Wall of Mouths

Here is the whole review -

CJ Ramone/Jeckyl @ Whisky A Go Go 7/17/09

Was really looking forward to this one. Major Ramones fan and about the only show taking place outside of a cemetary I could get into. Don’t think I would ever go see a Marky Ramone show again.

Totally mismatched random lineup with bands that really had no similarities whatsoever. This was my first time in the Whisky since Jan 2000 to give you an idea how far the place has sunk! Since then they have put booths against the back wall and more tables against the wall upstairs. Back in the day I used to sit against either of the back walls with my head into legs and hands over my ears but there were no good spots to do that now. After they allowing outs I would go to Tower. I will keep that in mind the next time someone I want to see is booked with loads of shitty bands.

First band I saw really sucked. Covers were The Killers Somebody Told Me (I actually had to google the lyrics because I had no idea who did that song and was never curious til now) and an awful version of Roadhouse Blues. Only saw 20 minutes of them though it felt like longer.

I was kinda ready to hate the next band only because they loaded up the stage with their own backlights and 4 banners one of which I accidentally misread as “Jackyl.” It ended up being Jeckyl so it could only get better from there. They were a full on metal band with the wailing singer and the twin guitar attack. They spoke with Irish accents and early on they did a decent version of Thin Lizzy’s Emerald. They actually weren’t bad and could get into them if I were expecting a metal band. But to end things they pulled out a cover of Therapy?’s Screamager which pretty much blew me away because they are one of my favorite bands and it wasn’t the sort of thing I was expecting to hear. And at least they weren’t Jackyl.

Place was semi full but not crowded. I think the lineup might have been laziness on the part of the promoter. I can’t believe that whoever put this show on couldn’t find some young punk band with parents to front them money for presale tickets to sell to their friends who all bought Ramones shirts at Hot Topic. People who wouldn’t immedietly empty the place out when their band is off. See it at the Key Club all the time. The only people there under 30 were some teens with a dad and dad totally lost it during Endless Vacation.

Thankfully CJ went on at about 11:00 with 2 more bands I don’t want to see going on afterward. Decent set of Ramones songs and as hoped a few obscure ones that rarely made it into Ramones setlists. Daniel Rey sang some back ups and lead on 2 songs. Only a few songs sounded anything like the CJ era Ramones. My Back Pages was close but had a guitar solo as did a few other songs. It seemed too short. I always liked the CJ era. I would have been just as happy if it was just songs from the 3 albums he played on and maybe a few Los Gusanos and Bad Chopper songs but that’s not what sells tickets. Would have preferred a few more of the songs he sings in the set like Main Man and The Crusher. Great bass sound but the set also seemed a bit like punching the clock. Would definitely go again though.

01. Blitzkrieg Bop
02. Judy Is A Punk
03. Beat On The Brat
04. Cretin Hop
05. I’m Against It
06. Endless Vacation (Nick Oliveri lead vox)
07. Sitting In My Room
(“Always wanted to do this with the Ramones, don’t know why they wouldn’t do it, probably too many guitars”)
08. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
09. It’s A Long Way Back
10. Poison Heart (Daniel Rey lead vox)
11. My Back Pages
12. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
13. Strength To Endure
14. Wart Hog
15. Ramones (Motorhead cover)
16. I Wanna Be Sedated
17. Swallow My Pride
18. Pinhead
(this was supposed to be the encore, “give us a cheer and we’ll play the rest of the set”)
19. Pet Semetary (Daniel Rey lead vox)
20. Commando
21. Teenage Lobotomy

CJ Ramone - bass, vocals
Daniel Rey - guitar, vocals
Brian Costanza - guitar
Brant Bjork - drums

I have this show and will upload to a torrent site within the next few days. They do some mystery song in the encore. I just can’t get into the copying and mailing thing anymore but it would be nice if someone can hook me up with a rare show in lossless format via MegaUpload or on a torrent site.

