Police & Skeeves
From 50 Pints Of Stout and 40 Shades Of Blue to 40 Ounces. . . .
Cracktoberfest 05 feat: Test Specimen/Rabia/Team Spider/Dr. Know/Mad Conductor/Choking Victim/MDC//Tompkins Square Park//9/11/05
Arright, I admit it. When I first heard that Cracktoberfest was going to be on 9/11 I wondered if that was a good idea. But I like Team Spider and I trust Xris in these matters and I wanted to support him and the show. Also, Simpsons and Family Guy premiere that night.
A last-minute letter went out that morning saying that the Parks Dept. and the Police Dept. denied the permits 48 hrs before the show. One reason was the date. These bands were not the only bands to have a gig in NYC that day. I don't think the police spoke to the Fab Faux about the date for their Webster Hall show and also told them to stop ripping off the Beatles' catalogue and write their own music. And it's not like Xris told them on the 9th that the show was on 9/11. Besides, I don't think the police would've wanted us to go to the protest at the Times HQ instead. They were told to expect a "heavy police presence."
So I made my way down 14th St., past two ragged, dirty teens begging for money because their parents were abducted by aliens and they needed the money for lasers and spaceships (creativity is a plus; I gave 'em money), down Ave. A past a maxi pad stuck to the sidewalk, past a wall that held countless tribute and memorial murals now plastered with ads for Fashion Week, crossed over to the east side of the street and past what looked to be a gold tooth on the ground. (No way was I going to touch it to see if that's what it really was; I doubt it would've been worth much, anyway.) My plan when confronted by this "heavy police presence" was to claim that I had no idea there was a concert going on. Even though I had some padded envelopes I swiped from work for Xris to mail out Cracktober DVDs and some recycled stamps.
When I got over to the show area there was a considerable number of people gathered, and a massive stage complete with scaffolding. I didn't see the "strong police presence." Wow. Man, I thought. We're all a bunch of freedom haters here. There was a merch/donations table with water for $1. Good idea. This year there were tons more people early on as compared to last year. Though I'm glad it wasn't late in the year and freezing, I was melting. The plastic frames of my sunglasses were burning my face and I had sweat in my eyes. I had sunscreen. Yeah, I'm sucha poseur. Sunscreen and earplugs at a hardcore show. But I liked Test Specimen even more this time than I did at Grand Central because of the great sound system. They started a little before 2 and the bands kept it hopping. This has to be one of the quickest set changes at any show I've ever been to. Rabia is Spanish for "angry," we're told. I thought it meant rabid, as in something/someone with rabies. But I guess if you're rabid it could make you act angry. Rabia dedicated their set to Al from Eyes Of Hate.
ZAK was back and all was right with the Team Spider world. The violin really sounded strong this time around or maybe it was because I was standing right in front of Ben, not to mention the sound system. At some point a stage diver bloodied his face. Everybody was yelling for "Bush Bush Bush," some for ZAK to take his clothes off. When they started "Bush Bush Bush" a big circle pit broke out. I was not teary-eyed, sweat was running into my eyes. Same with closing number "Know That I Love You," with everyone yelling that they loved ZAK.
The scaffolding that framed the stage had a big, connecting pipe jutting out horizontally, as well as some round, serrated pully thing and I thought it was an accident waiting to happen. Sure enough, at some point I was pushed right into it and scraped up my bad shoulder. It hurt worse than it looked. But the skinhead with the bloody nose kept at it, stage diving and crowd surfing. Good thing Xris had an actual stage this time.
Brandon Cruz, lead singer for Dr. Know, told us why he sang with the Dead Kennedys, then appologized for it. They were his idols and he was flattered when they asked him aboard. But he realized his ego had gotten the better of him when he saw that the DK were milking it, putting out DVDs and live albums. "The Dead Kennedys live on in your heart, not your pocket." But he cautions us against hating them because "hatred leads to violence and violence leads to death." And of their show at CBGB, for "a millionaire"? They donated their proceeds to hurricane relief. Though Dr. Know were really hardcore but I like Brandon. The squatter Beastie Boys of Mad Conductor were a hip-hop group, I forgot at which point they went on, but they were a nice break from all the punk.
I was still up front and crowded in and the place exploded when Choking Victim started. It was a mob scene; I think there would've been more problems if the show was cancelled at the last minute. I fled. I was feeling the effects of the heat, anyway. Standing toward the back of the crowd and looking at that massive stage, I felt like I was watching a punk rock Summerstage. Choking Victim have a lot of that ska-punk sound that Team Spider does. I really liked them. There was a kid crowd surfing in a canvas mail bin. A lot of people cleared out after Choking Victim. MDC. Uh, it's been known to stand for Mult-Death Corporation, Millions of Dead Children, "My Dinky Cock," as Brandon suggested, More Dead Cops, and Millions of Dead Cops. Yes, there were the tons of conspiracy theories as the TSP911 flyer promised. I was getting really burnt out by the end of the show but picked up as many 40s as I could on the way out. And a smashed funsaver with the film missing. Sad. I have to remember to bring garbage bags to tie onto the fence next year so everybody can use 'em and a box for the merch stand. My hands were getting dirty and I needed to eat--and catch Family Guy--so I headed to Ray's. There was a police car headed up St. Marks. What were they gonna do, arrest people for cleaning up after a show?
At Ray's I had a wait for the bathroom because they had to pry the door open with a huge knife and sweep the water on the floor down the drain and by then I was doing a dance. I get in finally and see that they left the knife on the sink. Yeah, don't fucking tempt me. But their paper towel dispenser now boasts a Blackout Shoppers sticker.
