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This is the fifth time I’ve attempted to begin this Street Dogs review with some kinda hyperbolic statement about how the show blew my mind and how Foufs is the perfect venue for a punk show and how the Street Dogs revolutionize street punk in 2009 but really? Who wants to read that? Not every show has to be mind-blowing or revolutionary to be good, and believe you me, this show was GOOD…except for one teency little programming snag.

Of all the musical pairings I've seen on Montreal stages these past few years, not many have been as inspired as this one: a collision of two of Canada's most enduring punk bands, both of whom have a penchant for twisted humor and social commentary - and surprisingly labyrinthine tunes. With the unenviable task of opening up for two long-standing punk institutions, locals Grand Trine did the sensible thing: they kept it short.

The constant, hours-long rain spell that befell Montreal did little to dampen the spirits of those who showed up for the Riverboat Gamblers/Rancid/Rise Against show at Parc Jean Drapeau, on Ile St. Helene. The crowd appeared to be predominantly youthful and seemed eager for the proceedings to start and jockeyed for position in front of the stage well before the start of the show.

Around mid-to-late 2007, Florida’s own Against Me! were burning up the charts and landing on seemingly everybody and their mother’s “Best of 2007” lists with their major label debut New Wave. This sudden hotness of Florida’s folk-punk elite inevitably resulted in many assumptions (or accusations, depending on who you ask) as to who “the next Against Me!” would be. The forerunners of this ham-fisted contest were undeniably New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem and their fellow Floridians Fake Problems (and Texas’ O Pioneers who, despite being the closest to AM!