two words...fucking awesome! Ive seen the Melvins 5 times now and this topped them all. Quick synopsis of my day and show. Was a lazy Sunday, put the rug rat down for a nap, put Freak Puke on the hifi and was enjoying that while perusing Twitter...low and behold, a show in Sac, my new home town. Mentioned it to the wifey and was granted leave (she loves the Mevins and BB too, but we have a special-needs kid and one of us has to be with him...so no baby sitter yet). She is a saint. Ordered a ticket on-line, tossed on some clean clothes and 30 min later Im at the venue...a decent sized bar in downtown Sac.
Doors opened at 7, I got there at 7:15-ish....Fed X was already into their set. I have become a fan of Walsby, as is my woman, so I was hoping to talk to him a bit while buying cool merch for the both of us. There was so much to choose from I just got a couple posters and two-tone vinyl copy of Bulls and Bees. I follow Brian on Facebook, and was hoping to chat with him a bit, but it was just too loud....maybe next time. Fed X was good, but Ive never heard them before and didnt know any songs. As soon as they were done I moved right to the front of the stage, staking my territory...id have marked it with caution tape and pissed like a dog if it would have helped. Ive found that dead-center up against the stage is how to best witness these shows.
After a quick break-down/set-up the Biz were in full swing. Ive never seen the guitar player (Scott?) before, but it seems like these guys are having a good time. Jarod mentioned having to change the name of the new album from Wild Kingdom to something else for legal reasons....to that I say fuck Marlin Perkins and MoO. That show hasnt been relevant in 100 years and the Biz are here and now. Just my $.02. As for a set list? I cant remember my phone number, so a set list from memory is just about impossible, but it was all the standards and favorites, except for the Siouxsie and the Banshees cover, what the fuck was that? I must add that I was about 5 feet from Coady and that dude must hate his kit, he pummels the drums. Should change his name to Chris and call his kit Rhianna. As usually, they tore it up and made me smile.
Melvins Lite were up next. After a bit of an intermission, the aural onslaught began. Now, Im not a fan of the noisy/experimental/ avaunt-guard Melvins, so when I first heard Freak Puke I was pleasantly surprised at how musical it is and how little noise/feedback/ear-file-bullshit is on it. Id say its one of my favorite albums from them. Seeing this combo, with Trevor on upright bass (with his funky "nerd" attire on) was nothing short of incredible! Not only was I in the presence of three great musicians, the sound was astounding. Im not sure of the actual frequency, but that big ass bass must go an octave lower than normal E. I have a good sound system at home and CD's just dont even come anywhere close to capturing the energy of that bass. I was floored. Buzz played flawlessly as usual, he makes playing look so effortless. And Dale mixed it up with brushes and other drumming implements (sorry, im not a musician). Again, I dont recall a set list but they did play Capt Pungent/berthas, a favorite that ive never heard them play live. There was a pit and a bunch of "dancing" morons that kept smashing into my back, but that's the price you gotta pay to be up front. Seemed like they played a bit longer than past shows and a variety of favorites but I was in the car and headed home by 10:30. Overall a great show and I highly recommend that you dont miss this line-up.