THERAPY?
ATHENS,GREECE:GAZI PEIRAUS
6/15/94

Trade CDR -> EAC -> FLAC

01. -intro-
02. Stop It You’re Killing Me
03. Trigger Inside
04. Isolation
05. Die Laughing
06. Teethgrinder
07. Brainsaw
08. Femtex
09. Turn
10. Nausea
11. Halfway Down The Stairs (intro)/Unbeliever
12. Accelerator
13. Hellbelly
14. Knives
15. Screamager
16. Potato Junkie
17. Nowhere
18. Opal Mantra
19. ?????
20. Neck Freak
21. Misery
22. Lunacy Booth

Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders
Fleagles
The Thingz

at the Scene in Glendale, California, USA
Aug 30 2007

been to about 20 shows in the last month though

Title: Looking for Santiago 95 and Werchter 05 DVDs

Looking to do some T? DVD trades only, PC burners only please. Massive list being updated constantly

http://www.geocities.com/ijwthstd

Peeping Tom “Peeping Tom”
Mudhoney “Under A Billion Suns”

I STILL don’t have OCFA.

Title: Aerosmith and Motley Crue in Devore 11/11/06

The trailer parks were empty and meth was unavailable at the usual points of purchase in the Inland Empire and high desert Saturday night as most of the area’s residents filled up the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore for the final area appearance of the Route Of All Evil Tour with Aerosmith and Motley Crue.

I had bought a cheap pair off Ebay in Loge 4 row S and my friend Matt said he would be more than happy to go. I had a great time at the Hollywood Bowl Tuesday, Aerosmith was as good as I had ever seen them and in spite of Motley Crue’s glaring irrelevance whenmatched up with a real rock band, I was looking forward to seeing them again too.

My friend David, a long time fan of both bands was also going to come along but he called me the day of to cancel out. He was getting sick and also saw the private Marlboro Anniversary show at the Palladium for free so didn’t think seeing them in a massive place would be worth the cost or trouble.

It was a pricey show indeed but at some point in the last few weeks the top price was lowered from $200 to 100. All I was pulling in the days leading up to the show were rows T thru HH. Still not worth the price. After hanging up with David I checked Ticketmaster again and that’s when the good tickets started showing up. Got Pit row 3. Tried calling him for over an hour to tell him to reconsider but couldn’t get ahold of him.

Matt didn’t mind that I was ditching him for a better seat but I gave him the option of giving the extra ticket to whoever he wanted. He couldn’t find anyone and I called everyone in the vicinity but couldn’t even give it away for free, with transportation already provided. Ended up ditching it for $20 to a scalper because I didn’t know the rules out there and he was a familiar face. He appreciated the deal and said he would hook me up next time.

Got a wristband on the way to my seat and it was soon apparent that in spite of a sparse 3 rows of chairs in the pit, there was a gulf of a few yards between the front row and the stage making the show defacto G.A. I liked my seat, centered just a few seats to the right of the catwalk and decided to stay there.

The place was already full when Motley Crue hit the stage with “Dr Feelgood” and the usual blasts of pyro. The show was the same as Tuesday yet very different. This was not the same frustrated band playing to a nearly empty and totally apathetic crowd like Tuesday. The so called white trash that comprised the majority of the crowd are the true roots of Motley Crue and the mutual adoration and kinship likely inspired a much better show than Tuesday.

But make no mistake about it, those people know how to rock. There were no pansies sitting on their asses sipping Chardonnay at this show. If there were they may very well have ended up hanging from the production towers or disappearing into the vast fields of wilderness surrounding the venue. Fists were pumping, half naked chicks dancing on the chairs and flat beer spittle misted into the air as the heavily drinking fans sang along. Unlike Tuesday, Nikki Sixx even complemented the crowd “You guys really know your Rock ‘N’ Roll!”

Vince Neil was grinning ear to ear most of the night while drinking beer and doing Jagermeister shots with Tommy Lee. I have new appreciation for guitarist Mick Mars. It’s obviously painful for him to move anything but his fingers. He nailed most of the riffs and solos yet there was still a bum note or two which added a touch of realism to contrast the taped backing vocals on many songs. Most of his solos were played just a few feet away from me. The music along with the deafening blasts of pyro and searing heat from the flames and the sexy bleach blonde with red highlights dancing on her chair in front of me caused sensory overload a few times.

