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Epitaph Records -- Millencolin

When I first saw the lineup for this show, I got incredibly excited. It's rare for three great bands to be together on one show, let alone five. Perhaps because the show was on a Wednesday night at a newer venue on the south side, this show was not as packed as it should have been. Anyone not in attendance missed a great show.

First, a note about the venue since I'm guessing many in Chicago have yet to go to a show at Reggie's: Hopefully this place will continue to have shows for a while as it's a pretty good venue, beer is relatively cheap ($2.50 cans of Schlitz), food is available next door, the sound is decent enough, and it's easily accessible by the Red Line. I drank enough cheap beer to ensure that I don't remember the order of anyone's set.

First up was Minneapolis's Off with Their Heads. OWTH is one of the best (real) pop-punk bands around right now and, because at this show they finally had somebody on stage capable of doing backups, this was one of the better sets I've seen them play. Stage banter was kept to a minimum and limited to self-deprecation, which makes a lot of sense if you're familiar with their lyrics. Their set list included:

  • S.O.S. (opener)
  • Die Today (closer)
  • That Must Be Nigel with the Brie
  • Your Child Is Dead
  • Hard to Admit
  • Janie
  • Closed Early
  • Call the Cops
Next up was the Brokedowns, who seem to be opening every punk show in Chicago. Fortunately, they're consistently entertaining live so that isn't a bad thing. If you like D4, Toys That Kill, and a little bit of Motörhead, you should be into the Brokedowns. By this point in the evening I was beginning to drink quite heavily, so I can't remember all of their set. I know it included "The Song Remains the Same," "Brains," "Year of the Hydra," and "Pro-Gear, Pro-Attitude, Pro-Results."

Next came the first of the three bands touring together, and one who I was quite pumped to see, the Gaslight Anthem. Bringing together a varied group of influences, their first full-length (Sink or Swim) is one of the best albums of the year. Their performance was tight as hell, the new songs played sounded great, and I can see these guys exploding in the next year or two. The set list included:
  • Drive (opener)
  • We're Getting a Divorce, You Keep the Diner (closer)
  • Boomboxes and Dictionaries
  • I Coulda Been a Contender
  • Wooderson
  • We Came to Dance
  • 1930
  • The Navesink Banks
  • I'da Called You Woody, Joe
Last time Dead to Me was supposed to play Chicago (opening for Me First and the Gimme Gimmes), a problem with their van meant that they showed up halfway through Me First's set and played only four songs. In their place, the Metro threw on a local opener -- the aptly named Inept. Inept went on to play one of the shittier sets I've ever seen (full of synchronized jumps and a sound somewhere between Hoobastank and Fall Out Boy) and I'm still not happy that I had to witness it. Thankfully, Dead to Me was in attendance to deliver a full set and knocked out a great one. They might have been the most energetic band band on the bill and they received a pretty good response from a crowd that was lacking in energy for most of the night. Along with a few new songs, the set included:
  • Don't Lie (opener)
  • By the Throat (closer)
  • Still Heartbeat
  • Something New
  • Special Professional
  • Cause of My Anger
  • Visiting Day
Finally, the Draft took the stage to close out a great night of rock. Their set was pretty much what you expected, which is to say that it was great. Jason Black is still the best bassist in punk rock and the only negative anybody can say about the Draft is that they're not Hot Water Music. Set:
  • New Eyes Open (opener)
  • Lo Zee Rose (closer)
  • Wasting My Time
  • Up All Night
  • Na Na Na
  • Alive or Dead
  • Let It Go
  • Wired
  • Not What I Wanna Do
  • Out of Tune
All in all, it was quite nice to be at show where nobody had to sit through any awful bands.



