. After show fun included an Indianapolis Safari (okay, so we kinda got lost) and Knee Deep Shag at the Patio.

2001, August 3- Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
I escaped from a rehersal dinner to see Socko at the Grog Shop and easily was the most overdressed person there. I like the Grog Shop. It's kinda dirty and has slanted floors. My kind of place. The most memorable part of this show was Matty singing like Ethel Merman. Ha.

2001, August 11- Firehouse Fun Fest Block Party, N. Manchester, IN
It was a beautiful night for a Socko show in the middle of Main Street USA. Socko played on a really sweet semi-truck bed to a bunch of kids and random street fest goers. Dance prize was a 80's TV Stars Scrapbook..complete with pics of David Hasselhoff! Beautiful.

2001, August 31- Columbia Street West, Ft. Wayne, IN
This show was a lot of fun. Before show fun included eating Bertie Botts Every-Flavor Beans and watching Dylan freak out after eating the sardine flavored one. The show started out with Socko playing a dead on cover of Eddie Money's Two Tickets to Paradise. Lots of random silliness...and the debut of the newly reformatted "Right At Home".

2001, October 11- Czar's 505, St. Joseph, MI
St. Joe always invites the question: What's the friggin point? After saying they're never playing there again, they do...and it's a good/bad show as usual. There is no crowd except me. Socko just wanted to get the damn show over with, so it turned out pretty ridiculous. Everything too fast, too slow or just plain fucked up. Three new songs played just for me! Scrappin' to Make It Happen, Mix Tape, and Right at Home were pretty darn impressive. The highlight of the evening: From This Moment, with D cracking his voice on the high part. The entire band and myself in stitches.....

2001, October 27- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
Halloween 2001. The Fuglees opened...man...GO SEE THEM. They're sooo good. Great music, fun lyrics...I dig it. Then Autobahn Jovi took the stage, opening with a dead-on version of Human League's Fascination. Germany's premier Nihilist New-Wave cover band proceeded to play some ABC, Don't You Want Me Baby, True, Madonna, and Pop Music. Ended with a Bon Jovi melody. Excellent. Dance Prize: an assortment of 80's New Wave records.

2001, October 31- The Bluebird, Bloomington, IN
Halloween night at the 'Bird. Knee Deep Shag opened with Socko's Work that Guitar, posing as an 80's metal band named Princess. They did the most amazing cover of Whitesnake's Here I Go Again. Then there was the costume contest...which was silly as usual. Then Autobahn Jovi......I think I am falling in love with Human League all over again! Dance Prizes: 80's tapes and an 80's TV book.

2001, November 2- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Northern Kind opened..great band...nice guys. Socko took the stage and played for 100 minutes. Dance Prize: Tennis Guy Statue.

2001, November 9- Club Soda, Kalamazoo, MI
Socko with Knee Deep Shag, it just doesn't get much better than that!

2001, November 10- Kokonuts, Kokomo, IN
Socko with Low Key Combo. Fun show, weird venue.

2001, December 29- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
You know it's a good show when you get beer spilled all over you and an elbow to the ribs.

2002, March 16- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
St. Paddy's Eve at CSW means one thing: Lucky Charms and Guinness. The traditional Johnny Mc Socko St. Paddy's day meal was served and shared. It was the first show after a long hiatus......and Socko played tons of new songs and revamped some old ones. Didn't like the slow version of Devil's Advocate....but the rest of the changes were very good. I really like the more rockin' chorus to "Save Yourself".

2002, April 12- Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
This was such a fun show. The place was packed with rabid Sockofans, dancing the night away. More new songs, more rap, and Devil's Advocate version 3.0. I like the new version of Devil's Advocate....starts off slow and then gets completely wild. This total 85er metal-head was in the audience. He leaned over to Angie and said that Josh is one sexy bitch. You know he won the dance prize of a Billy Squier CD. Someguy also won clam juice from Iowa City. FUN.

2002, April 19- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Some guy with a guitar opened the show by butchering a bunch of really good songs....and even some bad ones. Acoustic Ice Ice Baby is not funny. Then Socko rocked it out. Technical difficulties at first with Chris's pedal-board, but he soon recovered. The dance floor was packed the entire show, and there was a hell of a crowd. Dance Prize: 8 Track tapes.

2002, April 27- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
Completely and totally awesome show! Bazillion people, and they knew every word. The Dance Prize was perhaps one of the best ever.....a framed poster of Kenny Rogers. Way sweet!

2002, May 4- Marian College, Indianapolis, IN
Outdoor fun at Marian College. A lot of new versions of old songs were played and Chuck's kid won the dance prize of a Darth Maul halloween mask.

2002, June 16- Wright's Landing, Plymouth, IN
I was apprehensive about Socko playing Wright's...only because Wright's used to be the biggest DIVE in Plymouth. In fact, it was once one of the best biker bars in N. Indiana with the blood on the walls to prove it! However, Wright's was sold and the new owners are doing a fantastic job renovating the place and hiring quality entertainment. The night Socko played I had a horrendous case of food poisoning, so I couldn't really enjoy the show. But the show was wonderful, with a good deal of new material. I think the dance prize was some eight tracks from the seventies or something like that.

2002, August 7- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
There is nothing quite like enjoying Socko in their hometown with the hometown crowd combined with diehards that travel from all over the state. The Fort Wayne boys (Shawn and Krafty) made the trip down to the Patio and some serious ROK occurred. Socko shows have been few and far between this summer. This show was packed with fans who sang to every song and danced their hearts out. Chris was in protest over Adam Ant's arrest and wore an ensemble consisting of a cowboy hat, cammoflage overalls, eyeliner, and a t-shirt which read "Free Adam Ant". New songs are sooooo awesome! Dance prize was a Marsh grocery video and a KFC Christmas album featuring Col. Sanders.

2002, October 31- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
Styx Ahoy. Need I say more?
Really though.....you really can't imagine how wonderful it is to hear Matt from KDS sing "Come Sail Away" with the rest of KDS and Socko backing him up. Breathtaking, really....

2002, November 1- Columbia Street West, Fort Wayne, IN
Styx Ahoy revisited. Somehow, Josh singing "Lady" is about the scariest thing I've heard in a long time.

2002, December 27- Hard Rock Cafe, Indianapolis, IN
Benefit show. It was really cool to have a crowd of people in the HRC just to see Socko. Lots o' fun.

2003, March 17- The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
I hadn't seen Socko in about 700 years, and man was this show fun. They covered "Live Wire" from the Crue. I love it! It's just not St. Paddie's Day without Lucky Charms and Guinness. YUM!

2003, March 28- The Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
Ooooh Socko and KDS. Absolutely fabulous. Some acoustic chick opened prompting us to say, "I thought that there were TWO Indigo Girls!". We got pulled over in Merrillville on the way home at 4am. We didn't get a ticket! Hooray for us!

2003, July 19- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN
4 months is entirely too long to go without Socko! It was a packed car as we headed south to Naptown. Socko show was great...new songs, Mr. T bobbleheads being mouthy all night, tales of the Watson's girl, and Matt getting a few bucks tucked! Probably the funniest moment: Mr. T ending up down Josh's pants with only the head sticking out. Dance Prize: A truly hideous poster from the Highlander TV series.

2003, July 28 (I think)- Indiana Beach, IN
Socko at N. Indiana's vacationland....with a THIRTEEN DOLLAR COVER CHARGE. Unbelievably, people paid it just to ignore the band. Weird crowd, but Socko rocked out as usual.

2003, November 7- Cubby Bear, Chicago, IL
2003, December 31- The Patio, Indianapolis, IN

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