YES!!
Was listening to the Minor Threat Complete Discography this AM and thought of this record when "I Don't Wanna Hear It" came on (since the Suicide Machines cover it after a gap on the last track of "DbyD") and made a plan to throw it on tonight. I don't care who you are; no way you don't dance and scream your head off to "Break The Glass."
So many great memories of this band. First time I saw them was in 1996 at an all-ages club here in Flint that was so full of people dancing that part of the floor caved in. Awesome time.
Here's a live review I did in Dec. 2001 if anyone's interested.
Flint - Before the Suicide Machines took the stage at downtown's Flint Local 432, the hesitation was clearly visible in their eyes.
Could they adjust from the several-thousand-capacity clubs they normally play to a room of 400 without losing their trademark manic energy? Would five years away from Flint leave the crowd cool to music that had made them MTV stars?
The internal debate was clearly wearing on happily nervous lead singer Jason Navarro as he stepped in front of the packed room Friday night, but all the doubts evaporated when he saw Jesus.
"I knew everything was gonna be all right as soon as I saw the punk rock Jesus," Navarro told the crowd, referring to the velvet painting of a mohawked "Young Rebel Jesus" adorning the club's stage, as he and his three bandmates began their set.
And so, the Detroit punk rockers kicked off a 20-song, 50-minute set that spanned all four of their Hollywood Records releases.
Beginning with a super-charged rendition of "Break The Glass" from their 1996 debut, "Destruction by Definition," guitarist Dan Lukacinsky and drummer Ryan Vandeberghe pounded out the song's opening cadence as Navarro bounded around the stage to the delight of fans crushed against the small wooden stage.
It was here that the band rediscovered the benefits of smaller shows with no barriers separating them from a crowd eager to sing along to every chorus, if not every word.
Navarro used this to his advantage throughout the night, standing or perching atop a speaker in front of the stage to sing directly to fans and shoving the microphone into the mass of people singing along to songs like "DDT," "Permanent Holiday" and "The Air We Breathe."
Showing familiarity with fans, and the fans' familiarity with the band's earlier releases, the Suicide Machines loaded Friday's show with songs from their debut and sophomore effort, "Battle Hymns," in an effort to keep the audience interested in singing along throughout the night.
In fact, Friday's show featured only a handful of newer tunes that - while they come across on record as somewhat thin and labored - translated wonderfully in a live setting where energy and presentation take a front seat to songcraft and execution.
That's hardly a knock, since no one can fault them for playing to their strengths, but it would have been nice to hear more new material mixed in.
Sweating profusely and smiling widely near the end of the night, Navarro paid thanks to opening bands Off-Kilter and South Bay Bessie, whose respective sets of dark, metallic hardcore and melodic, sing-along punk warmed up the crowd admirably - and he recognized Local 432's volunteer staff for making the band's return to Flint enjoyable.
"You guys are the best, here in Flint, and we loved the old Local and love the new one, too," Navarro said of the club's new location blocks away from its old home in the back of The Economy Building.
_________________ Kwame Kilpatrick texted to his mistress: "NEXT TIME, JUST TELL ME TO SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, and DO YOUR THING! I'm fucked up now!"
|