I know I seem to be saying this after just about every show I go to these days, but last night's Metallica show was without a doubt the best show I have been to all year. Trash them all you want, but they just flat out fucking ruled, and definitely went above and beyond to impress the hometown crowd. Aside from the rehearsal show earlier this year, it was the first time I had seen the band live in 16 years, and can honestly say that they sounded better than ever, and it was obvious that they were having nothing short of a total blast up there. The set list was a nice mix of new and old, but if I had to pick a fave it would have to be 'Sad But True', which totally crushed. Yeah, I know it's cool to criticize them, especially with the old schoolers, but I am still a fan of the band, and glad to see them back on top of their game. I'm feeling a bit too lazy to write a full review, but a few pictures can be seen below, and the rest can be viewed here

One of my favorite shows of the year thus far. He may be getting older, but Angus still fuckin' rules. Review and more photos on the way!

Without a doubt the most fun I have ever had photographing a band. I was a bloody mess, but it was so worth it. My camera survived, and it only took two showers to get the red of my head. Just a few photos, more on the way!

Looking back on Metallica's "rehearsal" at the Cow Palace on Friday night, I would have to say I was pretty damn impressed with the band, which, after giving up on them many years ago, is something I though I'd never say again.

While standing on the floor of an almost eerily empty Cow Palace, and I couldn't help but pick up on the good "vibe" that was going around. There were conversations involving shopping at The Record Vault, the latest Death Angel and Testament records, and Mercyful Fate T-Shirts. And if I can get all fan-boy here, meeting and shaking hands with both legendary journalist Steffan Chirazi and one time Metallica guitar tech/band member John Marshall was pretty damn cool. It was a good time {even sans alcohol} and made waiting for the band to hit the stage {they were an hour and a half late} more than bearable.
 
Although there were a few "kinks" in a couple of the songs off of Death Magnetic that still needed to be worked out, Metallica still sounded pretty damn good, and are still a pretty impressive live band, even after all these years. Yeah there was a bit of a "lull" in the middle of the set {"Until It Sleeps", "The Day That Never Comes"} but overall the songs flowed relatively smoothly, and if it weren't for James saying something to the effect of "We'll fuck -up more than usual to make it extra special for you guys", or a complete guitar meltdown during one of the new songs (Broken, Beat And Scarred)? it could have been just another Metallica show, except for the fact that there were only 700 people or so in attendance. And although I am not going to give away the entire setlist of the evening,  I will say that highlights for me included "Cyanide" "Master Of Puppets"  "The Four Horsemen" "Fight Fire With Fire" and the 3 song "encore" during which they ripped through "Last Carass" "Blitzkrieg" (!!)  and "Seek And Destroy". Not a band way to wrap things up. Another highlight was seeing legendary photographer Ross Halfin on stage and casually getting right in the face of each band member to get his shots. As I watched him I couldn't help but gravitate towards the front of the stage to see just how he works his magic, and to say that I was envious of him would be an understatement. Although I hear he is a real prick ( and probably rightfully so} I'd love to get the chance to shoot a show with him and see just how he does it.

As far as the "production" portion of the show, the set was full of muti-colored lasers, multi-colored flames and eight pretty fucking cool coffin shaped lighting rigs, four of which would hover directly over the band at times. It was a nice touch, and maybe was meant to serve as a reminder to the audience that this band is still "metal". A friend and I did agree that there was a serious lack of explosions, but hopefully all the pyro will be in place once the actual tour starts.

 If I had only one complaint about the evening, it would have to be the 'in the round" style set-up of the stage. To me the rotating band member really takes away from the "dynamic" of the show, especially with a band like Metallica. After seeing them on tiny stages like The Stone, or on a huge stage which they completely hi-jacked at The Oakland Coliseum {Day On The Green, 1985} its hard to get a sense of energy from the band when you can't see them all head-on at any given time. But I guess that's what bands do these days. Oh Well...

