Year in Review 2024

In 2024 I made it to a total of 9 live shows.  That's one better than 2023! 

Favorite Show: The Pist, runner up: The Beths again! (seen also in 2023)

I also bought tickets to these shows but couldn't make it for one reason or another:

• The Pist, record release show on Feb 16 in CT.  Going on vacation the next day.
• Ministry, at Roadrunner on March 18.  Family stuff going down.
• Death to All, at Middle East down on May 25. It's Memorial day weekend and I saw John Garcia on Monday.
• Metallica, at Gillette Stadium on Aug 5.  Caitlin's birthday.  Duh!
• Sour Widows at Deep Cuts (Medford) on Sep 14. Coming back from Desert Fest NYC.
• Testament at House of Blues on Oct 6.  Spent all day at CT Ren Faire. 🧙‍♂️

2024 was significant for the fact that my hearing was permanently degraded.  I listen to everything with Headphone Safety enabled at 80 decibels.  I've recently noticed that its getting harder to hear things.  

I can think of two things that were the potential cause:  

A) practicing drums with IEMs that were too loud for a few months (D'oh!) 

B) being upfront for the BTBAM Paradise show which was the loudest show in a long time (Ooof!). 

Will be slowing things down in 2025 until I get with an audiologist. 

The Pist @ Middle East Upstairs, Nov 9 2024

 My Glod.  What a day.

Full Missionshifter reunion! All 5 versions of the best north shore punk band hang out and skip all the opening acts. See: "Ho Chi Minh" song for the hypocrisy. 

(L-R: Chaps, Jeff, Newt, Stinky, Springfield)

Next - our favorite street punk band has reformed and is kicking ass again.  They re-released "Right to Choose" from 1994 on vinyl this year, and sadly it's still very much applicable in 2024.  THIRTY YEARS later.  FUCK.

Because I'm a maniac and because I appreciate Steve (of Steve-Fest fame), I did a double header and saw a folk punk/ska bill later that night at the weird "The Rockwell" venue in Davis Sq.  It's right next to The Burren, but underground and no one even knows it's there.  

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards were the winner of the night for me - a bunch of scantily clad gnarly musicians. 

Desert Fest @ Knock Down Center (Queens), Sep 13 2024

I finally made the Pilgrimage! 

Even though the fest was 2 1/2 days I only stayed for one night due to my buddy Sol having tickets with his bro-in-law for Megadeth on the second night of the fest.  Even with a truncated show schedule, I saw some amazing bands. 

First up in the main room was Blackwater Holylight.  Great doom sound.  The drummer had HUGE drums (Grohl style) and the keyboard and vocalist had nice interplay. 

Next was hanging with Sol and other concert goers.  Lots of great battle jackets and t-shirts.  I also met a few folks from Mass, including an older couple who had 72 shows on their list for this year.  Damn!! 

I caught a few minutes of Belzebong and need to see them more next time.  They all were synchronized in their head banging.  Super awesome.

(Portal to Domkraft)

Domkraft from Sweden was on just before High On Fire and performed in the smaller second stage room.  The room was PACKED because this band kicks ass.  They were the band I wanted to see the most and did not disappoint.

(more Domkraft)

Headlining was The Matt Pike and High on Fire.  I was thrilled to see him but also surprised and so stoked when I realized that Coady (from Big Business) was drumming.  I woke up the next day with Matt's riffs and Coady's drum beats in my head, they stayed their all weekend. It was an awesome set!

The night would not be complete without a post-show adventure when Sol left his wallet in an Uber.  After sending him home on the LIRR at around 2:30, I finally got in touch with the driver and had wallet in hand around 4am.  NYC never sleeps. 

The Beths @ Treehouse Brewery (Deerfield), Sep 5 2024

 The Beths. The Beths. The Beths. 

Caitlin and I celebrate our 30 year (first date) anniversary with a magical show at a fantastic outdoor venue. 

Let me set it in stone now.  My favorite rhythm sections:

1. Fugazi

2. Only Living Witness

3. The Beths

Punk in Drublic @ Campanelli Stadium (Brockton), Aug 31 2024

 NOFX's last show in New England, ends with Erik Melvin doing a never ending polka on the accordion. 

This was our first festival show since the late 90s.  It was wonderful to be around so many other punk rockers! 

We even found a guy from Ekaterinburg.  He was adopted at 6 months old and spent most of his life here in the US!  What a small world.  I'm a dummy and did not get his name. 

We went with our new friend Steve and his bro Kevin.  On top of being cool a good hang, Steve is a west coast guy so we are always introducing each other to bands. 

The fest had free beer tasting, food trucks and some great merch.  Caitlin scored some great stuff including this rad Ramones flannel. Gabba Gabba Hey!

We got there early to catch the local opener, Rebuilder.  At some point OG north shore punk rocker and amazing drummer Harley used to be in the band.  Sadly, he was not playing so I'm guessing he's off doing something else.

