02-06-2014

AGNSTM!

I’d never seen Against Me! live. They’ve been one of my favourite bands for years, mainly based on their first 2,5 records, but I had never seen them play live. Until yesterday.

My friends in Silver & Gold managed to get the opening slot for the show, after a lot of hassle and asking around. Really stoked to see them play again, and they were good. A short and vibrant set, including the Husker Du cover and some promising new tunes. Really happy for those guys.

I saw a bit of INVSN, but I saw enough of it after a few songs, energetic new wave with a punk feel.
But hanging out with friends outside was fun too. Cool to see some people again.

Against Me! fucking ruled. They started with a new song, I think FuckMyLife666. I just had a new beer, and they started playing Cliche Guevara, so me and Jordi got all excited, started the mosh and I lost my new beer. No worries, the next song was a new one again, so I went to get a new beer. Same thing fucking happened all over again, this time to the sound of Walking Is Still Honest. They continued this strike of last-three-records-song/first-three-records-song for a while, even playing Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists, one of my favourite Against Me! songs. I absolutely loved hearing classics like I Still Love You Julie and the likes. The last part of the set was mainly new songs that I don’t know or care too much about, although some tunes like Black Me Out, True Trans Soul Rebel and Drinking With The Jocks. This last one was part of the encore, together with Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong, Sink Florida Sink and some acoustic song, making the encore almost cooler for me than the entire set.
Notable fact: the bass player is undoubtely Dee Dee Ramone or his son or something.

As I said, I’m a huge fan of pre-Searching For A Former Clarity Against Me!, less so of the records/sound since that one. I got pretty sad when they played I Was A Teenage Anarchist, cause now you see the band that was all about wanting "a band that played loud and hard every night” and didn’t "care how many people are counted at the door” touring in a tourbus 10 times the size of a regular van and having a management that decides support acts for sold-out shows that costs 15 euros to get into. I have no problem with that, I’m really stoked Against Me! is able to do this stuff, that they get the recognition they deserve, but the irony of the band’s folk-punk/anarchist era makes me a bit bummed out is all.
They certainly did reinvent Axl Rose, maybe not how they originally set out to do. But they did a good job.

Great show, best band, loved it.

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