AFI, Good Riddance, The Force & Bean Fight

Yet again, I missed Beanfight; this time it was unavoidable. Sorry boys, I just can’t review you this time. All I can say is, what with all the Beanfight stickers being sported around the show, I don’t think that I was missed. There is no lack of local support for them. I finally appeared just in time for a good dose of The Force’s crowd-pleasing performance. However, this will be a redundancy throughout this review, as I’m not sure if I have ever seen a crowd so into a show and so responsive to the bands’ every move. By the time I arrived inside the Zocalo, the floor was so packed that I barely caught a glimpse of the bands all evening. Whether the view was from the mosh pit directly in front of the stage or atop one of the benches lined up along the wall, every group was all but invisible to me.

The Force is a yet-unsigned band who, although they played with much passion and power, was unceasingly bitter. The lead singer berated the audience for everything from being far too mainstream, to missing other shows that they had played, to not having heard their albums because they were not signed to a major label. However, all this was followed by the band declaring that they hoped to soon be signed by Fat Wreck Chords. Go figure. Despite all the severity, The Force played a pounding set with a surprisingly tough sound coming from a strangely conservative-looking lead singer.

Up next was Good Riddance, the band that rocked the room like I’ve never seen. While AFI was the headlining band, Good Riddance had the entire room tossing themselves around in one sweaty mass. Experiencing this set from the pit itself, my view may be just a bit skewed; however, I’m fairly sure that there was not a completely dry person in the room. While this band embodied the entire punk image; their sound, having all the riotous qualities necessary to a put on a raging set, was just a bit softer than that of The Force.

At last came AFI, the band that every punk rocker was fired up for. I chose to leave the floor for this set, as I was scared for my own personal safety after hearing several metal-accessory clad, large punks rave about how they were saving up their energy to rock to this last band.

However, it appeared that the crowd was far more interested in actually viewing the band, rather than just throwing themselves about maniacally. This could quite possibly have been the most flattering homage I’ve seen given to a punk band in awhile. The burly, courageous people out in front put forth an effort to mosh, but it never reached the mayhem of the previous set. With more than a few middle fingers flying through the air (it was a wonder that most of them weren’t dislocated) most members of the audience opted to belt along with the lead singer and simply move in place in order to better experience this group. As far as performance went, AFI was not only fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping, but they also displayed far more musical talent than many bands in the punk rock genre.

Perhaps the thing that is so great about punk is the loyalty of the loving fans throwing themselves into pits full of angry bodies going full-force. This frenzied madness is for naught but their adoration of these rebellious young bands. It can be a truly inspirational thing to see.

-by Jennifer Elton

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