Codefendants were next and mixed punk, hip hop and dub. I didn't understand them but I'm sure I'll love them when I listen later.

Suicide Machines followed with a great mix of old and new.  Shout out to the crowd surfing banana.  The singer slipped in an "Elevation! Elevation!" call back to The Pilfers which was sweet.  I think he also said Blood for Blood is his favorite band, and then they did some cover song?  Need to look that up.  The last time I came close to Suicide Machines was Warped Tour back in late 90s but I didn't know who they were and skipped their show. 

We then went and chilled in the stands of the baseball field for the next two bands.

Street Dogs were great from a far but getting closer at the end of their set unveiled that Mike couldn't sing anymore and his voice was cracking. That said, he got the crowd to circle pit the blue tents in the field which was really impressive to see. 

We returned to the seats for the shitty Dicky Barrett anti-science punk rock loser band.  And I quote "I'm still the same person, it's the world around me that has changed".  That was met with a loud "FUCK YOU" from yours truly.  Steve was out getting food and said the people on that side of the field had the same response!  Way to make me proud fellow New Englanders!  The cherry on top of the shit sundae was Dicky with a "Kennedy 2024" jacket.  FUCK YOU

Bouncing Souls were next and great as always.  They had a new drummer who spiced up a few songs. 

Keith Morris from the Circle Jerks is 69 years old and the "senior citizen" of the show (his words).  His stage ramblings were hilarious ("let's split the crowd into Catholics and Christians and then you run at each other").  Their songs were tight and super fun. 

NOFX makes it known at every show that if you bring your child to their show then you are a bad parent.  They drive the point home by telling the child about a "chili dog".  They also made fun of who I presume was Jeff Wizard ("Gandalf the wizard is up here!").  Their playing was on point, stage banter really funny and they took a 15 minute piss break, because they’re old.  They ended the show with Erik Melvin playing a never ending polka loop on the accordion.  Oh, and they also did a 3 stooges skit.  Oh, and they made fun of Brockton A LOT.  And, they did a cover of "Radio" by Rancid (dub style) and also threw in a dig at Suicide Machines who stole all their sound from Operation Ivy. HA.  Mike is not wrong. 

I went into the show with some bad allergies and by the end of the night my throat was toast. It was totally worth it though. 

Metallica @ Foxboro Stadium, Aug 2 2024

 

30 years later Metallica still kicks ass! 

Here's my ticket stub from seeing Metallica in 1994 at Great Woods.

The "new" Pantera really sounded amazing.  Here's a short clip:

This guy in front of me thought otherwise though:

Not all hope was lost though.  Here's my homie - cheering and headbanging with us from afar:

LOTS of people sat down through the whole show, including the amazing opener of Creeping Death, Harvester of Sorrow & Leper Messiah.

My compatriots for the evening:

But what about the actual show?!

I thought the setlist was great. They played Orion. Wow. And ended with Master of Puppets. 🔥🔥🔥

Their playing was good, maybe great at times. I do think Lars was Lars in that he didn't always play the exact parts on the record and there might have been times where he was a bit sloppy in his timing. The band stayed together (I think) although maybe after listening to the live recording I'll have a different opinion.

Bonus selfie with Jeff Wizard at the end of the night!

Honkeyball @ Mid East down, July 27 2024

The original country x hardcore crossover band returns! 

I missed these guys at the second to last SBC reunion show in 2018? 2013?  And I don't think I ever saw them back in the day.  

But first. 

It was a stacked line up with a diverse set of bands.  Steve (of Stevefest fame) and I hit Pinocchios first and enjoyed the beautiful night in Our Fair City.

We arrived in time for the Welch Boys, who were a better version of the Dropkick Murphys.  They had a song called Pete Townsend is a Pervert.  Who knew?!

T-Shirts seen:  Public Enemy, a great Witness shirt, 2 battle vests and lots of Tree and SBC (including 2 young gentlemen who will come up later).  I had my Arm the Homeless reprint and got several compliments. 

White Dynomite was next and opened with the track White Dynomite from the album White Dynomite.  The lead singer was Dexter from The Offspring, with Tim Katz (roadsaw) on bass and a SMOKIN' drummer. The song Werewolf Underwear had a great Danzig riff in the middle.

Big Mike and Steve joined me front and center for HB.  Being literally right against the stage means that when the pit starts you get wrecked as your legs are broken being smashed into the knee high stage floor.  The full body fence is my preferred way to destroy myself since your full body takes the blow.

The SBC shirt wearing "youths", their dad and several other old timers got it started when Kemosabi came on 2 songs in.  A few songs later the same yoots got into a fight, knocking someone to the floor.  See ya later, as everyone got ejected. 

The setlist was a great mix of old and new, including deep cuts from the first album. 

