RANCID - NIGHTS 1 & 2 @ Metropolis

By Jackie Hall - Bridge the Gap - 08/05/2008

Who needs to see Rancid two nights in a row?  Apparently, lots of people do. As H2O played their set on night two, their frontman, Toby Morse, asked the crowd, “Who here saw Sick of It All open last night”? His response back from the crowd was a roar loud enough to make it known that at least half of the audience on night two had been at the Metropolis the night before. I was one of those dorks yelling at the question to prove that I was a true Rancid fan like half of the crowd. The funny thing is is that I was there more for both of the openers.

Night One: August 5th

The Brains took to the stage at 8pm sharp. The Montreal psychobilly trio generally play to a crowd of no more than one hundred people. On this night, they played to a sold out crowd at the Metropolis, although the venue was a little over half full during their set. No matter, the crowd ate them up, as most of the kids in the crowd were no more than 18 years old and therefore, very open to new bands. I myself was surprised at the quality of their set (I’ve only ever seen The Brains at venues like Café Chaos). The sound at the Metropolis made them sound better live than they do on record. Rene Garcia’s voice was so smooth and deep during songs like “More Brains” that I felt like I had been ripped off every other time I’ve seen them, as this was surely how they were supposed to sound live.

At 8:45pm New York hardcore legends, Sick of It All took to the stage.  I had interviewed the singer prior to their set and already had an idea of some of the songs they would play. For those of you into hardcore, SOIA is probably the best band you could ever see. Even after 20 years of steady touring, these guys have got it. The energy in the air is so thick you could slice it with a knife. The only thing damping the parade is that stupid barricade at the front creating a divide between the band and the audience. The best way to see these guys is with a stage of the right size for stage diving, truly.  However, I’m still far from being disappointed, so much so that I barely notice that my body is beaten and bruised.

Next up is Rancid. I’ve only seen them once before at Vans Warped Tour in 1998. I loved this band at that age, and left that show feeling ripped off that they had only played a 30-minute set. Well I obviously don’t have the same enthusiasm I did a decade ago, but I still enjoyed the majority of the set. Almost half of the songs were off of And Out Come the Wolves, which is my second favorite release of theirs after Let’s Go. The problem with the setlist was that half of the crowd was too young to know this album well, or like my pestering better half, too old to have really gotten into it.  So while I was partying my butt off, my conjoint insisted that we take off soon ‘cause he was bored.

Needless to say, mixed reviews on this one, depending on whether you are a fan of the band’s third full length or not. Highlight of the night: Matt Freeman’s bass solo during “Maxwell Murder.” This solo on the album is amazing; the live extended version was so exciting I felt I wanted to marry the man just so he could teach me to be half as good as he is.

Night Two: August 6

I had been hoping my father would be coming with me to this show. He loves Rancid,  but he doesn’t want to come because he says he’ll feel like everyone is staring at him because he’s old. My father is in his mid-fifties, and I think it’s awesome that he loves punk rock; most people’s dads are boring old fuddy-duddies. Oh well, I must write this review alone.

I missed the opening act, the Alley Dukes. They are a local rockabilly band that has announced that this will be their last show, thankfully. All of their songs are written in a style typical of a teenage premature ejaculator, with every tune named after a female body part or sexual act. They were funny the first time I saw them at Murphy’s Pub (now O’Hara’s on University street), and even then the first few songs were funny but I was bored after half an hour. I was not going to put myself through that again.

H2O’s turn. Another New York City act, belonging to the NYHC family, but with a very different sound. I think they have that early to mid-nineties California sound, but they define themselves as having a more eighties Washington DC sound, like Dag Nasty. It is a bit the same scenario as the night before; a lot of kids didn’t know this band, but accepted them with open arms. I was happy that they played a lot of their older stuff that I knew.  They just released a new album on Bridge 9 Records in May, and I was certain that their setlist would consist mainly of songs unknown to me, but it seems they’ll be saving that setlist for their upcoming headlining tour. They were awesome, tight, and full of energy. However, I’m impartial. I am a SOIA fan and had spent all my energy the night before, so I had little left to give to Toby and his gang.

Once their set was done we ran into some buddies who run the Hardtimes.ca site.  If you like hardcore or metal and haven’t heard of the site, I suggest you check it out. They’ve only been up and running since January, and already have over 100 interviews and live clips on there that they’ve filmed (including a ten-minute clip of the H2O set from this show). Anyway, we compared notes on the interviews that we both had with the band and realized we were all too old and tired to handle another late night, so we went home.  I was sure that Rancid would be playing pretty much the same set again. I’ve heard that they mixed it up a little more, but I cannot contribute any first-hand knowledge to this end.

All I can say is that for $20 a night, it was still worthwhile to go out to both nights. The openers were great, the headlining act was great if you dig every album they’ve ever done, and the ambiance was fabulous.

Tune in to Bridge The Gap with Jackie every Tuesday from 8pm – 10pm