So with all that being said, will I go see Metallica when they return to the Bay Area for a proper show in December? Honestly, yes I will. As much as I wanted to continue to write off both them and there music, I just can't do it this time, as I am stoked to see that Metallica has returned to form.

And please excuse the shitty picture below. After much debate, I decided not to pursue obtaining a photo-pass, and at the last minute decided not to even bring the 5D. And I gotta admit that after shooting approximately fifty or so shows this year, it was nice to go with just a point and shoot watch as a fan for a change.

You can also check this out @ Ground Control Magazine, MoFo!

After totally kick-ass sets by both Testament and Motörhead, I decided I had just enough time to grab a quick beer and hit the merchandise booth. And as I walked through the concourse I couldn't make it more than a few yards without spotting someone who is part of Bay Area Metal history. Members of Exodus, Death Angel, High On Fire, Machine Head, and Neurosis were all in attendance today, as well as dozens of people who I knew or recognized from the San Francisco metal scene. Shows like this bring out the camaraderie in us all, and although I wish I had more time to just hang out with people, I had to get back to the photo pit asap, because my camera and I had a date with Ronnie James Dio, and I wasn't about to be late.

All I can really say about Heaven and Hell is that from the opening riff of "The Mob Rules" to the closing notes of "Neon Knights," the band completely and totally owned this show. It is really hard to believe just how good these guys still are, and this show only solidified that the Dio-era of the mighty Sabbath put out some of the band's best music. Ronnie James Dio is and always will be the ultimate metal front man, and tonight he was covering ever inch of the gargoyle-flanked stage, while constantly throwing up his trademark horns to the crowd. His voice was absolutely perfect, and from the lows of "Children of the Sea," to the highs of "Falling Off the Edge of the World," he didn't miss a step. Bassist Geezer Butler and guitar (beyond) god Tony Iommi were their usual stoic selves—although I did see them both crack a smile on more than one occasion. And while watching Iommi through the lens of my camera I almost had a mini freak-out, as he has been a guitar idol of mine for over twenty five years, and to see him up there with his 1978 Jaydee Custom SG "Old Boy" guitar, while churning out riff after riff after riff was THE highlight of my music journalism career. As for drummer Vinnie Appice, he is a true metal stalwart, and proved with his drum solo in the middle of the set that he hasn't lost his chops. If I had to pick a high point of the set it would have to be "Die Young" which, with its ethereal opening and heavy riffage, was delivered absolutely flawlessly. And while watching Dio standing at the front of the stage with thousands and thousands of metalheads wrapped around his finger, while Tony Iommi stood at the back of the stage effortlessly hitting every millimeter of his fretboard, it became obvious that these four guys have re-secured Black Sabbath's place in Heavy Metal history.

If there is any band that could follow Testament, Motörhead, and an epic Heaven and Hell, it could only be the mighty Judas Priest. After all, as amazing as the night's previous bands had been, it was the Priest that the kids had come to see, and as I stood in the photo pit and looked up at the sea of people now in front of me, it didn't look like a single person had left the venue.

As the lights finally dimmed and the curtain opened to reveal a huge backdrop of Nostradamus, complete with glowing red eyes, the place just fucking erupted. The band took their place on stage during the "Dawn of Creation" intro, with Rob Halford standing on a platform above the stage, draped in a Silver hooded cloak and holding his familiar staff. It took all of thirty seconds into their set for me to realize that this band can still deliver the goods. Declaring that "The Priest Are Back," Rob Halford played ringmaster as the rest of the band churned through a classic set which included killer versions of "Metal Gods," "Devil's Child," "Dissident Aggressor," "Eat Me Alive" and "Painkiller," just to name a few. Guitarist K.K. Downing was on fire, and playing his signature Flying- V he looked and acted like the same guitar bad ass he was the first time I saw the band back in 1985. And although he was a bit more subdued than his guitar tag team partner, Glen Tipton was also nothing short of a guitar bad ass, and together he and Downing provided the perfect twin-guitar metal attack. As for bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis, they're simply one of the best rhythm sections in metal, and tonight they kept the Priest sound just as heavy as ever. The crowd was loving every minute of it, and although Halford might not quite be able to hit the high notes anymore (he is 57 years old after all), he is indeed a "Metal God," and he and the band gave the die-hard Priest fans exactly what they wanted to hear. After an encore of "Hell Bent For Leather" (complete with Harley), "Green Manalishi" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming," the night sadly came to a close.