The band was super tight and it was so great to see Claude and Eric locked in for every song.  What a rhythm section. 

Setlist courtesy of We Want To See Honkeyball Again.

John Garcia @ Wally's (NH), May 27 2024

Bucket list show in NH with Fordy.

I last saw Kyuss opening for White Zombie at Great Woods in 1995.  The sad part is that I don't remember anything about their set except for the thunderous bass pounding my chest (don't do drugs kids). Getting to see John Garcia do all Kyuss tunes is a bit of a redemption tour for me.

Fordy and I rolled into Hampton beach around 3 with the show starting at 8.  Oh.  Guess we are here super early.  We went to the venue to get some food and drinks and BAM got to see JG do soundcheck! 

I also got to listen to the most annoying, wine drinking, wife hating bar fly complain that the soundcheck was taking too long. Feckin looser. 

The show started sharp at 8, and Fordy and I planted ourselves front row, dead center. 

First up was local support ViQueen (like ViKING but better).  They were from Portland Maine, had a heavy stoner, doom vibe and really kicked ass. 

Next up was a two piece blues/rock power house from Indiana called Left Lane Cruiser.  They are what Black Keys could have been with harder blues and a better drummer. 

The guitarman and lead singer started with 4 Millers during their quick soundcheck and had finished 2 1/2 before the end of the first song.  Damn! 

The bands just kept getting better and better.  JC was not messing around with weak bands and set the bar really high. 

Last band was Telekinetic Yeti from Iowa.  HUGE loud sound. Psychedelic doom to the max.

And look at that drummer's mullet! 

Last was Garcia with a super tight backing band.  The sound was perfect, the bass player was in full Scott Reeder mode hunched over and sweating his ass off.  Drummer was on fire.  And the guitar player looked like Homme.  Go figure. 

Garcia's voice and timing was fantastic.  I'm hoping he'll make an appearance at Desertfest NYC in September.

I also got to chat with fellow front row patron Henry who was a Boston guy, and his favorite band was Kyuss but never got to see them.  So this was a killer night for him.  We ended up meeting up online in the Kyuss World FB group the next day.

Here's the setlist stolen and cleaned up from setlist.fm.  All songs are Kyuss unless otherwise noted. 

Gardenia

Conan Troutman

Hurricane

Thumb

Cowboys Suck (Hermano)

Odyssey

Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop

100°

Writhe

Jim's Whiskers (Band of Gold)

Whitewater

One Inch Man

Dargona Dragona (Vista Chino)

Green Machine

Encore:

Spaceship Landing

El Rodeo

Stiff Little Fingers @ The Paradise, May 1 2024

 The best Irish rock n roll band takes a final lap.

Opening up was a solo set from Ricky Warwick, also from Northern Ireland, as told during on stage banter, inspired to get a guitar when he first saw SLF back in the early 70s.  

Ricky had a great sound, a unique guitar and did a fantastic cover of Ace of Spades, which is hard to do solo.

I also bumped into an old scene friend Stu who runs the Joe Kelley memorial scholarship and concert every year.  He had a great story to tell about the Poison Idea hoodie he rocks at most shows. 

SLF come out of the gate with Suspect Device!  I could have left after that first song it was so good.  

"Hate has no home" is the name of the tour and comes from a movement in Chicago (where Jack has called home for 20 years).  Reminds me of an interview with Frankie Stubbs riffing on how can you be a punk rocker and vote Torey (aka conservative).  Answer: you can't!  Ain't no thing as Christian metal either. 

Also in the house was Jeff from Wizard security.  Missed my chance to get a selfie.  Stu says he's 80!!

Jack also talked about and sang a song about depression and getting help rather than toughing it out.  Great stuff. 

My only critique of the man is that he had horrible cable management :D 

SLF also did a fantastic version of "Doesn't make it alright" by The Specials and a tribute song to Joe Strummer.

BTBAM @ The Paradise, Mar 14 2024

This was a special show, with BTBAM playing their album "Colors" in it's entirety.  It was also special because I finally stopped being an idiot moron and ignoring music suggestions from my best bud Dennis.

The opener was local deathcore band The Acacia Strain.

 

(Special guest guitar player: Kerry King)

I loved the contrast of death metal and metalcore/hardcore.  They were tight and the crowd was super in to them.  The singer had some good interstitial banter:  "have fun, give someone a high five, make a friend".

As usual folks had Tree and SBC gear on.  Also saw a few Death shirts.  Shirt of the night award goes to this oldie but goodie, worn by the bouncer:

BTBAM came on next and wow!  What a performance.  Really technical, but also great variation between heavy and quiet, more than a few acapella sing-a-long parts and stage lights to go along.  My favorite song was probably Sun of Nothing, although I can't quite say where it started or ended.  And I think that's the fun part about this band. 

Lots of crowd surfing, and it seemed that all the surfers, regardless of gender, had long hair. 🤘