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Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell (Deluxe)

For a few hours on a Thursday, the sleepy hamlet of Normal, Illinois was completely owned by Moneen.

But first, the openers.

Due to circumstances entirely beyond our control [those being getting a kickass dinner at Avanti's Italian Restaurant], we missed The Servos, instead arriving as Moneen's tourmates The Fullblast were assembling onstage. The Fullblast, in short, ripped it up. This Canadian quintet brought to mind the first time I heard The Get Up Kids' Four Minute Mile mixed with the first time I heard Saves The Day's Can't Slow Down. They were technical without sacrificing stage presence, emotional without being sloppy, and frankly they rocked it pretty hardcore. For an incredibly simplistic comparision, think of the emo version of Lagwagon. Anyway, the Fullblast got two thumbs up and then some.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for hometown band The Junior Varsity. Bland emo-rock with a horribly misused keyboard was the theme of their set. We had more fun playing air hockey.

After that pockmark was swept offstage, Moneen delivered one of the most powerful sets by any band I've seen in recent memory. Frontman Kenny had enthusiasm coming out of every pore in his body, and it quickly spread throughout the venue faster than pure rage [and no blood had to be shed even!]. Unfortunately, the crowd got a little too rowdy a few songs into Moneen's set and the show was within an inch of being shut down due to a handful of kids getting a bit out of control. Kenny calmed down the rabble rousers, who then turned into the "no shirt brigade." About 10 of these young men stripped off their t-shirts and waved them around their heads for the next 30 minutes or so. It was unusual, but it seemed to fit Moneen, strangely.

The band ran through a good portion of Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? as well as a few older songs such as "No better way to how your love than a set of broken legs" and the crowd-pleaser "The Passing of America." Closing with their now classic "Start Angry... End Mad," the rabid crowd pumped their fists along with the repeated chants of "Die! Die!", dumping all they had into the last song, just as the band onstage was doing.

There are few bands I would drive 4 hours total to go see on a weeknight, and Moneen is definitely one of them. The Fullblast only made the show even sweeter. Check this tour out if it's within a gas tank's distance of you, you'll come away a better person.



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    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at 6:13 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    moneen is hot the others not, moneen puts on one of the best live shows ever

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at 3:30 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    .. You must have all been going to horrible TJV shows, i know for sure all the ones i have been to have been down right amazing... their energy on stage is amazing.... at least the 2 shows i saw here in quincy, and the 1 ive been to in Jacksonville.....

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at 1:57 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Damn all the ISU homies are here. I'm the guy who wrote the first comment about going to school here.

    Dunn 447 yo

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 30, 2004 at 2:29 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Pretty cool band, but "are we really happy with who we are right now" is the most whiny title i've ever heard next to brand new's atrocity, "it's good to know that if i ever needed attention, all i have to do is die" or something to that pathetic effect.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 29, 2004 at 9:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    i never got into avantis. i feel that i have to represent and say that there's only one place to know / remember from normal (circa 94-98 when i was there), which is groggs (or timeout pizza as it was later known). the best of the worst pizza ever.

    manchester 944, bitch

    Posted by TheMarc on 2004-03-29 20:13:15
    My Score:

    Not really, but the girls who work at Avanti's are way hotter. Can I say that?!

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 29, 2004 at 6:32 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I'm from galesburg, live in Rock Island have a girlfriend that goes to ISU, and have a ton of family in peoria. therefore, I eat a lot of Panini's and Avanti's, and let me tell you, they are the same. But is that a bad thing?

    Posted by TheMarc on 2004-03-29 18:14:33
    My Score:

    ISU represent. Manchester 255.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 29, 2004 at 1:34 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Holy shit, there's all these people from normal, il in here? i live in normal too, i go to ISU. Anyways i missed this show. Kinda forgot about it, i'm a dumbass.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 29, 2004 at 7:59 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    We don't want your shit we have HOPE, Iron Giant, Fear of Lipstick and Sour Grapes you shit eating gum guzzling fucking fag. You moneen lovers suck. Go kill yourself.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 29, 2004 at 3:19 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    the junior varsity are pretty darn terrible. just thought i'd add my worthless opinion.

    Posted by jheisel on 2004-03-29 03:07:07
    My Score:

    Scott --

    Avanti's is the same as frickin Panino's in Rockford (the latter stole it from the former). The two places to go in Bloomington-Normal for Italian are Jake's for bomb-ass deep dish pizza, and Lucca's for bomb-ass everything else.

    Not that Avanti's is bad or anything, just not nearly as good as either of those two places!

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 11:19 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    How could you call Moneen faggots when your from the fucking Maritimes u piece of shit, your all the fucking same out there, You guys got your chins stuck so fucking high in the air, I'm scared your going to trip over them. Moneen rips it up. No wonder shows don't go out to Atlantic Canada when u got boneheads like that out there

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 8:43 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Decatur, IL: Just Below Normal.

    Posted by tsunami_boy on 2004-03-28 18:53:20
    My Score:

    junior varsity suck. moneen are very good, and put on a fucking wild show. simple as that.

    Posted by FuckUAurora on 2004-03-28 18:28:47
    My Score:

    sorry for the late post but i was at this show and moneen fuckin tore it up. These guys are great. The closer "start angry . . . end mad" was pure gold. They pull off everything u hear on the record and more. This show was fantastic and in fact if u saw moneen only it was worth it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 6:06 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    who wants to watch faggots?

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 4:06 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    when moneen comes to my town 10 people go cause they're a bunch of faggots. Moncton, NB rules. I hear that they tried to play saint john and noone came. Way to go motherfuckers. Moneen blows. FEAR OF LIPSTICK is a great band

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 2:22 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    haha moneen and the fullblast really are the best things to come out of ontartio. although i do very much enjoy the end and courtesy blush.ahh and shameless plug; AT THE MERCY OF INSPIRATION.

    -bryan styles

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 28, 2004 at 1:56 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    fullblast = gay

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 27, 2004 at 4:27 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    im from the Junior Varsity's hometown and i still think they suck

    Posted by maverick on 2004-03-27 15:11:14
    My Score:

    Props to the anonymous contributor who gave Avanti's 4 1/2 stars. That place is so fuckin' wade, it's ridiculous.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 27, 2004 at 7:14 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    seeing moneen in philly with northstar, the fight, and chronic future.. soo fecking excited, cause moneen kicks ass.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 27, 2004 at 3:05 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Moneen and Avanti's. 4 and a half stars for avanti's. The extra half-star is for gettting to see Moneen in the same night.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 26, 2004 at 8:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    i cant wait to see moneen on 5/23

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 26, 2004 at 7:43 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I've been saying this for years, the fullblast are amazing and the new cd is so fuckin good

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 26, 2004 at 7:28 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Moneen and The Fullblast represent everything that is right with Canada.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2004-03-26 17:20:18
    My Score:

    I get to see Moneen with Northstar for $8 (maybe less) 45 minutes away, 3 days after the school year ends. I like those numbers.

    Posted by tyroneshoelaces on 2004-03-26 17:07:39
    My Score:

    Moneen is awesome live, next saturday baby!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 26, 2004 at 5:03 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    less than jake contest winners?

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