While walking back to my car a random metalhead wearing a Judas Priest shirt struck up a random conversation with me, and the two of us talked about what an epic day of metal this was, and we both declared the "Metal Masters" tour nothing short of a total success.

Part 2 coming soon. You can also check this out at Ground Control Magazine!

I really tried to write a clever opening paragraph to this review, honestly I did. But damn dude, this is Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motörhead, and Testament. What could I possibly say that would even begin to describe the magnitude of a show like this? You're right, absolutely nothing. So rather than waste anymore of your time, I'm just going to get right into it, and do my best to convey to you what an incredible evening of metal this was.

Hitting the stage at precisely 5:30 PM and immediately launching into "Over The Wall," Bay Area metal gods Testament proceeded to put on nothing short of an old-school thrash-metal clinic. I am happy to report that this band is back, and with a fucking vengeance. I really can't put my finger on why, but Testament sounded "heavier" than I think I have ever heard them, and I've seen them at least a dozen times over the years. As they ripped through a few more classics from both The New Order and Practice What You Preach, It became apparent that time has treated these guys well. Chuck Billy sounded just as good, if not better, than he ever has, and to "borrow" a quote from a friend of mine, "Dude, Chuck survived cancer, and there is NOTHING more metal than that!"  And you know what? I couldn't agree more. As for the rest of the band, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson provided a precision-like twin-guitar attack, while bassist Greg Christian and drummer Paul Bostaph kept the stage vibrating with their heavy-as-fuck rhythm section. And although it was nice to hear the old songs, it was "More Than Meets The Eye," "Henchmen Rides" and "The Formation of Damnation," all off of their latest offering, The Formation of Damnation, that I was stoked to hear, as the band proved they haven't lost a step. Testament could not have been any tighter, and totally steamrolled their way-too-short set. And as if all this wasn't enough, the band were joined on stage by Motörhead, who did not come out with their instruments, but rather in costume, and with a horse. I'm not going to try and explain it, but it was a typical end of the tour prank, and something you missed if you saw this tour anywhere else. Testament were the PERFECT band to open the show on this tour, and I hope they are going to stick around for awhile.

Fucking Lemmy. The guy casually strolls out onto the stage with his custom-hand-carved Rickenbacker, his trademark cowboy hat, sunglasses, and a cigarette dangling from his lips, walks up to his mic and very casually says, "Good afternoon, we're Motörhead, and we play Rock and Roll." And with that the band launches into "Dr. Rock." Even at 63 years old, Lemmy Kilmister is nothing short a total bad ass, and he is more metal than you and I will ever be. He is Motörhead, and as I watched him on stage it was hard to believe that he still has all of the energy and passion for his music that he did the first time I saw the band some twenty-three years ago. As for Phil Campbell and Mikky Dee, they haven't lost a single step either. Dee is still one of the best metal drummers of all time, while Campbell was creating a wall of sound with his guitar while making it all look totally effortless. And although I was a bit disappointed not to hear anything off their just released Motörizer album, I sure as hell can't complain about the set list, which included classics "Stay Clean," "Metropolis," "Killed By Death," "Over The Top," and one of the most underrated Motörhead songs ever, "Going To Brazil." It was the perfect song to hear on this still-early sun-drenched, beer-soaked evening of metal. A nice touch to all this was the huge stage backdrop, which featured the cover of the new album—and is some of the best artwork the band has ever used. It suits them quite nicely. Damn this band were on top of their game tonight, and I cannot wait to see them when they return to the Bay Area on their own headlining tour, hopefully later this year. As they wrapped up their set (complete with inflatable sheep and blow-up dolls, courtesy of Testament) with a heavier-than-fuck rendition of "Overkill," all I could do was stand there and let the opening lyrics of the song sum up my day so far. "Only way to feel the noise is when it's good and loud...."

