Hey this is Adam - this was submitted to us in the news section so I put it here as a review. However it was submitted anonymously, so no one gets credit for it. If this is your review and you want your name attached... email us or submit it as news... Also, IF this is your review and you didn't intend it to be a review, then we'll be happy to delete it for you...
Who Said You Can't Dance To Punk Rock?
March 21, 2002 TORONTO:
Playing at the new Kool Hause, formerly The Warehouse, on Jarvis and Lakeshore, was NOFX with opening band Mad Caddies and some others that I missed because of my earlier consumption of beer at an establishment that uses a TAP.
Walking into the Haus, I could not help but think that as I get older I wish more and more I could dye my hair green. But enough of my childhood reminisces, I am here to review a concert, and a damn good one at that. The band that came on before the Mad Caddies was also very good and I wish I could remember the name, but as it is I can't even remember mine. As, I stood in the old farts section drinking my beer, the Mad Caddies came out with a trumpet and trombone player. The mixed sound of Jazz, Reggae and Punk gave these guys a great sound, especially live. The lead singer's voice had a fantastic tone that only punkers can pull and the enthusiasm on stage made me want to dance. After playing songs that made the crowd serf and playing songs that even my grandma could rock too, I was crazy excited to see one of my favourite Punk Bands play. When the lead Caddie said, maybe four songs before leaving the stage, that he wanted to buy every single person who had to wait in line out in the cold a beer, this made myself and the rest of the punkers scream their delight at this very plausible situation.I looked around while the Mad Caddies played a jazzy ska number and noticed that 85% of the crowd dancing right along, dancing without a care in the world.
When NOFX came on, the crowd went absolutely crazy, knowing that we were about to get a great-goddamned show. El Hefe came out, along with Eric the lead guitar and Eric the drums, and then out walked Fat Mike, whom I think is terribly funny, even when he's telling someone to Fuck Off or making fun of the mistakes he's making. NOFX began by talking, when someone protested, El Hefe shouted, "We're getting to that." The first song that they did was off the latest album, Pump Up The Valuum. I tried to concentrate and be a journalist, but it was too damn much, I knew every song. They even played a song off the newest split album from BYO records. They did an album with Rancid ('Ruby SoHo', 'Olympia, WA') that came out at the beginning of March. Rancid covered six of NOFX's songs and NOFX covered six of Rancid's songs. The crowd, who would know about this, kept asking them to play Radio. They played it, but it was their version, which was fine by me, because two songs later with Fat Mike saying, "This next song is the best song I ever wrote," they played Olympia, WA by Rancid. Obviously joking about the fact that they wrote that song, NOFX completed it by telling the crowd that the song was by Rancid, which of course I already knew, being the Punk Rock connoisseur that I am. El Hefe, the Spanish trombone-bass player, did a reggae song. I am not too sure at this point which it was, but I can tell you that through my drunken haze, it was damn good. We danced, we laughed, and we had a great time.
When NOFX started the chords to Murder the Government, a song about the US Government, the crowd went nuts. Fat Mike mentioned that the song was for all the military that had to go to Iraq and all of the people that are getting Bush-whacked. After playing a couple of songs about the US government and one that he wrote about George W. Bush, Idiot Son of An Asshole, Fat Mike mentioned that if Bush gets voted for again, he's moving to Canada. Everyone went nuts. But then he said that they would be moving to Vancouver, that's okay though, c'mon it's Vancouver. The show ended with a hearty rendition of an old Scottish Drinking song that they wrote called, Theme From a NOFX Album. It's a great song â "Buy me a Beck's beer, or pass me a bong, gimme some bushmills, I'll sing you this song..." While Eric Melvin plays the accordion and the rest of band play on, the song creates a feeling of being in the old country (any country with a drinking song) heartily singing a real old drinking song.
Saying goodnight sucks when you are having so much fun, but the night needs to end sometime. When NOFX wants to come back to Canada, to live or to rock, I say make them honourary Canadians, just for the sake of them being such good goddamned musicians and punkers. Don't worry Fat Mike, every time you screw up and make fun of yourself for it, I laugh with you.