As with Tuesday, the two best songs were “Louder Than Hell” and “Primal Scream” with Mick’s awesome slide guitar solo but all the songs sounded good this time. When Tommy handed the Jager bottle to the crowd Ialmost instinctively jumped forward but decided I don’t even want to try to drink after him.

The show ended with “Kickstart My Heart” and more massive blasts of pyro. Motley Crue was loud, wild and in spite of Vince’s lack of vocal abilities, it was much more like a classic Motley Crue show than at the Bowl.

My lingering cold was started to get worse but did nothing to dampen the excitement. I started coughing hard enough to split my sides and trigger the gag reflex but luckily I brought in some extra strength Robotussin DM. That night I found out concerts are better with a slight robo buzz than after a few beers.

Soon, dozens of hot chicks, probably handpicked by Steven Tyler himself, began cramming into the pit area. Yep,now it’s definitely GA down here. A few people snuck in without wristbands and some lady wanted my ticket stub to bring her daughter down. No way!

Aerosmith kicked things off on the sparse stage with “Toys In the Attic,” Joe and Steven racing past me on the catwalk and singing into the same mic. Other than a video screen and a catwalk extending 15 rows into the center of the crowd, there were no other stage props. In a stark contrast to Motley Crue, it was all about the music. The song ended with Steven throwing his sunglasses into the crowd and some guy dived a row of chairs and hit the ground frantically looking for them. A security guard, shined his light on the ground, hoping to get the guy the glasses and get the safety hazard out of the way. Another guy, five feet away and with a look of amusement on his face handed over some sunglasses. Whether or not they were thee sunglasses I am not sure but he was happy to have them.

“Walkin’ The Dog” was never really a highlight for me but from my vantage point it became more of a guitar song as Joe Perry cranked out the riffs a few feet away from me. I haven’t seen a full show from this close since 1990 and I noticed a few things that aren’t as apparent from further away. Steven really plays to all the strategically placed hot chicks and every time Joe walks past a certain spot on the catwalk, the drums crank up in the P.A.

For all the complaints I have been hearing about the set length, these shorter sets are paced better and performed at a higher energy level than any 2 hour Aerosmith shows I have seen. I have been to enough concerts in my life to know that if done right, 80 minutes is about the optimum time for a live rock performance regardless of the size of the band’s back catalog and dare I say regardless of the cost of admission.

Tonight was a little longer as they added “What It Takes” to the setlist. Would have rather had it replace “Cryin’” instead of immedietly follow it, but it had all the women swooning around me. The taste of the power ballads were easily flushed away by jamming on blues covers of “Baby Please Don’t Go” and Joe’s vocal showcase “Stop Messin’ Around.” Joe gave a shout out to all the great weed wafting up from the crowd, much of it being smoked in the front rows with no interference from the authorities.

Once again, Joe and Steven took seats at the end of the catwalk and gave us only a teaser of the under-rated “Hangman Jury” before “Seasons Of Wither.”

There was a major setlist surprise with the rare addition of “Kings And Queens.” I felt redeemed for missing it in Anaheim earlier this year. They only play it a few times a tour so I thought that was my last ever chance to hear it in California. It was absolutely divine. Brad’s soulfully melodic solo sent chills up my spine. I don’t know why they don’t play it more often but it was a very special moment.

“Sweet Emotion” featured Joe Perry’s theramin solo under laser lights and he threw up a cup of glitter in the set’s only moment of cheesy theatre. It segued into another incendiery rendition of “Draw The Line” which is now firmly placed as the traditional set closer. Joe totally wailed on the slide guitar.

The pre-encore interlude was a cartoon which led into the usual “Walk This Way.” Guitars were louder and crunchier than Tuesday. While Steven was saying goodnight the chick in front of me stands on her chair and flashes Steven, he stops and says “Nice tits” and sticks out the mic right in her face. Steven finished off by saying it was the best show of the tour. Not sure if he was talking about the band, the crowd or the chick in front of me. I only saw her back.