Saw NWOBHM legends Raven on Friday night, and they were absolutely amazing! I don't know how old the Gallagher brothers must be now, but they sounded just as good as they did when I saw them at The Stone well over 20 years ago. Check out more pictures of them and openers Stone Vengeance and the mighty HellHunter here!

Way way back when I had hair, I had seen Megadeth live about a dozen times, including a few shows at The Stone before anybody really knew who they were. It was pretty surreal to be standing two feet away from Dave Mustaine taking pictures over 20 years later. You can also check out my review over at Ground Control and on the Megadeth homepage, and see more of my Megadeth pictures here!



I was pretty damned stoked when the lineup for this year's Gigantour was announced. I have always been a huge fan of the mighty High on Fire, and I was totally looking forward to finally getting a chance to see them on a BIG stage. I had never witnessed Job for a Cowboy, Children of Bodom or In Flames live before, but I had heard that they all put on pretty awesome live shows. As far as Megadeth, well, since I had seen them well over a dozen times during my metal youth of the mid-80s, I was fairly certain Dave Mustaine and company would pretty much kick ass. I was right....

Walking into the San Jose State Event Center Arena just as a smiling and shirtless Matt Pike waked out onto stage and immediately launched into the opening riff of "Rumors Of War," I realized right away that High on Fire was going to kick everyone's ass this evening. Sounding heavier tonight than I think I have ever heard them before, the band tore through their-way-too-short set list. Matt Pike was a fucking monster on guitar, and every time I see High on Fire live I am amazed at how one person can get such an overpowering heavy tone out of his guitar, even if it's a nine string. The solidified rhythm section of Jeff Matz on Bass and Dez Kensel on drums multiplied the heaviness times ten, and together the three of them had the still-filtering-in crowd watching them in total awe. "Turk," "Waste of Tiamat" and "Commeth Down Hessian" all sounded amazing, and the only complaint I could possibly issue was that the band didn't get the time on stage they deserved, because after wrapping up with "Devolution," I (and I'm sure the entire crowd) was left totally wanting more. I really cannot say enough good things about High on Fire, and hopefully they will continue to be put onto these big tours, and will get the recognition they deserve.

After a very quick stage breakdown/setup Arizona's Job for a Cowboy were up next, and they proceeded to pick up pretty much right were High on Fire left off. Right away I was impressed with the amount of energy these guys had. Singer Johnny Davy was all over the stage, while delivering his vox in true death metal fashion. Guitarists Bobby Thompson and Ravi Bhadriraju were pretty high energy, and both were shredding while not getting over "noodly." The crowd was really into them, and when I looked back the fists were definitely pumping. Listening to their set it was pretty obvious that Cannibal Corpse is a major influence of these guys, which I especially noticed during "Entities," "Knee Deep" and "Entomb." Usually I find it very hard to get into today's "new" metal bands, but overall I'd say I was petty impressed with Job for a Cowboy, and am looking forward to catching them live again.

Judging from the sea of Blooddrunk shirts in the crowd, as well as the chants of "Bo-Dom, Bo-Dom, Bo-Dom" before they even hit the stage, it seemed that Children of Bodom were the band the kids really came to see this evening. Walking out to the roar of the crowd, Bodom leader Alexi Laiho and company proceeded to work the entire arena into a sweaty horn throwing frenzy, and by the time they were finished, the entire crowd was eating out of their palms. Although their sound is more of a Death Metal "light," Bodom sounded pretty damn heavy, and I gotta admit I was pretty impressed with both Laiho's and fellow guitarist Roope Latvala's technical abilities. As they traded riffs on "In Your Face" and "Sixpounder" I realized that these guys are pretty damn talented. Bassist Henka Blacksmith and drummer Jaska Raatikainen provided the visceral low end of the sound, while the keyboards of Janne Warman were a nice touch. At times Bodom was sounding like a straight-up thrash band, and I was pretty much digging it. I'd have to say that "Hellhounds On My Trail" was my personal favorite from their set. Another band I will definitely go see again.

