Refused Party Program: Chicago Contingent 7/26/12

On Thursday, July 26th, I was fortunate enough to catch OFF! and Refused at the Congress Theater in Chicago.  It's an experience I will never forget.  Easily, it was the best concert I've ever been to!  Often in blogs concerning music events, hyperbole is a second language, but I am not exaggerating.  I've seen Rage Against The Machine's reunion show at Coachella 2007, and even that doesn't hold a candle to the majesty of what I witnessed in Chicago.

My partner in crime, Dizzle Q. Guapo, and I arrived a half-hour before the doors opened and the line was already over 100+ people deep.  To see that kind of anticipation from so many others was quite a telling sign of the greatness that was about to unfold.  The line moved super fast once the theater opened, so it was straight to the merch booth for a sweet t-shirt, then into the venue.

Tangent Time: **OK, Vegas.  Let's take note.  We are completely lacking in awesome venues.  The Congress blew me away, and as I spoke with Chicago locals, they informed me it was one of the more "ghetto" venues in town. That means there are even better, more impressive concert halls than the Congress spread over the Chicago area.  Either Chicago-nauts are spoiled, or I'm easily impressed.  Refused sold out this gorgeous, 4,000 person capacity theater.  In Vegas, we're lucky to have 300 people seeing Stephen Malkmus at the Beauty Bar.  There are no worthwhile, off-Strip venues left in Vegas.  The locals are screwed again.**

Being early paid off in dividends.  Dizzle and I strolled right up to the rail and planted ourselves there the rest of the show.  I kept waiting for something to go wrong.  Everything was falling into place so easily I felt as though the ceiling should have collapsed to cause some sort of disruption.

A short wait later, OFF! began forming on stage.  Keith Morris and company sauntered up as if they were their own roadies, taping down their own setlists, tuning their own guitars, placing their own water bottles down.  Then... EXPLOSION!!  OFF! is a band whose songs are often under a minute long, but boy, do they pack a punch!  They're like Black Flag on speed; each member an expert in rapid fire aggression, hammering out notes and words as a machine gun fires bullets.

Keith Morris has never really relished in the idea of being a godfather of punk rock, which makes him that much more respected and vital an institution.  Anytime I've seen him perform or get interviewed, he's always the smart-ass uncle that you laughingly shake your head at, but know is right about whatever he says.  Directly after the set, Keith Morris made his way to the rail up front and thanked all the sweaty fans across it's length.  All I could say was "Thank you" as we shook hands. A very gracious, stand up guy.

I'd like to take a moment to speak about how crazy hot it was in the Congress.  Even before OFF! started their set, beads of sweat were forming on my brow just from standing.  It being a sold-out performance, the crowd grew bigger and the humidity grew thicker minute by minute.   After OFF! finished, I was glistening as if I had been in a sauna for an hour, and that was only the warm-up for what was to come.

Earlier in the year I had made the trek to Coachella specifically to see Refused.  I didn't know if they were just doing that show as a one-off performance (technically two-off since Coachella spanned two identical weekends), so I made damn sure I was there to witness their return.  I've always told anyone when Refused was the topic of conversation that if they ever reunited, and Refused were only playing one show in Sweden (or whatever corner of the Earth that was lucky enough to host them), I would quit my job and get a loan to be at that show no matter what.  They are that important to me.  In my wildest fantasies I never though I would be lucky enough to catch Refused TWICE within a couple months!

Just as at Coachella, as the roadies were breaking down and setting up for the upcoming chaos, there was no music played between acts.  Instead there was an ambient, ever-increasing tone humming.  At Coachella I didn't even notice it until a few minutes before Refused took the stage, but I remember feeling this growing tension I couldn't define.  This attention to setting the mood was just one more reason to love Refused.  Dizzle and I looked around the room to see the faces of the thousands gathered, and we spotted nothing but giddy faces with smiles of gritting teeth, eagerly anticipating the ear orgasm they were waiting to hear for years.  Dizz and I were prepared and we were just as stoked!  I reverted back to my 8th grade self when I first discovered Refused.