It was a great show from start to finish. I had lost interest in Aerosmith for several years but they have once again firmly established themselves as a great live act and one of my favorite bands. Some road trips are starting to look tempting for next month.

It was probably the most I spent on concert tickets than the last two years combined but it was well worth it. It was also a good enough show I was able to forget about everyone dropping dead for a few hours.

Saturday’s show was much better. Aerosmith played “Kings And Queens” and I scored a 3rd row center pit ticket right off Ticketmaster the day of the show. I am working on a separate review but I really liked Motley Crue that night. Probably because the smoke, pyro and flames are awesome up close.

Apparently they have tentatively planned to some European festival dates next summer followed by another U.S. fall tour, this time with Def Leppard.

Title: Aerosmith and Motley Crue at the Hollywood Bowl

Last night, Aerosmith and Motley Crue’s Route Of All Evil tour hit the Hollywood Bowl for the first of 3 shows in the Southern California area. I really wanted to see this show ever since the rumors hit about a year ago. Since I did so well on concert ticket prices the past few weeks, I was able to do this one in style with an excellent lower level seat.

From what I gathered on my Who experience, the Garden Box is the best place to be. Unfortunately the best I was able to get over the weekend was a pair in Sec D. Tried in vain until the last minute to trade up to aGarden Box but there wasn’t much better available so at 7:15 I dumped the extra and went in.

Aerosmith is no longer a poor man’s anything. They now
rival many top tier acts with what they are asking for
tickets and attendance suffered with an entire level
of the Bowl nearly empty. Either tour less or charge
less. I admit it was the opportunity to get two almost
headline sets out of this that had me plonking down
the big bucks.

Motley Crue had a great stage show but this time the music just didn’t match up. I had a great time at the Forum on the reunion tour. Perhaps it’s because fun and musical
appreciation at a Motley Crue show is directly proportional to the amount of alcohol consumed or more
likely the novelty is starting to wear off.

But I am a sucker for good stage gimmicks like lots of
pyro and chicks hanging from the ceiling in cages. “Louder Than Hell” and “Primal Scream” still sound great regardless of how bad Vince’s singing is. The stage was
different than on the Carnival Of Sins tour but the setlist was just a shortened version of the same show. The
mix was odd with Tommy’s drums up loud and everything
else buried underneath it.

It was still somewhat entertaining if just a little
too long for this particular occassion. Nikki Sixx and
Vince Neil said how great it was to be touring with their heroes Aerosmith and also complained about the lack of response from the crowd who mostly was there to see Aerosmith anyway.

I was somewhat disappointed that “Too Fast For Love,”
the title track off the one and only classic album was
no longer in the set but the breaks between the songs
were painful. Did they really drop it so Tommy Lee
could hurl more profane whiggerisms at the crowd?

Ran into Craig who is on a few Stones boards who just
happened to have seats in the row behind me. Made a quick run to look where another board member was but the seats were empty.

After a 45 minute wait, the lights went off and they
hit the stage with a smoking “Toys In The Attic.” It was
definitely a different Aerosmith than the one I suffered through for most of the 90’s. Sure, they briefly touched upon the era with “Eat The Rich” and “Cryin’” but gone were the endless parade of cheesy pop singles and ballads laden with canned horns and harmonies that sound like a
dying cat. This was Aerosmith as bluesy and jammy as I
have ever seen them.

The chick next to me screaming in my ear was getting
annoying so I moved into the center aisle, having
perfected the art of wandering during the 2 previous Who shows. It was a little tighter tonight, security not allowing anyone to just stand against the bushes. A security guard took me to the nearest usher and she apparently didn’t know how to read tickets because she directed me into the Terrace boxes where I quickly found an empty seat just off center.