After yet another quick breakdown/set-up, Sweden's In Flames hit the stage in a sea of white lights. Rocking the arena with their melodic yet crunchy guitars, In Flames pumped even more energy into the crowd, while at the same time showing why they are leaders of the melodic death metal genre. Songs of the new album A Sense Of Purpose such as "The Mirror's Truth" and "Alias" sounded great and were heavy as fuck, while older songs like "Morphing Into Primal" and "Clayman" seemed to have a new life. Guitarists Björn Gelotte and Jesper Strömblad were on fire, while vocalist Anders Fridén was screaming like a mad man. The band had an amazing energy up on the stage, and they all looked to be having a blast up there. The crowd was also having a blast, and I saw more than one kid get escorted out by security for crowd surfing, only to return to the sea of metalheads in the front and try it again. Highlights from In Flames' set for me would have to be "Come Clarity" and "Take This Life," both of which sounded amazing. As with JFAC and Bodom, I am looking forward to seeing In Flames live again.

Storming the stage with "Sleepwalker" off of United Abominations, Dave Mustaine and company were "on it" from the word go this evening, and had an energy that I had not seen from them for along time. New guitarist Chris Broderick was on fire, and his guitar playing and tone fit in quite nicely with his guitar counterpart Mustaine. Together the two of them were laying down some pretty serious riffage during "Wake Up Dead" and "Kick The Chair," which happen to be two of my favorite songs from the band. Broderick also threw down a pretty ear-splitting solo during "A Tout Le Monde." As far as Dave Mustaine, well he was his just his usual badass guitarist self, and watching him I couldn't help but focus on his hands, and how incredibly fast they were moving. He may very well be one of the best technical guitarists out there. Saying that some bands "just talk and talk and talk on stage, and were just going to fucking play music for you guys" Mustaine, Broderick, bassist James Lorenzo and drummer Shawn Drover churned out Megadeth classic after classic, including "In My Darkest Hour," "Hanger 18," and "Tornado Of Souls." An absolutely blistering version of "Peace Sells" ended the set, but the entire crowd knew the show wasn't over until "Holy Wars" was played, and the band didn't disappoint.

Looking back on this show, I was pretty impressed with all five bands. High on Fire were amazing as always, Job for a Cowboy, Children of Bodom and In Flames all impressed the hell out of me, and Megadeth sounded just as good, if not better, than they did when I saw them way back in the day. Looking forward to the Gigantour in 2009.

Entering Slim's and seeing a stage full of synthesizers, sequencers, laptops and robotic cameras , I became very excited. After my metal youth, I discovered and fell in love with electronic music, and although I was much more into industrial, noise, and "power electronics", I had, and still do have a soft spot for ANY music that involves the twiddling of knobs. Having lost touch with Meat Beat Manifesto and what Jack Dangers and his crew have been doing since the Subliminal Sandwich album, I was looking forward to finally seeing them live again and getting caught up.

First up this evening was Dub Gabriel & Bomb S.F., featuring Yosi Fine, Apostle, and Process Rebel. Not really being into Dub, Dubset or Turntablism, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this collaboration of talent really impressed me from the beginning. Starting out as a three piece with Yosi Fine laying down the bass while a masked Bomb S.F. used everything from a Powerbook to turntable to a Virus T1 Synth to a baby doll head wired for sound to drop their dark, driving, and hypnotic beats, the three of them created a very bass heavy yet at the same time very layered sound. Rapper Apostle finally made his way onto the stage and immediately tried to provoke the way to mellow crowd to dance. Although he was telling them to "Dance Like No One Is Watching", it seemed to have little, if any, effect on the crowd, and the four people on stage definitely had the most energy of anyone in the building. His intelligent raps and wordplay fit in quite nicely with the rest of the sound, and although I usually cringe at all things even remotely sounding like Hip-Hop, I really enjoyed Apostles contribution to the over all sound. After witnessing this set I have a new respect for this form of music, and am looking forward to checking it out live again.