A sheer black curtain unfurled in front of the stage, and steadily became backlit to reveal the word "REFUSED" as the ambient humming drew to a fever pitch; the crowd couldn't stop cheering and the band had't even played yet.  The house lights dropped and we could all see Dennis, David, Kristopher, Jon, and Magnus get into place through the curtain.  The humming suddenly stopped and a voice spoke over the soundsystem: "Worm of the Senses, Faculties of the Skull".  Then the curtain dropped, revealing Refused as they erupted to life, "I've got a bone to pick with capitalism, and a few to break!!!"

The next hour and a half was pure joy!  The sweat rained down and nobody seemed to notice, the band and audience were drenched.  Refused played hit after hit off of The Shape Of Punk To Come and threw in songs from Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent for good measure.  The only bummer for me was that they didn't play Circle Pit, but that is the most minor of complaints; it didn't affect how much I enjoyed the show in the slightest.  In fact, one of the huge highlights was when Dennis invited Keith Morris on stage and they sang some Black Flag songs together!  The joy on all the faces of Refused was contagious!  Check out the video below to see what I'm talking about:

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better show.  Well, maybe if my band, The Quitters had been able to open up the show, ha!  Dizzle and I were thoroughly exhausted and dripping sweat at the conclusion, the way any incredible concert should end.  I'm not sure how long this tour will last; I feel that every time I check Refused's website that there are more dates added.  But if you are within 1 MILLION miles of a show, make it a point to see Refused!  You won't be able to thank yourself enough. 

SS Coachella: Hot Chip's Ahoy!

Totally catching me off guard, earlier this week it was announced that in December there will be a Coachella Cruise.  The SS Coachella, if you're nasty.  Following in the footsteps of Weezer and 311, Coachella is embarking on an all-inclusive, hipster cruise experience.

The critic in me is very skeptical of this endeavor.  If it was thought that doing two weekends of Coachella proper was a cash grab, this has to be thought of in the same light.  The line-up is very small (of course; how could a traditional Coachella line-up fit on a ship along with the entire audience?) and not very diverse in tone; almost all groups are hip hop or electronic dance acts.  Nothing wrong with that, but Coachella always has had the reputation for an eclectic mix of all music genres (Old Crow Medicine Show, anyone?).  But the setting has a lot to do with that.

With SS Coachella, you're going more for the atmosphere than music.  It seems to me like it will just be background noise while you're getting drunk at the pool, not a real focal point.  The cruise will be a success because it has the name Coachella attached to it.  As much as I hate to admit it, Coachella is a brand name that seems to gain more power with each passing year.  Hell, I've definitely bought into it myself.  Seeing Refused and Rage Against the Machine have been highlights of my life, all thanks to Coachella.

But where is the line drawn between art and commerce?  Whenever art is monetized, it definitely loses it's appeal.  It doesn't mean the art is any less special, it just means that certain motivations have changed.  Is Coachella's main goal still to organize amazing acts, or is it now just a guise to make as much money as possible?  Should we expect a Coachella Safari next?  Where else can Goldenvoice take it, or a better question, where else should they take it?  Will they team up with Virgin Galatic and do a "Coachella In Space"?  Ok, I admit, that would be awesome.

Don't get me wrong, I do admire the tenacity of Coachella spreading it's wings past the Empire Polo Fields and trying something different.  I'm sure it will be an awesome time, but I can barely afford one Coachella a year, let alone a cruise.

What's your opinion of the SS Coachella?  Do you think it's awesome or should it go the way of the Titanic?

Bon Voyage!

When Is Enough Really Enough?

July 18th, 2012 was a very musically satisfying day for me.  In the evening I was lucky enough to catch the one-night-only theater viewing of the LCD Soundsystem documentary, "Shut Up And Play The Hits".  Then I caught the very first American television performance of Refused on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.


Though very different in sound, Refused and LCD Soundsystem are two bands that have an undeniable intensity and passion for music.  Their records are classics and each groups' live shows are mind-blowing.  I've been fortunate to see both acts live; LCD on their retirement tour, and Refused on their reunion tour.  Hearing James Murphy of LCD speak about ending his band in the documentary and watching Refused destroy the place on TV in the midst of their comeback tour, it really got me thinking about the lifelines of bands in general.  When is it time to call it a day?  When is it time to resurrect yourself?  Can this work for all bands or is there a fine line that not all artists can tread?  Let's ponder these questions, shall we?

