12/30/05 - the Bouncing Souls @ the Starland Ballroom, Sayresville, NJ
2005-12-31 15:28:55 ET

Well, the last show of 2005, and a heck of a show it was.
Three excellent bands, and one goof act. The crowd was certainly energetic, and all there for a good time, but unorganized as hell.
the age ranged from 14 - 35, I'd say, and there were a heck of a lot of folks in the pit.

the first band was "Bench Press 3000," or BP3K. If you ever have a choice between going to see these guys, and drinking your own urine... Make sure the drink is chilled first.
They were a joke band, kinda resembling GWAR. All decked out like body builders, muscle-men and vikings (I never said it made sense.) They played about 6 songs, all about weight lifting... none really all that funny.

Next up was Leftover Crack. All I can say is - wow. I'd heard these guys on the Give 'em the Boots, and Ira the drummer is also in the Slackers, so I knew they were good, but wow. They really riled this crowd up, and played an excellent mix of punk and reggae. Very political (4 songs in a row about the police) and very loud, but not too fast so that you couldn't get into the groove. I'll definately go see them again if I get the chance.

the PiETASTERS followed, and the crowd was your usual punk-crowd-during-ska-band. Kids pushed and kicked and moshed around to the slowest and soulest of songs. Now the Pie Guys know who they're playing to, so they did play a good deal of their earlier, faster stuff. They opened with Drinking & Driving, so... Your typical opening set from the Tasters. The one new song they played was nice, but I didn't get to listen to it that much.
I did have to grab one kid, though. At the beginning of Higher, this kid, dressed in over-sized "urban" style, starts throwing his legs and arms around, kicking and punching - I grabbed him and said "Listen to the Beat!!" He replies - "There is no beat!"
A part of me wept.
Also - Jeremy shaved the Yeti, and Alan's got this 9th-grade haircut that makes him look 10 years younger.

Now, the Souls just blew me away. They played almost 2 hours, and didn't stop much. From one rocker to a sing-a-long, to a new song... I wish I knew more about the music, or the band to comment. All I can say is the music was awesome to dance to, and the crowd was beyond psyched to be there. For the first half of the show, everyone just pushed each other around - there was no room to move, mosh or dance, so it was like one big trust fall, and everyone just held everyone else up. At one point I turned to address the crowd between songs - "OKAY! If twenty people leave the pit now, we'll all be a lot better!! You can come back later if you want! We'll rotate!" But no one seemed to listen.
About halfway through people must have left, because pits started to open, and a lot more movement was possible. The pits were fun, and constantly lively, but I was a little perturbed because I couldn't get a circle pit started to save my life.

Either way... the show was awesome at the end, I was sweaty, tired and bruised in a half-dozen places. Dave Quinn and Remo went with, which made for intersting conversation on the way home - We discussed comic books, movies, disgusting anecdotes, and listened to Remo burst into a half-formed version of Maggie Mae.

heh heh.

I rarely do this, but I have to give this show 10/10
Just phenomenal, and thanks to everyone for an excellent end to an ...intersting year.


2005-12-31 16:48:59 ET

The Day I Turned My Back On You
I created this thing in my mind.
Looking at it now I don't see why.
I threw away everything I had
and "greener pastures" is just a lie.
I realize all these things now that it's too late.
I guess that's part of the price I gotta pay.
I betrayed myself when I betrayed you.
I threw my life away
the day I turned my back on you.

I turned and ran away.
I turned and ran away from the truth,
the truth in everything.
Everything we used to do.
I never had reason to doubt you.
I loved everything about you.
If I could just take it back I would.
I threw my life away
the day I turned my back on you.

Believing my own lies,
I lost myself and I lost everythiing.
If I could just take it back I would.
I threw my life away
the day I turned my back on you.


Gone
It was a cloudy night,
or so it looked to me,
I felt so lost,
I couldn't say why.
I needed strength to change my mind
but those ghosts stick to me like glue,
hatin’ life,
believing I was no good
It was a darkness all my own
a song played on the radio,
but it went straight to my heart
I carried it with me until the darkness was gone.
Gone
Gone
Gone
Gone

It was a cloudy night,
or so it looked to me,
I felt so lost,
I couldn't say why
I built this cloud to live in,
It was a bunch of lies in my mind.
The world wants me to believe it
so I had to change my mind
It was a darkness all my own
a song played on the radio,
it went straight to my heart
I carried it with me until the darkness was gone.
Gone
Gone
Gone

I built this could I can break it
The world can’t change how I feel
Because I know it’s a lie
My heart is real
Gone
Gone
Gone
Gone
Gone
Gone
Gone

the something special
We can't agree on a single thing, i dont know why.
We almost killed each other on the inside.
I managed to be a jerk anyway,
it doesn't have to be this way
Forget about the things i said
I make no excuse for them.
I want to start again
We all walk our seperate ways
I don't know why, I hope we meet again
somewhere some day.
I can't chage the way you feel
It doesn't have to be this way
Forget about the things I said,
I make no excuse for them
I want to start again
I think about the two of us,
I don't know why, I feel good on the inside.
It's different now,
I'm one I stand alone.
I have to be this way

2006-01-02 08:09:05 ET

What the hell is that last one all about?

2006-01-02 15:58:53 ET

As I understand it -
It means I miss you. I'm sorry for the lies, and the hurtful things I said. I can't take them back, and I don't want to glaze over them with psycho-babble. We're apart for now, and that's okay, but I do hope we can reunite someday. Till then, I'm going to be the best person I can be. I'm happy about my "becoming" and the changes I've made thus far. I'm happy to be this way. I wish I could show you, and I wish you could see. But then would I fall back to my old ways? I don't know. Am I where I need to be yet? I doubt it. I just know that this is how I should be, different than I was before.



Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never thought upon,
The flames of love extinguished,
And freely past and gone
Is thy kind heart now grown so cold
In that loving breast of thine,
That thou canst never once reflect
On old long syne

Sir Robert Ayton (1570-1638)

2006-01-03 08:33:05 ET

Seems you miss your dance partner too. :o/

2006-01-03 19:24:51 ET

Oh, please. Changing your underwear daily is expected. Changes in personality aren't.

I've always admired gifted writers because they're the best bull shitters.

2006-01-04 03:10:50 ET

I love you, Jen.

2006-01-05 16:31:45 ET

Changing your underwear daily is expected?

2006-01-06 03:10:37 ET

And I miss you why? again? Anyone?

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