I could now see and hear everything perfectly. It was loud
and clear with the guitars far up front. “Baby Please
Don’t Go” was performed as an extended jam with a lot
of harp from Steven and Joe and Brad trading licks. Joe took over lead vocals on the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Stop Messin’ Around.” It was followed by a way too short teaser of “Hangman Jury” which really deserves to be played in it’s entirety but was soon forgotten as it segued into a beautiful “Seasons Of Wither,” Steven and Joe sitting at the end of the catwalk as faux snow fell on the crowd.

“Dream On” was the only other slow song that night before they cranked up the rock and kept it at a peak level for the rest of the night. “Devil’s Got A New Disguise,” the sole new song, sounds great live. Tyler veered off to side stage which was filled with celebrities and started singing in Tommy Lee’s face. He was rocking out and playing air drums all night obviously having the time of his life getting to see that show every night.

“Love In An Elevator” was added for the first time in a few months and Steven forgot the scream at the beginning and add-libbed the first few verses. The flub unpolished the song for sure which was a lot rougher than usual all the way through.

“Sweet Emotion” had an extended bass intro as usual,
this time by Tom’s stand in David Hull. I wish they
would retire this song until he comes back. It was
definitely lacking something at least until Joe
Perry’s guitar solo in the middle, right under blue
laser lights.

“Draw The Line” was the show highlight just as it has been at every show they played it for the last several years. The song and main set ended with Joe throwing his guitar down at the end of the catwalk and beating on it with shirt.

“Walk This Way” wrapped things up. Sometimes it seems played out but I have never seen a bad version of this song. Bolted as soon as the song was over, watched the band introductions on the big screen next to the exit and ran out when I was sure it was over. Just in time to see Brad get into a black SUV and a security guard halt pedestrian traffic so the convoy could make its getaway, with a police and fire escort.

As a postscript I decided to walk a few extra blocks to the Avalon but the Dolls were already on so I headed home. Later on found out that was where Joe Perry and Slash were headed.

Did 7 shows in 8 days, was planning on pushing it farther but I think I picked up something on one of the city disease incubators I have been riding on all week.

setlists:

Dr Feelgood
Shout At The Devil
Wild Side
Looks That Kill
Livewire
Same Ol Situation
Home Sweet Home
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go AWay)
Louder Than Hell
Sick Love Song
Primal Scream
Girls Girls Girls
-Mick Mars solo-
Kickstart My Heart

Toys In The Attic
Walkin’ The Dog
Eat The Rich
Cryin’
Baby Please Don’t Go
Stop Messin’ Around
Hangman Jury (intro)
Seasons Of Wither
Dream On
Devil’s Got A New Disguise
Love In An Elevator
Sweet Emotion
Draw The Line
———
Walk This Way

Title: The Who at the Hollywood Bowl 11/5/06

I saw the inside of the Hollywood Bowl restroom for the first time ever last night!

Actually I wandered almost every inch of the lower half of the Bowl. I have always complained about the sound there but during the course of the evening I found a few places where it sounded alright. It was a lot of fun.

I went to an art gallery showing of old punk rock photos earlier tonight (See LA Weekly cover story). I thought maybe I would just watch the bands there on a stage a few feet away from the open bar. A Ramones tribute band was playing. The setlist was already taped to the stage and looked like a great show. But I already had a few drinks, looked at all the pictures 3 times, talked to some of my friends and got bored. It was also getting really crowded. It was almost 8:00.

So I went down the street to the Hollywood Bowl where the Who was playing. Within a few minutes I scored a ticket for $10 and went inside. I don’t even know if it was a good seat because I never saw it.

I wandered all over the place and even found a place almost to the men’s room where you can see the video screen really good and hear it almost loud but just can’t see the stage. It was like seeing The Who at the Drive In.

During the mini opera I crashed through some bushes into the lower section. Told the usher who popped me I wanted to see where my Aerosmith seat is on Tuesday.

During the encore I darted into the terrace section and by the end of the show I was almost to the edge of the pool circle but I was never able to make it all the way to the front. But finally I experienced decent sound and volume at the Bowl as I got closer. I got a good look at the stage and band too.

They played new songs which were alright. Early in the show Pete introduced the band and pointed out that keyboard player John “Rabbit” Bundrick is off tending to his ailing wife.