People who liked this also liked:
The Lawrence Arms - The Greatest Story Ever ToldAgainst Me! - As The Eternal CowboyLeatherface - Dog DiscoAlkaline Trio - Hell Yes [7-inch]Saves the Day - Sound the AlarmSaves the Day - Under the Boards88 Fingers Louie - Back On The StreetsRise Against - The UnravelingThe Killing Tree - We Sing Sin88 Fingers Louie / Kid Dynamite - Split



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    Posted by slymer on 2007-10-19 12:01:42
    My Score:

    Went to the Hollywood show. Everyone was incredible. I mainly went to see Gaslight and The Draft, but Dead to Me blew me away. Chicken was hilarious. He bagged on "Cursive" pretty hard though. Asking the crowd why they'd want to go see "Some asshole crying about his girlfriend". Pretty funny stuff, and I like Cursive.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-17 15:26:22
    My Score:

    I've been in a weird-bad mood for the last week. My apologies for taking it out on Gaslight Anthem.

    I don't like them, but I shouldn't be dissing them like I have been.

    Score's for me.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-15 20:35:39
    My Score:

    "the singer for the gaslight anthem was the cutest thing ever at the cleveland show. he was all smiley and giggly "

    I'd like to punch that smile right off his fucking face. And what's with the wanna-be rapist bass player?

    Score's for Gaslight Anthem.

    Posted by Biped_Casserole on 2007-10-15 19:42:27

    the singer for the gaslight anthem was the cutest thing ever at the cleveland show. he was all smiley and giggly and earnest. and he made awesome madball jokes.

    dead to me definitely should have headlined.

    and that place is harder to find than a decent person at an NRA meeting

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-15 17:57:01
    My Score:

    "But you just sound like a complete asshole.
    -chris"

    Bullseye, dick.

    Posted by bouncingsouls23 on 2007-10-15 14:26:01
    My Score:

    I was front row for Gaslight and they blew me away, ive always heard that they steal the show whenever they play and man was that true.
    They have a ton of energy and seem like there having a great time on stage.

    I'm praying for a Gaslight,Loved Ones,Bouncing Souls tour next year

    Posted by HonestAbe on 2007-10-15 11:15:39

    "Let's keep outing the dickwads

    What's there to out? It says right in his info."

    It was a joke, but that descrption of him was dead on and funny

    Posted by discofucker on 2007-10-14 20:40:39

    "All in all, it was quite nice to be at show where nobody had to sit through any awful bands."

    Self-centered comment of the week?

    Posted by ashtraymonument on 2007-10-14 19:39:49

    i saw the tour last night in denver. fucking awesome to say the least, despite the opener sleeperhorse. chris wollard was completely smashed as usual, the draft played little mascara, and gaslight anthem played a new song.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2007-10-14 19:31:33

    Let's keep outing the dickwads

    What's there to out? It says right in his info.

    Posted by sickboi on 2007-10-14 01:27:31

    So wrong.... I had to sit through Gaslight Anthem. I don't know how or why everyone keeps sucking this bands' dicks, they were terrible. I didn't care for their record before hand, but after seeing them live, they need to go away.
    And someone needs to punch the singer in his fucking head.

    Score's for Gaslight Anthem.

    If you don't like them, right on. But you want to punch Brian in his head? Why? Brian is one of the nicest and most non-violent people you will ever meet. If you told him you didn't like his band, he'd want to talk to you and find out why. He'd respect your opinion. Opinions are great, keeps things interesting. But you just sound like a complete asshole.

    -chris

    Posted by onegirlarmy on 2007-10-13 23:41:45

    So wrong.... I had to sit through Gaslight Anthem. I don't know how or why everyone keeps sucking this bands' dicks, they were terrible. I didn't care for their record before hand, but after seeing them live, they need to go away.
    And someone needs to punch the singer in his fucking head.

    Score's for Gaslight Anthem.

    try saying something constructive maybe explain exactly WHY you don't like them rather than just a whole post of negativity. And besides, nobody ever has to "sit through" a band, there a million places in every venue where you could go hang out if you aren't into a band playing, and if there's re entry, go outside, which most places allow you to if you are over 21.

    Posted by punky_chips_ahoy_oi_oi_oi on 2007-10-13 18:42:39

    I go to Peabody's website about once a week to check for new shows, despite the fact that I haven't been there since an Andrew W.K. show in April of 2004.

