TEARING THE PLACE UP OLD-SCHOOL STYLE!
That's how I would describe last night show at Irving Plaza. The good news is that after 25 years, Suicidal Tendencies is still performing the kind of music that is desperately needed in today's metal music. Truth be told, every fan should experience what I felt last night! Being brought onstage with 30-40 other Suicidals, metalheads, and punks to perform in the band's encore "Pledge Your Allegiance" to which I constantly belted out the choral chant of "ST" and the title song into the available mic before me and slapping bass strings with Steve Brunner and admiring the guitar chops of Dean Pleasants and Mike Clark, the coolest and most generous motherfucker alive, and the electric drumming of Eric Moore, who despite being a heavy-set black dude and looking like he belongs with rap group D-12. All this happening while Mike Muir, Cyco Myko himself, stood above us on the drum riser and the multitude of fans joining in closing out the show. Truly a night I won't soon forget!
WHOLE WHEAT BREAD - Okay, so the name is kind of lame, but don't let it fool you. Made up of three black dudes, from Jacksonville, Florida, they were actually pretty damn good, doling out massive amounts of Bad Brains-style good vibe that any band could hope to muster. They exuded the kind of confidence that most opening bands lack. Rather than cater to a crowd that has never heard of you and/or doesn't care about you since you are, after all, the opening band, WWB (much more preferable) got the party - and the weed-smoking - started! Fronted and guitared by Aaron Abraham, bassed by Will Frazier, and drummed by hilariously pseudonymed Mr. Whitefolks, WWB managed to squeege out a brief, but rowdy pit towards the end of their set. I was more moved by their balance of punk and funk, slow-fast tempo changes, and groove. Though you probably have never heard of them, don't be surprised if they go from show-openers to show-stoppers. Set Grade: A-
MADBALL - We go from classic punk to hardcore within the next set as New York natives Madball, and possibly the reason for the massive crowd turnout, have their moment in the sun. While I wasn't thrilled or too impressed by Madball's typical hardcore chest-thumping, I was more occupied by the constant pits being formed behind me and the ugly, drunken Wops from Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Boston pushing their way to the front in order to feel the sweat dripping from frontman Freddy Cricien - not a pretty sight at all! Still, when Madball when into "Infiltrate the System" I have to admit that I got into it. Despite the tough guy-wannabes pushing the weak aside like high school bullies, though I managed to keep my place in the front-center row, Madball were pretty decent. Set Grade: B
SICKEST MOMENT OF THE EVENING - Some fucktard from Madball's entourage showered the front row with water straight from his mouth. Imagine this fat, ugly guido-looking piece of trash spewing his Gonorrhea-infected spit on me and others in the front row! Still, that didn't dampen my mood, as I later called this dude out after the show and he kept on walking. Honestly, I must've been out of my mind as this guy looked like a nail-spitting bruiser from the streets and he was surrounded by his equally ugly, bruiser friends from the some ass-kicking neighborhood.... yeah, you know what I'm talking about. I blame the cold air and the adrenaline high of being onstage with ST for it.
Another moment was when some chink behind me kept wiping his face on my shirt! At one point, I had to push his slimy face off my back that it was uncomfortable. He even had the nerve to place his yellow fingers on my head, and ruining my hair, like we were buddies or something! Naturally, I swatted his hand away.
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES - After being away from New York for many years and not putting out any new material in eight years since 2000's Free Your Soul... And Save My Mind, Suicidal fuckin' Tendencies were back and DID NOT DISAPPOINT! Still playing the same groovy crossover thrash/punk that they made world-reknowned, the boys of ST still prove that they are the kings of crossover. Pretty much what I said above said it all - BEST FUCKIN' SHOW IN A LONG WHILE! Much of it had to do with fan participation, of course, but seeing Mike Muir, who surprisingly looked much fatter and balder than ever, was a real treat. Despite the curse of aging, he performed like a kid in a candy store, or rather, a kid stealing from a candy store. With that familiar shitting-eating grin and constant rant against censorship in place, we were treated to an old-school show that made Suicidal Tendencies such an important band during their, and metal's, peak years circa 1987-1992, when they were making Gold-certified albums. It's comforting to know that they haven't lost any of that fun, Venice-style metal even after 25 years since their self-titled album first debuted in 1983, still a classic album that gets played - as evidenced in the Iron Man film, where "Institutionalized" can be heard in the background - and was most prominent in tonight's setlist.
SONGS PLAYED (no particular order)
You Can't Bring Me Down
Send Me Your Money
War Inside My Head
Subliminal
Trip at the Brain
I Saw Your Mommy
How Will I laugh Tomorrow?
Fascist Pig
Won't Fall in Love Today
Lovely
I Want More
Cyco Vision
Possessed to Skate
I Shot the Devil
Pledge Your Allegiance
At one point, while thrashing onstage during the encore melee, I could have easily taken a setlist, but was too pumped with adrenaline to know what the fuck I was doing! I did manage to get Dean Pleasants's guitar pick, which he personally handed to me after one of the asshole security faggots pocketed the first pick that Dean threw to me. (The same security fag got a pair of drumsticks, too!) And Mike Clark, Dean, and Steve Brunner each pointed me out from the crowd - in fact, Clark even said to me that he had seen me going apeshit from the stage and in the crowd. It's always nice to be appreciated be the bands and they tell you that in person. Muir, on the other hand, seemed to be in his own world - a constant war inside his balding head! Set Grade (and the first!): A+
AFTER THE SHOW - One by one, the sweating and heaving crowd of metalheads, punks, and new-found Suicidals4Life escaped the Fillmore and into the cold, chilly streets once again. I was drenched in so much sweat that the cold breeze hit me almost immediately. While waiting for the bands in my usual resourceful way, I began to get shivers and tried to use various distractions, like talking to other people, in order to stay warm. Finally, the dudes from ST came out and were very cool, especially Mike Clark, who reminded me of a kid opening his presents at Christmas, was friendly and gracious. Brunner, Moore and Pleasants were always nice guys, and for three black dudes, they were really good players. Mike Muir, on the other hand, didn't seem all that friendly like the others, though he wasn't exactly rude. Claiming to have bronchitis, he made his appearance with us short and sweet. I did get my picture with him, but would have liked to ask him my provocative questions:
Did Axl Rose steal your look, or did you steal his?
Do you wear hair plugs?
What are your thoughts on downloading music? How would you feel knowing that I download your music?
Do you like and appreciate your fans?
How much longer are you going to be performing?
How rich are you?
But unfortunately, I couldn't get much out due to the cold night air, other people's stupid questions, Muir's attention to this Iranian whore and douchebag loser with an ST vinyl record, and Muir's supposed bronchitis. I did tell him that I used "Cyco Speak" from his last album as a monologue for my acting class, to which he said with a smile: "No way, I hope you gave me credit!" In a way, that spoke volumes as to the kind of person he is, and I hope for his sake, he was joking. Truth be told, I didn't give him credit and took all the credit and got an "A" in class. Next time, though, bronchitis/cold weather/douchebags or not, Mike Muir and I will have a time to talk! Until then, he should learn not to be such a prick to fans. Show Grade: A-
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