Refused at Coachella 2012

I'll start with Refused.  This is a band that is near and dear to my heart; Refused are quite possibly my biggest musical influence.  They ended their run as a band in 1998 after they released the seminal album, "The Shape of Punk to Come".  The final show they performed before their split was a basement show in Harrisonburg, Virginia that was broken up by the police.  Tension had been growing in the band before that last tour.  Refused had put everything into making "The Shape of Punk to Come" and were disheartened by it's poor reception.  Ultimately, inner band turmoil and the feeling of being underappreciated for their efforts killed Refused.  They were tired, plain and simple.


The timing of when I started getting into Refused was maybe a month before their break-up.  I remember seeing the music video for "New Noise" on 120 Minutes and being blown away!  I had never seen anything like it, and then in the blink of an eye, Refused ended.  At the time I had no idea what the circumstances of their break-up was, but I was hooked.  I bought up every piece of music I could get my hands on; all the albums, EPs, demos...everything!!  I listened to it all on repeat and couldn't get enough.  It was such a bummer to realize I would never see Refused live.  They had such strong convictions and ideals that I never thought it would be possible for them to reform.  The sentiments from the band members' points of view are articulated very well in a documentary that guitarist Kristopher Steen made called "Refused Are Fucking Dead".  Definitely worth the watch.


Jump to the beginning of 2012.  Fake Coachella posters start making the rounds on the internet and Refused is included on many of the fictitious rosters.  The day comes for the real schedule to be released, and bold and centered is the name Refused!!  I couldn't believe it!  Never in my craziest dreams did I ever think they would reunite, but it was blasting in my face.  14 years later, Refused was back!

What changed to make this reunion a reality? My simple theory is this.  In their 14 year absence, Refused garnered an insane following of avid fans.  Being on Epitaph Records, they were included on a few Punk-O-Rama compilations after their split, slowly getting a younger audience to discover them.  And then there's the internet, that crazy thing.  A fervor made by people like me found it's way to the ears of Refused, and at a snail's pace, Dennis Lyxzen, David Sandstrom, Kristopher Steen, and Jon Brannstrom put their egos, ideals, and differences aside as they realized they had made an impact.  They may have had to swallow a healthy serving of pride, but their reunion shows have vindicated all the work Refused has done, bringing release to literally tens of thousands of hardcore hungry fans all over the world.

LCD Soundsystem's Final Show at Madison Square Garden

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have LCD Soundsystem led by James Murphy, who ended the band's tenure in April of 2011 at the height of it's ever-increasing popularity.  And in such grand fashion:  a sold-out, 3.5 hour performance at Madison Square Garden interspersed throughout with special guests such as Arcade Fire and Reggie Watts.

The big question:  Why?!?!?  To get some sort of answer I would definitely recommend watching "Shut Up And Play The Hits".  The documentary cuts back and forth between Murphy being interviewed by Chuck Klosterman, live footage from LCD's final show, and following Murphy around the day after the show.  Klosterman is an expert interviewer and really tries to dig deep into James' reasoning and motivation to kill the band.

The root of what Chuck gets down to is James dealing with being self-conscious about how he'll be perceived with every decision concerning the band.  Murphy is so much in his own head that he's not even sure if ending LCD Soundsystem is the right course of action.  However, he doesn't want to be in his 50's repeating the cycle of album, tour, and interviews, feeling as if he's the "college guy going to high school parties".  Murphy's ideals that he's accrued throughout his music career are shaping how he wants his legacy to live on, but he's also aware that he really has no control over how he's remembered.

One band lives, the other band dies.  Have they made the right decisions?  Would Refused be better off if they had just stayed broken up?  What would it be like if LCD Soundsystem had kept making music?  These are questions that will never have an answer.  As people age, they change, and there's always a chance for redemption or failure. All I know for sure is that in music, nothing ever stays gone forever.