Goldfinger

Goldfinger: Live at the House Of Blues DVDLive at the House Of Blues DVD (2004)
Kung Fu Records

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

Contributed by: maverickScott
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on March 26th 2004Kung Fu's The Show Must Go Off! live concert DVD series continues with Episode 11, featuring Southern California's own, Goldfinger. Watching this made me wax nostalgic with fellow editor Adam about how, long ago, we both loved Goldfinger. Of course, this was back in 1996 - simpler times, to be s.

Kung Fu's The Show Must Go Off! live concert DVD series continues with Episode 11, featuring Southern California's own, Goldfinger. Watching this made me wax nostalgic with fellow editor Adam about how, long ago, we both loved Goldfinger.

Of course, this was back in 1996 - simpler times, to be sure. The Internet wasn't nearly as culturally influential as it is now [so we both weren't nearly as antisocial and reclusive as we are], nor was Goldfinger as crazily militant as they are now about veganism and the like. Basically we were two adolescent kids discovering the joys of punk rock, and Goldfinger delivered it to us in a skankable, moshable, pogoable, singalongable package.

Amazingly, 8 years later, they're still delivering that same package to hoardes of kids every night, and I find myself wishing I could have been in the crowd the night this DVD was filmed. John Feldmann and company don't just play a show - they put on a show. It's entertaining without being too stupid, and even though they do something as absurd as faux-goosestepping offstage with your bandmates at the end of your set to a metal riff, you still look at it and say "that's kinda cool."

The DVD is filmed very well, with over a half-dozen angles throughout the concert used. The sound is amazingly thick for a live show - whoever worked the soundboard that night deserves a round of applause for catching all of Feldmann's vocal tricks through the stage PA. I must also applaud the band's stage manager - he works just as hard as the band, it seems. If you watch the DVD, you'll understand.

My only real complaint about the DVD is it's brevity - clocking in at about 45 minutes, including encore, the band only plays 14 songs. To put it into perspective, their longtime touring partners and labelmates Reel Big Fish's DVD ran close to an hour and a half, and that band has less material than Goldfinger. Sure, they play the "hits" ["Superman," "99 Red Balloons," and rather cardboard runthroughs of "Here In Your Bedroom" and "Mable"], but where's all the other great anthems from their self-titled disc on?

What the DVD lacks in actual performance content, it makes up for it in the "bonus footage" of the band out on the road. This mini-documentary is a good half hour or so of the band's history, from it's first show up to present day. It is hands down the best extra on any of the Show Must Go Off! DVDs thus far. This is how they should all be done.

If you're a fan of the band, this is definitely something to pick up, although you've been warned about the short running time. If you've always wanted to give them a listen, this isn't a bad place to start as their performance samples all four of their albums. All in all, it let me pretend I was 14 again, and I don't mind that feeling one bit.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

bannedinCT (December 2, 2004)

On one hand, many animals hunt for their food. On the other hand, that is the balence of nature, and their prey doesnt spend its life tortured in a factory. And yes, we do have predominantly carnivorous teeth, but we also have predominantly herbivorous digestive systems. It is my theory that humans evolved with the ability to eat both meat and plants as a last resort in case one becomes scarce.

I am a vegetarian, mostly because I tend to be healthier when I am not eating meat. I figure anything that keeps me skinnier (and therefore laid more), doesnt wreak havoc with my body (countering all the booze), doesnt make me give up food (my friends can never tell if their eating real meat or not at my house), keeps me from having to cook (you never have to worry about if you undercooked your veggie burger) and doesnt contribute to the needless suffering of intelligent creatures really cant be that bad. It's not cool to make fun of someone just because they dont like to eat your favorite foods.

However, it also is definately not cool to harass someone just because they do eat meat. It doesnt make them a murderer or nazi. I have lots of meateating friends who would never dream of hurting an animal. Like i said before, im a vegetarian not a vegan and i feel that im still being lashed out at by these bands because i choose to eat milk and eggs.