    Posted by maverick on 2007-10-13 16:26:53

    "It was worth all the hassle to see The Draft again though. This lineup was so good that I'd have gone to Peabody's to see it..."

    Talk about a joke only Clevelanders will get. God, I hate Peabody's.

    -Scott

    Posted by Slater on 2007-10-13 15:05:25

    Kids in the Hall reference I hope?

    Posted by ChokingVictim on 2007-10-13 14:54:24

    wow, what a lineup.

    Posted by Slater on 2007-10-13 14:26:00

    "On a side note to the person who claimed it was so hard to find... read address numbers. I have never been to Parma Heights in my life and found it with no problem at all."

    I guess that would have helped. I expected the place to be a stand-alone building, so that's probably the main reason that I didn't find it right away.

    It was worth all the hassle to see The Draft again though. This lineup was so good that I'd have gone to Peabody's to see it...

    Posted by thatsyouth on 2007-10-13 13:28:47
    My Score:

    the draft is so fucking good

    Posted by CapnHawk on 2007-10-13 00:50:33
    My Score:

    I saw the Draft back in June and as great as it was to see them(HWM hadn't been out here since like 04) I've gotta say they weren't all that tight.

    Watching Jason Black is like poetry in motion though. Amazing bass player.

    Todd had a pretty great beard when I saw them, score if for that.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-12 21:39:10

    Also, The Draft did NOT play "Na Na Na", but they DID play "The Devil In The Shade" and "Bordering".

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-12 21:29:34
    My Score:

    And this score is for The Draft, Dead To Me, The Brokedowns, and Off With Their Heads.

    All 4 of them were awesome.

    Posted by telegraphrocks on 2007-10-12 21:29:04
    My Score:

    "All in all, it was quite nice to be at show where nobody had to sit through any awful bands. "

    So wrong.... I had to sit through Gaslight Anthem. I don't know how or why everyone keeps sucking this bands' dicks, they were terrible. I didn't care for their record before hand, but after seeing them live, they need to go away.
    And someone needs to punch the singer in his fucking head.

    Score's for Gaslight Anthem.

    Posted by NotPatriotic on 2007-10-12 21:18:48

    Off With Their Heads - Good. The other bands on this bill, not so much. I'm not a big fan of these "rocknrollpop with a little punk thrown in" bands

    Posted by HonestAbe on 2007-10-12 20:21:50

    "how is he wrong? because he's not a fat dude who works at a shitty magazine who thinks his opinion is the only one that matters?"

    -talk about hitting the nail on the head

    I always wondered who these jackasses are that think their opinion is the absolute authority, and now I know at least one of them is a fat dude who works at a shitty magazine.

    Let's keep outing the dickwads

    Posted by punky_chips_ahoy_oi_oi_oi on 2007-10-12 19:43:17

    i think there are plenty of bad things to say about the draft. like "incredibly mediocre." solid live act, though. just terrible on record.


    Maybe they just didn't seem as good because Dead to Me upstaged them, but I left my show thinking the complete opposite of The Draft. A great album... an okay live show.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2007-10-12 19:25:08

    "good review but the best bassist in punk rock is still matt freeman."

    My favorite bassists in punk are Joe Principe and AWS's new bassist. The bass on Career Suicide is better than the guitars.

    Posted by billnye on 2007-10-12 19:13:25

    how is he wrong? because he's not a fat dude who works at a shitty magazine who thinks his opinion is the only one that matters?

    Posted by maverick on 2007-10-12 18:50:41

    "i think there are plenty of bad things to say about the draft. like "incredibly mediocre." solid live act, though. just terrible on record."

    I knew this was a colin comment before I even looked at the name.

