Punk

Punk's Best Pop

Date: April 11, 2003

Venue: The Eagles Ballroom (The Rave), Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Bands: The Disasters, Less Than Jake, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory

Puking, passing out and partying. What else could one ask for at a rock show? Bare breasts? There were those too. The Civic Tour is huge. Sponsored by Honda Civic and MTV, it's a tour worthy of filling arenas rather than clubs.

The Disasters got the show off to an explosive start. The bass pounding from the speakers was strong enough to make my hair vibrate and my heart beat in my throat. The Disasters were extremely reminiscent of early punk acts like the Clash and the Ramones. In fact, the lead vocalist looked like he belonged in one of those punk bands from the 70's.

For an opening band they got an abundance of crowd participation. They enticed onlookers to raise their fists, clap, jump and wave at a moments notice. There is something curiously catchy about gritty, old school punk and the Disasters delivered it with ease.

Less Than Jake is silly. It's obvious from the time they hit the stage that they are a group ready to entertain and have fun while doing so. They make the show personal by looking fans right in the eyes. Crazy faces and energetic flailing makes Less Than Jake's set enjoyable for more than musical reasons. They add visual stimulations that make you laugh as well.

A leaf blower complete with a roll of toilet paper attached to the end was used to "TP" the crowd. Because Less Than Jake felt T-shirts were too expensive at the venue they shot a few out of a cannon into the crowd.

Musically, their brand of punk / ska was extremely enjoyable and exciting. Less Than Jake played a few songs off Anthem, its new album, which will be released in May. By the time Less Than Jake was finished it was hard to believe two huge acts were yet to come.

Each member of Good Charlotte came on stage wearing his own version of black. Perhaps Billy was the most stylish with his black suit, trimmed in red with red eye make-up to further accent the trim.

Good Charlotte kicked off the set with "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and played a good mix of songs off The Young and the Hopeless and its self titled album.

Being humble and low key seemed to be Good Charlotte's theme for the night. In certain instances the band would jump and spin around during a chorus, however, most of their time was spent standing on special metal stands resting on the monitors.

Good Charlotte packed in a great variety of songs such as "East Coast Anthem," "Little Things," and "Riot Girl."

"Stick together, take care of each other and hold on," were Benji's words of encouragement before going into "Hold On," a song about dealing with thoughts of suicide.

The emotional set was closed with "The Anthem" and Good Charlotte left the stage to a roar of applause and loving teenagers.

If there was one trend for the evening it was fun. New Found Glory added to it with their perfect pop-punk antics. Complete with trucker hats turned sideways and skater shoes, New Found Glory lived up to their MTV image.

New Found Glory opened the set with "Something I Call Personality" and fired up the crowd immediately. The mosh pit was brutal. Big scary guys catapulted little dweebs like me into the corners like sweeping dirt under the rug.

Playing songs like "Better Off Dead," "Hit or Miss," and "Head on Collision" proved to be too much for the barricades holding the crowd from reaching the stage. The band had to pause the show so security could push the barricades back and ensure the safety of the fans as well as the band. During their down time New Found Glory played a short goofy version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" to pass the time.

Vocalist Jordan Pundik got himself immersed in the crowd while trying to let fans sing along and New Found Glory continued with its set. They clearly have the clout of any headlining band and were a great conclusion to the night ending with "My Friends Over You."

All four bands made for an extremely memorable night. Other cities will see bands like the Movielife and MXPX will join the tour as it progresses.

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / CEO

April 16, 2003