To sum up, it shouldnt matter if you eat any, some or no animal products at all. Choosing not to consume animal related products is a big and deeply personal comittment albeit a healthier one (at least for me.) No amount of preaching or militant fanatacism will ever change that.

Anonymous (June 23, 2004)

soy weiner rules

Anonymous (April 6, 2004)

"No, I KNOW the taste & convienience outweigh the lives of the animals!"

Tough guy, huh? Mind if I eat your dog/cat for lunch? Yeah, I know you're pretty attached to it, and I am capable of living a healthy life without killing animals, but I REALLY would like the taste of your little puppy/kitten.

Anonymous (April 2, 2004)

what the fuck? goldfinger sucks

Anonymous (April 2, 2004)

"If you choose to eat meat at this point in time, you are doing so because you think that the taste and convienience of meat eating outweighs the lives of the animals who suffer for your pleasure."

No, I KNOW the taste & convienience outweigh the lives of the animals! Fuck you vegan assholes, I'd tell ya to suck my dick but it's not made of soy so you can't

Anonymous (April 1, 2004)

Horns?

Anonymous (March 31, 2004)

Bojangles is good. In Richmond, I eat at Lee's Famous Recipe. Rumor has it, the colonel stole his recipe from Lee, no shit.

Church's Chicken is good too.

-sickboi

Anonymous (March 31, 2004)

Two more songs they should play live are "Margaret Ann" and "Forgiveness".

Anonymous (March 30, 2004)

hey do they have horns on songs like superman?

poopypants (March 30, 2004)

wow, no anything or this lonely place? those are 2 classics, although i despise these guys now after the events of the past few years (charlie leaving, feldman producing shitty bands, gf releasing their weakest cd, the vegan rampage and insults, and feldmans asshole attitude towards his target audience, he had some really ignorant quote in the latest AP about how the people who talk shit on goldfinger or the used/story of the year are 'probably 'gay, fat and 15'.

Anonymous (March 30, 2004)

I bought this for nostalgia's sake. It's pretty good, and the bonus footage has some great Darren stuff (and I agree with a previous poster, he's one of the most underrated drummers around). But this band has a lot of songs that kick ass which were missing. Here's my top GF songs that didn't end up on the DVD and the way-too-short set:

- Anything
- This Lonely Place
- FUCK LA (The City With Two Faces)
- Get Away
- Chris Cayton
- Spokesman
- I'm Down
- Dont' Say Goodbye
- My Head
- King For A Day
- Chicken McNuggets Are Bad For You
- Going Home
- Too Late
- The End of the Day
- Fuck You and Your Cat

poopypants (March 30, 2004)

cows would eat us in a heartbeat if they werent so fucking dumb

feldman needs to go on the atkins diet

Anonymous (March 30, 2004)

"this proves you have no real arguement so you go to extremes"

What argument?! All I see is hate for vegans. No valid meat eating arguments have been brought up here.

It is possible to sustain a long and healthy life as a vegan/vegetarian. Period. If you choose to eat meat at this point in time, you are doing so because you think that the taste and convienience of meat eating outweighs the lives of the animals who suffer for your pleasure.

poopypants (March 30, 2004)

"you vegans need to chill out. the preaching is getting way old and your lateral thinking on the slaveowner/meateater issue is asinine. this proves you have no real arguement so you go to extremes, next we're all nazis too i bet. have fun stifling your homoerotic thoughts while watching your ufc crap jockboy. p.s. i know hitler was a vegetarian, don't bother pointing it out."

hahahah, exactly

and as for the guy saying 'don't talk shit its not nice'...this is punknews.org, where talking shit is encouraged. i take my stress out on all of you.

Anonymous (March 30, 2004)

you vegans need to chill out. the preaching is getting way old and your lateral thinking on the slaveowner/meateater issue is asinine. this proves you have no real arguement so you go to extremes, next we're all nazis too i bet. have fun stifling your homoerotic thoughts while watching your ufc crap jockboy. p.s. i know hitler was a vegetarian, don't bother pointing it out.

thefunkybrother (March 29, 2004)

C'mon, KFC doesn't have shit on Bojangles. I think that place is the only good thing about living in North Carolina.