Judging from the amount of electronics still on stage, and having never have heard of Raz Mesinai's Badawi before, I was quite surprised when Raz walked onto stage with a chair, sat down, opened his laptop and started very peacefully creating layers and layers of sound alchemy. Starting out very dark and ambient, his soundscapes really reminded me of acts like Sweden's Deutsch Nepal and San Francisco's own Mandible Chatter, both of whom I had seen live many years ago. As his set continued to take shape many more types of sounds became apparent, from Middle Eastern, Trance, Dub and Electronica. By the time everything fully evolved, Mesinai had created an amazing blend of all the styles, and it was really hard to believe that one person could create so much sound. Although some people in the crowd seemed to be bored watching one man on his laptop and tweaking knobs, I was really into it, and quite enjoyed what he created.

Hitting the stage for what would be over a two hour set, Meat Beat Manifesto put on quite simply one of the most aurally and visually stimulating shows I have seen in a very long time. While Leader and ringmaster for the evening Jack Dangers provided the backbone of beats for the set, Consolidated founder Mark Pistel handled everything else electronic, and together the two of them recreated Meat Beat classics such as "Radio Babylon", "Helter Skelter", and "No Purpose No Design". Although they did stay true to the recorded versions, all tracks almost seemed to be recreated on the fly tonight, as they all had new little elements to them that made them sound fresh and updated. Adding to my theory was drummer Lynn Farmer, who, playing an an actual kit, gave every song an organic feel, especially noted on "Dogstar Man" and "It's The Music". His drumming flowed quite nicely into the electronic sounds created by Dangers and Pistel, and together the three of them created layers and layers of sound. New tracks of the just released Autoimmune
including "Hellfire" "Children Of Planet Earth" and "Young Cassius" also sound amazing, and although are they more on the Dubset tip than anything previosly released still have the frantic Meat Beat Manifesto sound.

As great as Dangers, Pistel and Farmer were, it was Ben Stokes who made this show for me. He handled all the visuals tonight, and the triggering system he was using was able to provide the video the split second Dangers played the sample to cover it. It was truly quite an amazing process, and the video, rather than add to the music, was part of the music. There were so many images coming at me that it was really hard to keep track of them all, but if I had to pick standouts they would include footage of Richard Simmons, Heavens Gate leader Marshall Herff Applewhite, Jr., and the infamous head explosion scene from Scanners. With the robotic cameras in action as well, and covering everyone on stage, it all made for some serious sensory overload, and by the time I walked out of Slim's my blood was pumping, my ears were ringing, and my eyes were fluttering. Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Making my way over to The Fillmore, I kept telling myself that tonight was going to be different. I was going to have a whole new attitude for a change, and was not going to be the same bitter, jaded and crusty old man that I usually am when I hit a punk show these days. I was going to have an open mind and embrace today's punk rock, even if it sounds nothing like the punk I remember when I was growing up. And although I took it as a compliment, gone was the "Elitist Punk Asshole" that I was called on someone else's blog, and instead I was happy, optimistic, wide eyed and open eared. It really made me want to puke.

As I walked into The Fillmore and over to the bar, Florida's Fake Problems were just wrapping up their set. As much I wanted to put my new outlook to the test, it was going to have to wait until the next band. I can say that the crowd seemed to really like them, so let that encourage you to go check out their music.

After a quick stage breakdown and set-up, The Briggs, a four-piece from Los Angles, hit the stage, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with what I heard. Sounding like a cross between Rancid, Sham 69 and Stiff Little Fingers, they sounded great, and every song played was full guitar, hooks and anthems. Although their sound was very melodic, they made no apologies for it. Frontman Joey LaRocca and his brother Jason were trading off on vocal duties while each playing guitar, and both made their way from the stage, over the photo pit and into the crowd on several occasions. Although there was no real sense of "danger" that the punk shows of my youth had, I did enjoy seeing a band put the security at the front of the stage to work. Bassist Ryan Roberts and drummer Chris Arredondo were also highly energetic, and together the four of them put on a catchy, melodic and rocking set. Highlights for me included "Dead Men (Don't Tell Tales)," "One Shot Down," and "Back to Higher Grounds," which might be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard. Looks like The Briggs are playing the Warped Tour this year, and I am definitely looking forward to catching them.

