Riot Fest 2007 Wrap

Friday, November 16th - Cobra Lounge:
Shot Baker - Pretty damned good Chicago punk band. I really need to pick up some of their records.
Zero to Sixty - Ex-88 Fingers Louie band. Good band/Not quite my cup of tea.
The Methadones - I freakin' love these guys, but... For this set, Dan got too wasted and kept screaming into the mic with the levels maxed - clipping ensues. Entertaining set, but Vapid blew out his pipes for the rest of the weekend.
The Effigies - Wow! I really wanted to see this band play live for the last 20 years. Problem is, they broke-up back in 1990. I had no idea that they were playing this (unannounced) show - Huge fucking suprise. They were awesome - Worth the trip from DC for this band alone.
The Queers - I've seen these guys play a bunch of times, but what really impressed me is how these guys have evolved as a band. The first time I saw 'em (back in '93) they were a freaking mess, but now they're air-tight. Impressive.

Saturday, November 17 - Congress Theater:
The Copyrights - Good band (saw 'em in Baltimore), Missed 'em in Chicago
The Heart Attacks - Missed 'em
Shot Baker - Missed most of this set
Magnafux - Essentially, Sludgeworth sans Dan Schafer. Not bad/Not good.
Lower Class Brats - Old GMM band. I like 'em and they put on a decent live set.
The Methadones - Dan sobered up a bit from his Friday set, but his vocals were shot from the night before - I still loved it.
The Queers - They came out 15 minutes early just so they could play a few extra songs - I don't recall a band ever doing that before at a show I've been to. I thought it was a classy move. Man, this band is fucking tight. It's much more noticeable when you're sober - They're getting into Ramones territory here. Incredible live band.
Nekromantix - I like the psychobilly, but really am not the biggest fan of this Danish import.
7 Seconds - The original punk-rock cover band. Yawn. If they keep touring for another 20 years, they might actually pick a decent song to cover. Plus, if I hear "unity" one more time, I'm gonna barf.
Stiff Little Fingers - One of my all-time favorites. They always put on a great live show.
Naked Raygun - I have a fucking NR tattooed on my left wrist, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that I really like this band. Not one of their better sets, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Saturday Late Show - Cobra Lounge:
Skipped it for some cheap drinkin' at Kathy's.

Sunday, November 18 - Congress Theater:
The Frantic - Missed 'em
Deal's Gone Bad - Love these guys, but only caught about half of their set.
Flatfoot 56 - South Side band in the mold of Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Tossers. Pretty damned good.
Zero to Sixty - Went next door to get a taco.
The Bollweevils - Still eatin' tacos de lengua and sipping horchata across the street. Sorry guys.
Dillinger Four - Possibly the best set of the entire festival. If you ever get a chance to see these guys live; Go!
Youth Brigade - These guys grew up just down the street (literally) from where I'm living now. Still not their biggest fan, but they weren't bad.
The Casualties - Their hair looked very,very,very punk rock. If they spent half as much time on writing music...
Sludgeworth - This is the band that I most wanted to see. I hadn't see 'em play live since late '93/early '93, and are one of my all-time favorites. There was a perfect storm of annoyances during this set. Vapid's vox were still scratchy from his Friday shenanigans, the band seemed a little rusty, half the crowd was out in the lobby after the Casualties set, and there was some stupid drama going on with my friends that was distracting me from the band. Nonetheless, I would drive 750 miles again just for this 50 minute set.
Bad Brains - There's a reason that HR got kicked outta the band back in the day. He was so fucking high that you couldn't make out a damned word he said. The crowd evaporated during this set, and by the end people were actually booing - Interesting.
I think that one of Kathy's friends put it best:
"It's like when you're approached by some very friendly homeless guy, and he keeps talking, but you can't really get away, and this keeps going on for way-too-long, and you know that he's just gonna ask you for money, but you can't slip away without looking like a total dick. Well, that's this set in a nutshell."