MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE @ Le Medley

By Michelle Ayoub - 06/29/2008

“Yes, NO, do-do-do-do!”

Le Medley, June 29^th 2008. The band: Mindless Self Indulgence, touring in support of their new album If. I am still undecided on whether I am the perfect person to write this review, or the absolute worse. On the one hand, I vividly recall sneaking in to seven dollar shows in bars years before I was of age to see this band, on the other hand, I vividly recall sneaking in to seven dollar shows in bars years before I was of age to see this band.

From the moment I walked in, I had a bad feeling. Having seen this band more times than one may deem healthy, I have seen the evolution of the audience. It took no time to notice that gone were the days of naughty word pre-show chants, and ultimately, the same band/crowd relationship I had grown to know and love.  The obnoxiousness, for lack of a better term, that was usually felt amongst fans waiting for MSI to take the stage was not only not shared with the rest of the crowd, but was not well received by those surrounding my friends and I. When the crowd started chanting “MSI” and we, along with a few scattered voices chimed in with the complementary “sucks,” we got many a dirty looks. A prime example of the many elements that made the whole night just feel wrong.

Bad feelings about the crowd aside, the band appeared onstage and delivered a good performance. This is where my difficulty to decide whether or not I should be the one penning this review. No one can take away from Mindless Self Indulgence’s abilities to put on one hell of a show. They always have a phenomenal amount of energy and great showmanship, and Sunday’s show was no exception. The negative aspects of the show, then, had nothing to do with the band, but rather with the audience. MSI had no difficulty in getting the crowd moving, but it is the way the crowd reacted, the way it moved that, in my opinion, affected my feelings about the entire show.

I always remember MSI concerts as massive sing-a-longs mixed with nudity, obscenities, and at least one audience member being somewhat violated on stage. In regards to the sing-a-longs, the set list left little to be desired. Only four songs pre-You’ll Rebel To Anything were played the entire night, and they seemed for the most part completely unknown to the audience. Again, I felt weird looks and stares when singing along to older songs, most notably “Planet of the Apes” (from 1999’s Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy). At first, I thought they just chose less known “older” material, but all doubt about this was destroyed when singer Jimmy Urine asked for a francophone to get on stage to translate for him. Enthusiastically, a girl jumped on stage and the band began to play “Faggot” (again from Frankenstein Girls). The blank stare on their chosen translator’s face was priceless, but more importantly, painful. She was a prime example of how the crowd had dramatically changed. And again, dirty looks when my friends and I chanted “Tapette” during the chorus. 

I know this should not take away anything from the band, but I find it difficult not to point these details out. To hear pre-pubescent girls scream out their love for Urine or Steve Righ? instead of yelling out insults and to see people trying to reach for Urine when he opens is arms to the crown instead of everyone spitting in unison still kind of gets to me. 

In the band’s defence, on top of a good performance on their part, they did poke fun at their new fans. Oh so many Hot Topic-style jokes were cracked at the crowd’s expense, but it seems that instead of said crowd being in on it like in the past and jumping in on the flame wars, they just laugh along because “the singer is like, so totally talking about us.”

If I had not been familiar with the band beforehand, I most probably would have given this show an excellent review. Good energy and an overall happy crowd -- what else counts in the grand scheme of things? Unfortunately, I have been into this band too long, from a time where their bassist was a cute blonde chick named Vanessa (that’s a damn long time for those not familiar with the band). So to see what I used to refer to as the ultimate fan/band relationship become what I saw at Le Medley...I have to say, I wish time travel was possible.  Not only for myself, but any fan who discovered MSI a bit too late.  

Mindless Self Indulgence are still a must-see at least once in a lifetime. Their live performance is well delivered and is thus worth the money (although I should stay away from the merch booth if money is Tight). Be warned though; do not expect the same experience of yesteryear MSI, as seen on the many bootlegs and YouTube videos floating around online. They’re still damn good, but something has died…and it’s not just the gerbil in Jimmy’s butt (from the Alienating Our Audience tour no doubt).