After making my way through the much younger than myself crowd and over to the bar for another beer, I started thinking about the last time I had seen Street Dogs, and how I really wasn't all that impressed, probably due to the fact that they were on the bill with 7 Seconds, who were the band responsible for getting me into punk rock in the first place. A 7 Seconds show is rare these days here in S.F., and I was so looking forward to seeing them that I was quick to blow off any band hitting the stage before them. Realizing now that that was a perfect example of how closed minded I've become when it comes to today's punk rock, I decided right then and there that tonight I was going to give Street Dogs a chance. I'm glad I did….

Hailing from Boston, Street Dogs are the perfect working-class punk band, and their songs reflected that. Vocalist Mike McColgan is as personable a frontman as you will find, and at times he was really reminding of Dictators leader and living legend Handsome Dick Manitoba. His energy and enthusiasm was undeniable, and he had the punk rock kids eating out of his hand. As for the rest of the band, bassist Johnny Rioux was all over the stage, while guitarists Marcus Hollar and Tobe Bean were both feeding of the vibe of the crowd, and their chords were wrapping around Mike's vocals quite nicely. Every song the 'Dogs played tonight was a show of support to both the working class and the underdogs of America, and the band playing the rhythm to 7 Seconds' "We're Gonna Fight" while McColgan spoke to the crowd perched on top of a speaker cabinet only solidified that. As I was standing there listening to it, I was thinking that if any other band was playing 7 Seconds I would consider it a rip off, but props to Street Dogs for using it quite nicely. I hope I wasn't the only one who recognized it. Other stand-outs from what I now think was way too short of a set included "Drink Tonight," "Fatty" and "Not Without a Fight." Street Dogs totally won me over tonight, and like The Briggs, I will definitely be checking them out on the Warped Tour.

With a huge backdrop of their just released "Bright Lights of America" album artwork behind them, Anti-Flag hit the stage running, and immediately launched into what would be a very fast-paced set. Guitarist/Vox Justin Sane was all over the stage, while his counterparts Chris Head on guitar and Chris 2 on bass were exchanging their stage left and stage-right positions constantly while providing backing vocals at the same time. Drummer Pat Thetic was drumming in a total blur and every time he looked up from his kit he seemed to be smiling. 2 was also shouting out lyrics to the crowd with a megaphone mounted to a microphone stand at times, providing a pretty cool element to the songs. During at least one song a timpani drum was also used, and although I first thought it was odd, looking back on it now it was sounded pretty awesome, as it's something you don't see used that often, if at all. It also underlined the music quite nicely.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes find the over-political lyrics of today's music a bit annoying (Ministry being the perfect example) and a bit of a "shtick" more than anything else, but Anti-Flag lyrics are a bit smarter and at the same time much less "preachy" than most bands. Songs from the back catalogue including "Fuck War, Let's Party," "Project for a New American Century," "Death of a Nation" and "Fuck Police Brutality" all delivered Anti-Flag's message with conviction and without overkill, and they all rocked quite hard. New songs "Spit in the Face," "The Modern Rome Burning," "The Bright Lights of America" and "Smartest Bomb" all sounded great, and despite the bullshit cries from some long time fans of Anti-Flag selling out, I am looking forward to hearing the new album. I've seen quite a few punk bands sell out during my time, and judging from tonight's show, Anti-Flag is not one of them. Unfortunately Anti-Flag's set seemed to be over within the blink of an eye, and before I knew it the show was over.

Looking back on this show, I was really glad that I chose to cover it. I have not given today's punk rock music much of a chance, and after watching three great sets from three great bands, I think I will be much more open minded when it comes to the punk rock music of today, although I did enjoy being called an Elitist Punk Asshole.