The Palladium, Worcester, MA

Expectations. We all have them in life. Living up or down to them creates divides in people and brings on a world of hurt to the hearts of many. What in the world does this have to do with a concert? Everything if you are a die-hard fan of a band and they let you down. I grew up on a lot of old-school punk and metal and S.T. is one of my favorite bands of all time, in any genre. They informed my art and my personal life in a way that is too deep to describe here in these (web) pages. My first band played “How Will I Laugh Tomorrow” as the encore to our first show ever. Needless to say when I saw them for the first time back in 1998 they were less than stellar and I was crushed. I was as let down as any show I have ever been to out of thousands. Maybe the crux of this was that it was the pre-interwebs days and I was expecting to see Rocky George shred his Pirates cap off and not hear a set list mostly of INFECTIOUS GROOVES songs (love the band, but they are not as great as ST). Plus they were on a ST greatest hits tour  at the time (Prime Cuts album). Nonetheless, after years of licking my wounds I wasn’t gonna pass up the opportunity to give them another try, especially when paired with two other titans of punk-metal crossover like THE CRO-MAGS AND D.R.I. As a result of this top notch bill which included six other bands the Palladium was about as packed as I had seen it since HANK III played here earlier in the fall.

UNDERDOG was the opener and and they were a lot of fun. They were a second or third wave NYHC punk band in the mid 80′s and I used to see them skating around the Lower East Side and Astor Place when I was growing up. If he wasn’t singing about skating, revolution or being a disenfranchised kid in Noo Yawk City singer Richie Birkenhead (YOUTH OF TODAY) wasn’t fully alive. Well known in the underground from their classic 1^st demo and their record The Vanishing Point, they played a set of their best known songs. I was happy everybody was slamming and stage diving like in the old club days. With the quasi- original lineup of the band Richie on vox, Russ Iglay on bass, Dean Joseph back on drums and guitarist Mark they proved their material stands the test of time. The band is older, but still had the goods in performance, especially Richie. The best songs of their set were Russ Iglay on bass, Dean Joseph back on drums and guitarist Mark they p and of course “Underdog”. Great to these guys back at it!

Added to the list of bands I thought I’d never see again ever is DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES or D.R.I. In case you are in a rush. Arguably the originators of crossover punk and metal, D.R.I. Had the deep soul of punks coupled with the anger and speed of early thrash metal and it was beautiful. I wore out my copies of Crossover and Thrash Zone on cassette tape way back when, but I never thought I would ever get to be in the same room as these guys. They are an influence on the grit and attitude of metal that few others have had so make sure the next time you listen to records by MUNICIPLE WASTE, WARBRINGER, GAMMA BOMB or when you break out your PANTERA cd’s- you better thank these guys.

Any case after setting up their own gear and sound checking vocalist Kurt Brecht announced that they “in case you didn’t know we’re DRI and they were here to rock!”. And with that they started off the set  with “Snap” and the mania ensued. Everyone was slamming, crowd surfing and basically going apeshit! They reeled off a bunch of fast, killer songs in a row like “I’d Rather Be Sleeping”, “Problem Addict” and “Acid Rain” all in a row. Before playing “Thrashard” Kurt said something to the effect of I “bet you guys know all the words to this one” which was hilarious. D.R.I. were biting listeners in the ass with sarcasm before any of today’s post irony crap was fashionable.  Too smart and funny for words. “Who Am I” was played and is another great song. Many people claim to be fans of the band, but some of the crowd was noticeably quiet on some of the deeper album cuts. Spike Cassidy (guitars), Harold Oimoden (bass) and Rob Rampy (drums) just beat the crap out of their instruments and kicked ass on every song. I was especially happy and thankful to see Spike who has beaten his colon cancer scare of a few years ago. Harry was also awesome as a legend of the thrash/hardcore scene and he hung out in the crowd and slammed in the pit the rest of the night. Originally they were supposed to headline their own night at The Palladium, but got added to the ST date which makes sense since they have the same fan base. They played so many songs you might have thought they were the final act. Musical gems like “Beneath The Wheel”, “Wages of Sin”, “All For Nothing” and the highlight of their set “Violent Pacification” were great to hear live . It was over way too fast when they closed with “Five Year Plan”, but I was really happy they went out with such a bang.

Set List:

Snap

I’d Rather Be Sleeping

Problem Addict

Acid Rain

Thrashard

Who Am I

Slumlord

Dead in a Ditch

Suit and Tie Guy

Beneath The Wheel

Couch Slouch

Wages of Sin

Dry Heaves

All For Nothing

Violent Pacification

Five Year Plan

In my pantheon of hardcore bands that have greatly influenced metal THE CRO-MAGS are right behind THE MISFITS and S.T. and just ahead of THE BAD BRAINS. Without a seminal record like The Age of Quarrel you wouldn’t have aspects of Thrash, Punk, Deathmetal and Metalcore that you have today. In addition to being a force of nature live and helping to define the scene of New York Hardcore for what it’s worth every time you nod your head to a half-time feel part of a breakdown- that comes directly from the Cro-Mags and their influence of the early hip-hop acts in the 80’s.

