In November-or-so of 2002, I think, I was sent to cover a Sum 41 show at Irving Plaza in NYC. It bombed. It was godawful, and nothing like the very cool Sum 41 show I'd seen on a shitty, tiny Warped Tour stage in the summer of 2001. This was before the band was known, by any means really, in America, and were not completely bloated and full of themselves. The show was going terribly, and I was miserable, until my editor and photographer who had accompanied me said she wanted to go to the Bowery Ballroom to see the last NY performance of MCD - a band that was on the last leg of their last tour. Trusting her instincts, I followed.
It was total mayhem. We got there in time for the last half of the set, and I was completely blown away by the amount of people in the venue, on the stage, and going wild. Probably one of the best shows I'd ever seen in my life. My article on the Sum 41 shows smashed the band, and praised the Murder City Devils in the end for saving my night.
So tonight marks this (as I'm aware) one time reunion of the band. In a way, I hope they don't tour and reunite a la Lifetime etc., but I also know that it's going to be so fantastic (considering I've flown all the way across the country to see them in their hometown, no less) that I'll want a second helping.
Upon their break-up back then, the members went on to do some cool projects. Pretty Girls Make Graves and Modest Mouse acquired key members, and frontman/professional drunkark Spencer Moody went on to do the John & Spencer Booze Explosion cover project and Dead Low Tide (a short lived band that sounded like sub-par MCD minus Derek Fudesco when he went on to PGMG). Additionally, there is an official after party following the block party, in which Spencer will be DJing under some ridiculous pseudonym like DJ Fatty Tubs or something.
Moody became one of my quiet idols. After seeing their documentary "Rock N' Roll Won't Wait," - whereas my mother simply dismissed them as KISS wannabes - it was decided that he was insane and brilliant. The wreckless abandon in which Moody lead his crew on stage and in studio and in life was memorable to me. So tonight, we'll be in the same bar together, so maybe we'll get into a fistfight. Who knows.
So with that, I'm off. For those of you in New York, you should seek out Think About Life because they're coming down from Montreal to play a few shows. If you're in Boston, well, I don't know. Go make my bed.
Murder City Devils - "Midnight Service At The Mutter Museum"
2 comments:
Great post. I flew up from Los Angeles to see the show - well, shows as a big bonus. Looking forward to your report. For me, the Block Party show was physically painful but sonically magnificent. The Showbox show was about as perfect as a night can be. Since getting back I've been listening to nothing but MCD, reading websites, re-reading lyics, and remembering my experiences with the band.. I first saw them while living in Seattle, and went out the next day and bought all the records they had out. Been a die-hard fan ever since.
Thank you! You've just made my night with your compliments!!
(Good god, I never use that many exclamation points...)
I hear they're touring. I'm keeping my eye open, for sure.
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