It’s also a relief knowing the show is being archived and sold almost immedietly in DVD format so I know I will end up seeing it all one way or the other.

Highlight of the show was “Eminence Front.” I had a lot of fun and it was cheaper than going to see The Departed down the street. Buyer’s market for sure if anyone is thinking of going tonight. Last night was more like a reconnaisance mission for me so I might go again tonight, stay still and try to enjoy the show.

Thanks! I pop in and lurk from time to time, but being in the states it gets depressing reading about all the T? gigs and knowing I will probably never get to see them again.

Also this month I have seen Jerry Lee Lewis, Subtle and Roger Waters. Think I like Subtle the best even though I had no clue who they were when I saw them.

And just for you my account of a trip to Fresno (in central California) to see the Stones.

http://www.geocities.com/ijwthstd/frezticket.html

Title: weekend concert recap

Briefly Friday I had considered hitting Bob Dylan at the Forum but ended up stopping at the library and getting some movies instead. “Shaun Of The Dead” and “Toxic Avenger” rule!

A few times Saturday morning I checked Ticketmaster for an
Iron Maiden ticket. If anything in the Orchestra section
popped up I would have bought it. By 12:30 nothing was
available. Figured I might do alright if I went down but
wanted to go to Hollywood first to check out Placebo’s
acoustic set at Virgin Megastore. I thought they would be
playing in the courtyard like Jerry Lee Lewis last week.
Unfortunately it was a “buy a CD and get a wristband” event and there were already hundreds in line outside.

Went to the Chinese Theatre for the Departed. Already started. Start thinking about Iron Maiden again but first called a friend who lives close by to see what he is up to.

Spent the next several hours at his place drinking beer and catching up on things while watching the new 4 Reels Aerosmith DVD. Met my friend’s new roomate, an odd character who is psychotically obsessed a female celebrity. I had heard a little from my friend over the past few months about his affliction but it was quite bizarre to hear something like this first hand. Its been intensifying lately and apparently now has media attention.

Sometime during the lengthy accounts of this soap opera was when the window for Maiden closed. By late afternoon I was a little too much in the bag to take the train all the way to the Irvine.

Walking by the Arclight Cinema there are ushers all over the place handing out free tickets to a screening of Born On The 4th Of July which was to be followed by a Q&A with Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic.

Hadn’t seen the movie since its first run in the theatres way back when. It was alright. The Q&A at first seemed interesting and was indeed the whole reason I decided to attend. Naturally it’s a political event starting off with a discussion of the analogies between the Vietnam war and the Iraq War. There was an interviewer onstage which was
necesary to give any semblence of sanity to the event.

Eventually crowd input was requested. Even after about 8 beers and a 32 ounce jack and coke, the questions and comments made me feel like the soberest person in the room.

It started off with a woman frantically proclaiming “You all gotta sign up for this email service that tells the truth about 9/11, but I CAN’T REMEMBER THE NAME” and some guy mumbling off a prepared statement in broken English
before being silenced by security. The rest was a bit more
mundane like a bunch of ass kissing from various members of the audience.

No insights were gleaned though it reinforced my earlier conclusion that some people would be better off without any exposure to television whatsoever.

It lasted about an hour total before it was time to go home. I arrived at the bus stop at 9:55 for a 9:50 bus home. Oh well. Got a few bucks left I can spend on even more alcohol at Bob’s Frolic Room but I notice there is something going down the block at the Henry Fonda Theatre. Turns out retro punkers Rancid are playing their 4th sold out show there, and they go on in 5 minutes.

I Was never much of a fan but listened to them about a month ago and they were better than I remembered. Not the kind of thing I would usually go see but my buzz is still going and I don’t want to kill it just sitting on a bus bench for an hour and probably not a good idea to keep piling it on in the bar either.

Not sure if I want to see the show but start playing the
ticket game just for fun with the few latecomers still going in. A scalper takes my one and only final offer of $10 for a ticket. I start second guessing myself wondering if I am going to regret my drunken decision and even after I almost immedietly get an offer on that ticket for $15 I goinside just as Rancid hits the stage with Roots Radical.

