Rancid punks up Chicago

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Raspy Rancid rocks Chicago

Bands: Rock and Roll Daredevils, Tiger Army and Rancid.

Venue: The Riviera - Chicago

Date: November 23, 2003

There is something special about a band that can be huge without mass amounts of commercialism and MTV airplay. Rancid is one of those bands. Their undying love of music, unity and appreciation of their fans make them a very respected band.

Rancid played to a sold-out crowd at the Riviera on Sunday, Nov. 23. It was a mixed crowd. There weren’t too many adolescent kids and there was enough maturity for everyone to have a really enjoyable time. The Rock and Roll Daredevils got the show off to a good start with their abrasive, yet simple, three chord punk rock. It wasn't anything to be overly excited about, but it got the crowd moving none-the-less.

Tiger Army got the crowd fired up a little more with a unique jazzy sounding punk that stemmed from the band’s use of a white, stand-up style bass. I'm not familiar at all with Tiger Army, but after seeing them I want to be. Some have called their music "psychobilly," but I think it's great, experimental punk. Seeing XXX drag his huge bass around the stage was truly interesting. He couldn't really do much jumping up and down considering his instrument was as tall as he was.

Rancid hit the stage, bathed in red light and filled with energy. Guitarist / vocalist Tim Armstrong wore his signature black leather studded jacked and a black beanie, while guitarist / vocalist Lars Frederiksen wore all red and sported blonde, spiky hair.

The band opened with “Ruby Soho” off And Out Come the Wolves and the show was underway. Armstrong bounced around stage, jumped off the monitors, spun in circles and threw his huge black guitar around like a rag doll.

One of the things that have kept Rancid together for so long is unity and that unity was extremely evident. Armstrong and Frederiksen would have their arms around each other and sing into the microphone together. And they would be quick to compliment bassist Matt Freeman as he played furious bass riffs to “Maxwell Murder” off And Out Come the Wolves.

Rancid played new material off Indestructible like “David Courtney,” “Red Hot Moon” and their radio single “Fall Back Down.” The crowd liked every minute of it. They jumped, moshed and crowd surfed with the same vibrant energy the band was performing with.

As the set went on, Armstrong took off his jacket and shirt, lit a cigarette and sang raspy, marble mouthed songs like “As Wicked” and “It’s Quite Alright.” At one point Frederiksen played a solo, guitar only version of “The Wars End” and got a huge response from the crowd, even though it was the crowd’s resting song to recover from the moshing and constant fist pumping.

Chicago’s own Mest were in the balcony and Rancid dedicated a song about friendship to them. In another humble act of friendliness, Armstrong used a fan’s cell phone camera to take a picture of himself on stage for the lucky fan.

Rancid even dedicated the song “Time Bomb” to their bus driver. It was the last night of the tour and so the band thanked everyone who helped make it possible for them to go from city to city.

Rancid was done with their main set, but the crowd wanted more. The stage remained illuminated in red with the huge banner of the new album’s cover art looming above. After the crowd chanted “Rancid, Rancid, Rancid,” the band came out for two more songs.

Rancid has been a band for 12 years and won’t be giving up anytime soon. “We’re gonna be making records till we’re 80 years old,” Frederiksen told the crowd. They played “Olympia, Wa” and brought the evening to an end with a constant shriek of distortion that hovered in the air as the band exited the stage.

The performance was memorable and the crowd left satisfied. Rancid is definitely a veteran band, but they can still knock the socks off an audience.

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

Written on: December 9, 2003

Pictures taken by: Heather Morrison