The Ataris Live

The Ataris Live!

Date: March 28, 2003

Venue: The Rave - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Bands: Damone, the Juliana Theory, Further Seems Forever and the Ataris

I paid to see the Ataris and darn it, I was going to see them. Normally, I either miss them when they come around or get kicked out for no good reason, by a security guard on a power trip. But, this time I made it through the entire show.

Damone opened the night, with a less than exciting set. The three piece didn't move around much and remained luke warm toward the crowd. They illustrated a lack of enthusiasm. Or maybe they were just high.

Musically they are acceptable. Screaming guitar solos mixed with elements of punk and even 80's ballads gave Damone a unique sound. The female vocalist was shy when it came to addressing the fans, but her voice wailed with strength.

The most entertaining part of Damone's set was the bass player trying to chug two MGDs at once. His efforts were anticlimactic because he didn't make it past the top labels of either bottle.

One of the nice things about this concert was I had never seen any of these bands perform live. Honestly, I knew little about the three openers and was really only there for the Ataris. I got more than I expected.

Further Seems Forever started its set off with "How to Start Fire" and fueled the crowd with explosive energy. They performed songs such as "Pride War," "Bradley" and "Against My Better Judgment."

Strong vocals from Jason Gleason combined with crushing drums, thick bass and guitar riffs that seemed to scream and sing at the same time, made Further Seems Forever a truly memorable set. Gleason appeared to be losing his voice and it was only the third show of the tour. He sang with raw power and emotion that made the veins in his neck looked as though they'd pop out and flail around in front of his face.

It was obvious Further Seems Forever were having fun. Their smiles and dedication were evident as they jumped around the stage.

Gleason dedicated the last two songs ("The Moon Goes Down" and "This Song") to the troops fighting in Iraq. "They are fighting for our freedom. They are fighting so we can keep having rock shows like this," Gleason shouted.

Juliana Theory played third. Over all their sound was the most melodic and melancholy of the evening, however enjoyable nonetheless. Heavy guitars combined with soft, sung vocals brought peace and sways to the crowd rather than chaos and moshing.

Juliana Theory vocalist Brett Detar wore tight zoot-suit style pants, a black T-shirt and a black sport coat, (which he shed halfway through the set) setting himself apart from his casually dressed band mates.

A person can gain a whole new respect for a band when seen live. I wasn't familiar with the lyrics or much of Juliana Theory's music, but their set was still enjoyable.

Finally the Ataris took the stage starting off with "1-15-96" and putting comfort in my mind that they would play some older material. The Ataris have being rock stars down pat. They jump and whip around the stage with emotion and feeling and encourage crowd participation. They had the crowd open "Your Boyfriend Sucks" with the famous "Your better off without him / don't call him / he's breaking your heart."

"In This Diary" marked the halfway point of the Ataris set, while other songs off So Long Astoria like "Takeoffs and Landings" and "My Reply" were weaved in throughout the set of crowd favorites like "I Won't Spend Another Night Alone."

While I'm not a huge fan of the Ataris new CD, their live performances of the new songs took on much more emotion and meaning. They sped up the time count, making almost every song worthy of moshing to.

It was drummer Chris Knapp's birthday so vocalist Kris Roe led the crowd in "Happy Birthday."

The closed the set with "San Dimas High School Football Rules" and left the crowd seemingly quenched and tired.

One aspect of the Ataris that sets them apart from other "punk" bands is their unique sound. It's poppy, yet realistic. And thankfully lacks redundancies which are evident in many other popular punk bands today.

The Ataris are supposed to be on the entire Warped Tour this summer, so if you missed them, perhaps you can catch them when it's nice and hot outside.

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

March 31, 2003