It was like walking into a time warp. They look and sound
pretty much exactly as they did in 1996 when I last saw them. It was a kick ass high energy show with over 25 songs in 75 minutes. Even though they have been around for 15 years, it was still a real young crowd with most of them singing along with every word.

I knew more songs than I thought I did. I probably knew more songs at this show than if I had seen Iron Maiden since I can’t really remember a note of their new album. Rancid’s music has also aged real well. Highlights were “Roots Radical,” “Time Bomb” and “Fall Back Down” which was acoustic with the drummer also playing guitar.

KROQ was handing out posters on the way out commemorating 8 sold out shows total in Southern California. Nice poster on heavy stock with the skull from the Evil Dead 2 cover. Since I had about 20 minutes I walked around in circles and picked up a few extras.

Good show and I am very glad I saw it instead of sitting on a bus bench or listening to the juke box in the bar. Not bad for an unscheduled spontaneous detour. Luckily there were no more deviations between Hollywood and home.

Title: The Dickies Live At Safari Sam’s Hollywood Sep 1 2006

I got there a little earlier than I intented but it was all for the better. The first band took the stage in suits, bicycle helmets and backpacks and announced “Ladies And Gentlemen We’re The Mormoms.” I don’t think I was done laughing til after the first song but the music was good enough without the gimmick. Well unless they really are Mormons. I don’t think they were any older than 20.

Smut Peddlers were next. They were good for the first few songs but my unprotected ears needed a break so I went out to the smoking patio for the rest of the set.

Show was all ages so there were LOTS of punker kids in the crowd. They probably outnumbered adults. Good crowd, sometimes I will see 21 & over Dickies shows with 50 people in the crowd but the place was pretty packed tonight. Not too packed to get some nice pit action going all night.

Safari Sams is a great new club in East Hollywood. Free parking, cheap admission, all ages, beer served in bottles or glasses. Unfortunately for me, slam pits and glass don’t mix. Have the scar to prove it.

The Dickies are one of the longest running punk bands at 29 years and the first signed to a major label in Los Angeles. Its been almost the same show for thirty years but after an almost three year break from seeing them, the set was fresher than ever and featured three songs I had never seen them do before. Probably the best Dickies show I have seen in about 8 years.

They kicked off with their unique cover of “Nights In White Satin” and “I’m Okay You’re Okay” which have been the opening songs as long as I can remember, followed by a cover of The Kinks “See My Way.”

As usual, there were a lot of covers but they always sound like Dickies songs just the same. Long time guitarist Dave Teague was gone, apparently he is now Fear Factory’s guitar tech. Didn’t catch the name of his successor. Travis Johnson was still on drums, and “Tiny” on bass and original guitarist Stan Lee.

It was lead singer Leonard Phillip Graves 50th birthday and he was in as good of a mood as I have ever seen him at a gig.

He asked “How many chicanos in the house” before donning a blue bandana. He introduced the rarely played “I’m A Cholo” with “this one’s for la raza, this one is about la raza ” and beat a phallic pinata throughout the song. Leonard made Stan apologize for being a racist prior to “Shadow Man.”

The usual stage props were used. Leonard danced with a blow up doll during “Waterslide,” wore the ape mask during “You Drive Me Ape” and of course the penis puppet during “If Stuart Could Talk.”

The last surprise was during the encore when they revived the long buried theme song from “Killer Klowns From Outer Space.” I had a great time last night, I wont wait another 3 years before seeing The Dickies again.

setlist:

Nights In White Satin
I’m Okay You’re Okay
See My Way
Got It At The Store
I’m Leonard
Give It Back
Paranoid
Waterslide
Manny Moe And Jack
Shadow Man
My Pop The Cop
You Drive Me Ape
Poodle Party
I’m A Cholo
If Stuart Could Talk
Gigantor
——-
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Banana Splits

Got it. 2 of them in fact. The editing gives me a headache though.

Title: DVD Trading

Looking for DVDs by T? or other bands

http://www.geocities.com/ijwthstd