I worked on GR stuff all day Saturday and Sunday, and then treated myself to a show last night as a reward. Tiger Army and the Street Dogs were playing at Neumo’s and I could not resist. I first saw Tiger Army a few years ago on the Punks vs. Psychos tour and they were great. Their first record has since become one of my favorites of the last few years. I had not had a chance to see them since though, because they only came to town supporting Social Distortion and that show was too expensive for my tastes (I instead chose to treasure my memory of seeing Social D at the Channel in Boston in 1987). Neumo’s was doing an all ages show and they did something strange to allow for it. They cut the room in half with metal barricades. The all ages section was down in front, while the 21 and over section was in the back (where the stairway to the bar was). I spent the show with “the kids” so I could be closer to the stage.
The opening band was Said Radio and they were OK. They said they were on Fat Records and that seemed right, as they had that kind of sound. Next up was the Street Dogs. I had just seen them in August, so their presence on the bill was just icing on the Tiger Army cake. Or so I believed before the show anyway. Now the Street Dogs always put on a good show, but last night they killed. Do you know the best time to see a Boston band that really loves its hometown? The day the Red Sox win the World Series. They were pumped, and their energy got the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. When a giant circle pit erupted, what could I do but jump in? I wouldn’t exactly say that the Street Dogs showed up Tiger Army, but the headliners certainly had their work cut out for them when they took the stage. Luckily, Nik13 and crew also delivered a high energy set with a nice mix of songs from all their records. They did play “Nocturnal” (which ENnies attendees would recognize as GR’s signature song this year) or “Outlaw Heart”, but otherwise I have no complaints. By the time they played “Fuck the World” the crowd was once again going off. “Never Die” about brought the house down. Other than the barricades, this was a great show all around.
I remember seeing Tiger Army with the Nekromantix on their first US tour in Providence. I was with a guy that did a local punk rock radio show, and we got to talk with both bands. I don’t know if Nik13 was just in a bad mood or something, but he was being a serious dick to us, while the Danish fellows from the Nekros were funny and friendly. I’d have to say my view was somewhat tainted after that experience, but thems the breaks. I did also manage to see a wonderful band called the Photon Torpedoes out of Boston. They totally broke the ice on the crowd as the opening band by tossing tampons dipped in red food coloring.