Entering the Trocadero in Philly was like taking a stroll down memory lane. Like visiting my past from an outsiders perspective.
It had been over ten years since I went to that particular venue to see a punk show. And this wasn't your Green Day or well.. I dunno.. whoever the media puts in the "punk" category these days.. type of show.
No, this was your $15 dollar, all ages and everyone is welcome to have a good time punk show! THAT'S what I'm talking about. This isn't an arena where you get to sit in a comfy chair, you pay big bucks for a soda and spend half your life savings on a t-shirt with absolutely no chance of even getting it looked at rather than signed by a band member.
And it's not an exclusive club where you have to know someone that knows someone to get you in.. No... Anti-Flag* shows are open to anyone that wants to come. You get a greeting at the door by an animal rights activist that wants you to sign their petition. You walk in and the place smells like a mixture of B.O., booze, hairspray and cigarettes. There are kids with multicolored hair, tattoos, piercings and mohawks just hanging about and having a blast interacting with each other.
Disclaimer: YES... there will always be an asshole in the crowd that wants to start shit. Someone who thinks that they are... well.. "Captain Anarchy", if you want to use Anti-Flag's own song as a reference. "So punk that he's a poser and he'll be one 'til he dies." ....You just have to ignore those fuckers and pay attention to the positive group.
What I love about Anti-Flag is that, yes, they will tell you about their political opinions. They will encourage you to rise up with your beliefs and to stand proud against the powers of big corporations that are guiding this country... but they don't EXPECT you to follow them. They don't EXPECT you to agree with what they're saying. What they EXPECT from you is that you leave your shit at the door, come in and have a good fucking time!
And that's what we did!
Philly can be a tough crowd.
"The City of Brotherly Love" ? .... Yeah, I guess that's up for debate. (..Ask Aiden**..)
But Philly <3's Anti-Flag.. or at least, the Philadelphians at The Trocadero on 2/03/2010 certainly did.
The last time I saw Anti-Flag perform was at Van's Warped Tour over ten years ago.. and I have to say, they rocked my socks back then but WOW... They've progressed and really brought things to a new level in their stage presence and their interaction with the crowd. In fact, I was quite happy to watch the few bands before them where I was standing, behind the crowd and away from the pit. I thought I'd remain there for the entire show.. but as soon as they hit the stage it was like a fucking magnet!
I suddenly realized that uhmmm yeaaah I wanted to be closer to that speaker! And I dragged the rest of my party up there too. Who was in the back? Not fucking-me!
The best thing about this show was that it was also my little brother's first Anti-Flag show. We had this boy listening to Anti-Flag when he was a toddler! When my brother was four years old, my sister gave him a mohawk and taught him the lyrics to "Die for Your Government". Tell me that's not a kick ass kid? When we arrived, my sixteen year old bro confessed that while he wanted to get in a moshpit eventually.. he was unsure about this being his first...
..but when Justin Sane started shouting "YA GOTTA DIE, GOTTA DIE, GOTTA DIE FOR YOUR GOVERNMENT!" ...well.. I seized the moment. I grabbed my brother and his girlfriend and pulled their asses into the circle pit.
Not familiar with moshpits are you? Well... here's the thing. They look stupid. Usually there's one or two guys in there just slamming fists around or starting fights, yes. What's so appealing about it is that... you don't go into the pit to start fights (see disclaimer). You get in the pit so that you can let go completely. It's a rush. It's a release. It's pure energy. When you've got a kick ass band like Anti-Flag that can command the audience as well as they were doing Wednesday night and direct them with a positive energy? It's pure punk rock.
I took TONS of pictures***... but they came out shitty, mostly because I couldn't stand in one place without getting knocked into or without the picture being fuzzy from the vibration of the speakers. Oh well!
The night was amazing. My sister, a drummer, got the opportunity to hop on stage and play with the band as they had set some tom's aside for some audience participation. We also got to meet with Pat Thetic after the show... pictures of that as well. We left the venue tired... aching... sweaty... and with little left to our voices...
Good.Fucking.Times.
*Anti-Flag - http://www.anti-flag.com
**Aiden - http://www.myspace.com/aiden
*** Shitty pictures here: http://visforevangelina.tumblr.com/post/371836179/some-really-bad-photos-from-wednesdays-show-and
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haha.. I intended for that to be brief...
ReplyDeleteThat was one amazing show. Anti-Flag had such a great set, tons of songs from Die for Your Government and The Terror State.
ReplyDeleteCancer Bats were also awesome. I asked their bassist if they were going to play their cover of Sabotage at the merch table and he said they weren't planning on it, but they ended up doing it!
Aiden was the only thing that about that show that wasn't awesome. Apparently the devil must drink Monsters...
But I think us Philadelphians showed them what we thought about sell-outs ;]
PS: Did you see anyone with video cameras? I was really hoping there would be stuff on youtube but there isn't anything yet.
I didn't, unfortunately, and I'm so sorry I didn't catch this comment until now! My alerts must be off! Thanks for reading! :D
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you 100%! The Sabotage cover was PERFECT! :D