And, yes, I did make it back in time for The Simpsons and Family Guy.
Cracktoberfest 05 feat: Test Specimen/Rabia/Team Spider/Dr. Know/Mad Conductor/Choking Victim/MDC//Tompkins Square Park//9/11/05
Arright, I admit it. When I first heard that Cracktoberfest was going to be on 9/11 I wondered if that was a good idea. But I like Team Spider and I trust Xris in these matters and I wanted to support him and the show. Also, Simpsons and Family Guy premiere that night.
A last-minute letter went out that morning saying that the Parks Dept. and the Police Dept. denied the permits 48 hrs before the show. One reason was the date. These bands were not the only bands to have a gig in NYC that day. I don't think the police spoke to the Fab Faux about the date for their Webster Hall show and also told them to stop ripping off the Beatles' catalogue and write their own music. And it's not like Xris told them on the 9th that the show was on 9/11. Besides, I don't think the police would've wanted us to go to the protest at the Times HQ instead. They were told to expect a "heavy police presence."
So I made my way down 14th St., past two ragged, dirty teens begging for money because their parents were abducted by aliens and they needed the money for lasers and spaceships (creativity is a plus; I gave 'em money), down Ave. A past a maxi pad stuck to the sidewalk, past a wall that held countless tribute and memorial murals now plastered with ads for Fashion Week, crossed over to the east side of the street and past what looked to be a gold tooth on the ground. (No way was I going to touch it to see if that's what it really was; I doubt it would've been worth much, anyway.) My plan when confronted by this "heavy police presence" was to claim that I had no idea there was a concert going on. Even though I had some padded envelopes I swiped from work for Xris to mail out Cracktober DVDs and some recycled stamps.
When I got over to the show area there was a considerable number of people gathered, and a massive stage complete with scaffolding. I didn't see the "strong police presence." Wow. Man, I thought. We're all a bunch of freedom haters here. There was a merch/donations table with water for $1. Good idea. This year there were tons more people early on as compared to last year. Though I'm glad it wasn't late in the year and freezing, I was melting. The plastic frames of my sunglasses were burning my face and I had sweat in my eyes. I had sunscreen. Yeah, I'm sucha poseur. Sunscreen and earplugs at a hardcore show. But I liked Test Specimen even more this time than I did at Grand Central because of the great sound system. They started a little before 2 and the bands kept it hopping. This has to be one of the quickest set changes at any show I've ever been to. Rabia is Spanish for "angry," we're told. I thought it meant rabid, as in something/someone with rabies. But I guess if you're rabid it could make you act angry. Rabia dedicated their set to Al from Eyes Of Hate.
ZAK was back and all was right with the Team Spider world. The violin really sounded strong this time around or maybe it was because I was standing right in front of Ben, not to mention the sound system. At some point a stage diver bloodied his face. Everybody was yelling for "Bush Bush Bush," some for ZAK to take his clothes off. When they started "Bush Bush Bush" a big circle pit broke out. I was not teary-eyed, sweat was running into my eyes. Same with closing number "Know That I Love You," with everyone yelling that they loved ZAK.
The scaffolding that framed the stage had a big, connecting pipe jutting out horizontally, as well as some round, serrated pully thing and I thought it was an accident waiting to happen. Sure enough, at some point I was pushed right into it and scraped up my bad shoulder. It hurt worse than it looked. But the skinhead with the bloody nose kept at it, stage diving and crowd surfing. Good thing Xris had an actual stage this time.
Brandon Cruz, lead singer for Dr. Know, told us why he sang with the Dead Kennedys, then appologized for it. They were his idols and he was flattered when they asked him aboard. But he realized his ego had gotten the better of him when he saw that the DK were milking it, putting out DVDs and live albums. "The Dead Kennedys live on in your heart, not your pocket." But he cautions us against hating them because "hatred leads to violence and violence leads to death." And of their show at CBGB, for "a millionaire"? They donated their proceeds to hurricane relief. Though Dr. Know were really hardcore but I like Brandon. The squatter Beastie Boys of Mad Conductor were a hip-hop group, I forgot at which point they went on, but they were a nice break from all the punk.
I was still up front and crowded in and the place exploded when Choking Victim started. It was a mob scene; I think there would've been more problems if the show was cancelled at the last minute. I fled. I was feeling the effects of the heat, anyway. Standing toward the back of the crowd and looking at that massive stage, I felt like I was watching a punk rock Summerstage. Choking Victim have a lot of that ska-punk sound that Team Spider does. I really liked them. There was a kid crowd surfing in a canvas mail bin. A lot of people cleared out after Choking Victim. MDC. Uh, it's been known to stand for Mult-Death Corporation, Millions of Dead Children, "My Dinky Cock," as Brandon suggested, More Dead Cops, and Millions of Dead Cops. Yes, there were the tons of conspiracy theories as the TSP911 flyer promised. I was getting really burnt out by the end of the show but picked up as many 40s as I could on the way out. And a smashed funsaver with the film missing. Sad. I have to remember to bring garbage bags to tie onto the fence next year so everybody can use 'em and a box for the merch stand. My hands were getting dirty and I needed to eat--and catch Family Guy--so I headed to Ray's. There was a police car headed up St. Marks. What were they gonna do, arrest people for cleaning up after a show?
At Ray's I had a wait for the bathroom because they had to pry the door open with a huge knife and sweep the water on the floor down the drain and by then I was doing a dance. I get in finally and see that they left the knife on the sink. Yeah, don't fucking tempt me. But their paper towel dispenser now boasts a Blackout Shoppers sticker.
And, yes, I did make it back in time for The Simpsons and Family Guy.
posted by heather @ 7:28 PM
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