    PS yrwrong

    -Scott

    Posted by damo on 2007-10-12 18:24:37

    also, Off With Their Heads are ace

    Posted by damo on 2007-10-12 18:23:06

    Dead To Me - brilliant live. Can't wait for a new record
    The Draft - massively overrated. Thought they were dull live too

    Posted by niveK82 on 2007-10-12 18:06:20
    My Score:

    Inept sure did suck it up at that Me First show. About half way through the power went out on stage. My score is for that

    Posted by colin on 2007-10-12 17:48:12

    i think there are plenty of bad things to say about the draft. like "incredibly mediocre." solid live act, though. just terrible on record.

    Posted by olmec on 2007-10-12 16:59:33

    This was my first show at Reggie's, and I was pretty impressed.

    This was one of the best lineups I've seen in a long time. Gaslight needs to visit Chicago more often.

    I was more excited for the Lawrence Arms show last night, but this show one-upped it, IMO.

    Posted by HonestAbe on 2007-10-12 16:27:03

    "Jason Black is still the best bassist in punk rock and the only negative anybody can say about the Draft is that they're not Hot Water Music"

    Why is every review on this site filled with declaratory statements about someone, or some band being better than other bands?

    It clearly reekes of fanboy gushing. Every other album is proclaimed the best release of the year, featuring the greatest songwrtiter on modern music, the most technical guitars in metalcore etc...

    Posted by punky_chips_ahoy_oi_oi_oi on 2007-10-12 16:00:31

    I saw this show in Parma Heights, and while it was a lot of fun I really do think Dead to Me shoudl have headlined. They put on a much more energetic performance than The Draft, and there were significantly more people there to see them.

    On a side note to the person who claimed it was so hard to find... read address numbers. I have never been to Parma Heights in my life and found it with no problem at all.

    Posted by WhiteCollar on 2007-10-12 15:39:00
    My Score:

    good review but the best bassist in punk rock is still matt freeman.

    Posted by guitarmy87 on 2007-10-12 15:36:35
    My Score:

    score is for reggie's.

    and that includes record breakers.

    Posted by Mental_Decay on 2007-10-12 15:09:03

    I was supposed to go see this tour tonight...but I have to work. I'm pretty sad.

    Posted by JerryCola on 2007-10-12 14:46:08

    Looking at your Draft set-list I could have sworn that the Draft also played "Devil In The Shade"

    Posted by JerryCola on 2007-10-12 14:41:02

    This was a really good show, my only regret is that I was insanely tired from working earlier in the morning.

    The way Reggie's Live is set-up is really awesome, I hope that place becomes Chicago’s top punk venue.

    Posted by minus_20_scene_points on 2007-10-12 14:30:19

    great show, great venue. gaslight anthem was awesome as well.

    Posted by brixtongunman on 2007-10-12 14:10:42

    I'm seeing this tour when they play Lawrence KS tonight!

    Posted by maverick on 2007-10-12 13:56:44

    I saw this show in Cleveland, and it was just as awesome. I'm not a Dead To Me Fan, but they sounded great, and the Draft and Gaslight were tits and a half.

    New Draft song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC7iv1ZV_cs
    New Dead To Me song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRbFEmllMeE

    -Scott

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2007-10-12 13:55:11

    SubT has Schlitz for $2.

    Posted by Slater on 2007-10-12 13:55:07

    I caught this lineup (most of it anyway) at a new(er) Cleveland area venue that was damn near impossible to find. It seriously took my friends and I a good 15-20 of asking locals where the place was before we lucked into walking right in front of it. Our tardiness caused us to miss Gaslight Anthem, and I'm still not too happy about that.

    But, what we did see was awesome, as expected. It was great to see a full set from The Draft after missing most of the last one when they opened for Avail at the Grog the last time they were in Cleveland. And I'd see a show at this place again now that I know where it is. My score is for the Cleveland show, and it would probably be higher if I saw the whole thing.

    Posted by red_eye_inc on 2007-10-12 13:51:52

    shit, I meant to go to this but I spaced on the date.

    Posted by Spalmer on 2007-10-12 13:10:36

    Ugh. Skipped this in Minneapolis because i had 3 hours of driving and would have gone alone. Oh well

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