Hitting the stage and starting with occasional closer “We Gotta Know” they just destroyed! WGK is certainly one of the best songs ever the floor went nuts with everybody moshing, leaping up to the stage and singing. The CRO-MAGS are one of those bands that most everybody knows all of the words when you go see them, and tonight was no exception. Rapid like machine gun fire the band churned out a quick succession of hits like “World Peace”, “Show No Mercy”, and “Malfunction”. Frontman John Joseph is still in ass-kicking shape from his vegan life-style and has never sounded better vocally either. He isn’t just up there for no reason- he feels every word his sings and makes you believe it too. His manic stage persona was/is the template for punk and metal frontmen. Since the current lineup has been together for a few years the band has been generous with its set lists tossing in nuggets like “Crush the Demoniac” and switching things up from tour to tour. Although we are unlikely to ever see a complete “classic” reunion line up; between drummer Mackie Jayson , guitarist AJ Novello (LEEWAY) and bassist Craig Setari (SICK OF IT ALL) they certainly have the set down cold. More great anthems like “Street Justice” and “Seekers of The Truth” came next and also went over big time with the adoring crowd. Then they thew us a curve ball when John announced they were gonna do a song by the most important punk band ever in his opinion, BAD BRAINS’ “Attitude”. It was a welcome surprise and the rendition, complete with reggae breakdown was top notch. Then another surprise came after a short jam of LEEWAY’s “Rise and Fall” the went right in to “Jim’s Last Goodbye”, yet another killer song. They finished their tight set with awesome versions of “Life of My Own” and “Hard Times”. John thanked all the bands, everybody for supporting the band and the tour and said their would be a new album from this line-up of the band in 2011 to look forward to. I got to talk to John after the show and as usual he was all class, humble and nice. A tribute to this legendary person in the scene, his home city and his legacy.

Set List:

We Gotta Know

World Peace

Show No Mercy

Malfunction

Crush The Demoniac

Street Justice

Seekers of the Truth

Attitude (Bad Brains Cover)

Rise and Fall/Jim’s Last Goodbye

Life of My own

Hard Times

I tried to catch my breath a little between bands. Again the venue was really packed in with very little room to move except for the pit during bands. As the ginormous banner in the style of a bandana was unveiled with the SUICIDAL crest and logos it was all most go time. I have to admit I had some butterflies as I hoped tonight would erase the bast memories of the show so long ago. Well no sooner had I thought that then the lights went down and the famous intro to “You Can’t Bring Me Down” came over the speakers. People were already moshing and crowd surfing before the band even hit the stage. Each member of ST came out to a cheer, not unlike a roll call at a baseball game. Of course the last one out was Cyco Mike Muir who announced “What the hell is going on around here?” as they peeled the roof of the building with the power of thrash! In typical fashion the band was explosive in their playing with Mike running all over the stage delivering his lines. The whole building seemed to shake as everyone screamed the chorus out. Dean Pleasants (INFECTIOUS GROOVES/GEORGE CLINTON/UGLY KID JOE) has a different lead guitar style than Rocky George, but nonetheless delivered an excellent take on the memorable solo. Following up the monster opener was the bands’ best known song in “Institutionalized” and the craziness got even bigger with an huge circle pit the entire floor wide. Those two songs are a given at any ST show, but after that I was sure that all bets were off. As Mike addressed the crowd in his usual poet/prophet/teacher mode he talked about the three bands on this tour going strong for almost 30 years. And with that Eric Moore kicked of the military drum intro of “Join The Army” and the pit was off and running again. Moore who is absolutely ridiculous and devastating on the kit is really the secret weapon of the band. His deft playing ability either create the pocket or push the tempos of the songs really make this the best the band has sounded in ages. He also had an amazing five minute drum solo later in the show that would have given Tommy Lee a run for his money shot.

In celebrating the bands’ lengthy history this tour they are also promoting their new record of some rerecorded classics. Much to my delight old-school jams like “The Prisoner”, “War Inside My Head” and “Subliminal” were played to perfection. As always ST mainstay Mike Clark (INFECTIOUS GROOVES/NO MERCY/CREEPER) also holds down the rhythms and riffs of most songs and allows Dean to freelance a little more guitar-wise. This kind of brings back a little of the middle-era vibe of the band back to the live show. They mixed the great funky punk/metal songs like “Suicidal Maniac” and “Come Alive” with the hardcore tunes like “Widespread Bloodshed” and recent remake “No Mercy”. Mike also talked about the early days of the Venice Beach scene and how ST was never about a gang, but about peaceful Dogtown skaters, and not trendy guys like Tony Hawk. Ouch! Just then Steve “Thundercat” Brunner played the killer slap-bass intro to “Possessed to Skate” and once again the energy in the building went nuclear. Brunner is brilliantly talented on the bass and more than ably fills the big shoes of Rob Trujillo (METALLICA/OZZY OSBOURNE/INFECITIOUS GROOVES/JERRY CANTRELL, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY). As a bassist myself I was enthralled the entire set by his grooving lines and showmanship.

Of course it always comes back down to Muir who goes full-tilt insane the entire gig. He spent a lot of time between songs pontification on all things Cyko and explaining the meanings of the songs which was cool. Bringing the night towards its conclusion saw the band cut through fine versions of “I Saw Your Mommy”, “I Want More” and “I Shot Reagan” that really took me back to being a kid again. The went off stage for a few minutes as the fans screamed “Suicidal” over and over. They returned and finished with their theme song “Pledge Your Allegiance”. The band invited everyone in the crowd to come on stage to mosh, headbang and sing the epic chorus chant. There must have been 100 or more people on stage with the band and you could barely see them behind a wall of fans. It was a pretty damn cool sight to see. While the die-hard fan in me was still yearning for a “Waking The Dead” or just more song off of Lights… Camera…. Revolution! or How Will I Laugh Tomorrow….. but I really can’t quibble too much. The band was amazing, the song selection was righteous and the fans were some of the best I’ve ever been around.

Set List:

You Can’t Bring Me Down

Institutionalized

Join the Army

The Prisoner

War Inside My Head

Subliminal

Suicidal Maniac

Come Alive

Widespread Bloodshed

No Mercy

Possessed to Skate

I Saw Mommy

Psycho Vision

I Want More

I Shot Reagan

Encore:

Pledge Your Allegiance

Reviewed by Keith Chachkes