It was one of those nights that happens once every blue moon. Philadelphia’s own DEAD MILKMEN recently reunited to play the Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX next month. Once I found out about this, it was my clever wife who posited that they might play a few warm-up shows here in preparation. As it turns out, she was right and after I found out that they were indeed playing (though under the alias LES INFANTS DE PRAGUE), we jumped on tickets.
First up, though, was the Philly punk band WOMEN. The last time I saw them, they opened for JAY REATARD at the First Unitarian Church back in September 2007. I remember liking them at that show, but they’ve really turned into quite a powerhouse in the last year or so. They were just blazing in an early ‘80s hardcore punk fashion reminiscent of D.O.A.’s early days. Wow! I bought their 7” after their set, and as it turns out, they can bring it on record, too! A funny sidenote is that I used to work with their old drummer, so even though he’s no longer in the band, it’s cool to see them improving so much.
Afterwards, MERCURY RADIO THEATER warmed up the crowd with a mostly instrumental set of hard-driving and occasionally surf-influenced rock and roll. I thought it was nice enough, but probably wouldn’t buy one of their records or anything. Dead Milkmen singer RODNEY ANONYMOUS seems to like them a lot, though, as he could be seen rocking out to their set from the side of the stage. They opened for the Milkmen the next night at the First Unitarian Church, too.
And now it was time for what everyone had been waiting for. This was the first Dead Milkmen show since the fall of 2004, when they briefly reunited to play in honor of their bassist DAVE BLOOD, who sadly committed suicide earlier that year. I wanted to go to one of those shows, but I was living in New York at that time and they were on weeknights. Now, however, I was finally getting my chance to see a band who I’ve been listening to since I was 15, one of the first to introduce me to punk rock.
And you know what? From the very first opening notes of “Tiny Town”, the opening track from their debut album Big Lizard in
My Backyard (preceded by a quote from SARAH PALIN, which would be a recurring theme throughout the evening), it was clear that it would be well worth the wait. The crowd sang along so loudly that at times you could barely hear Rodney’s vocals during the beginning of the set, but that was OK. This was just pure fun, with Rodney whipping the audience up into a frenzy just by being his usual loud, boisterous, demented self and jumping up and down as if he were on a trampoline. The setlist couldn’t be beat, with most of Big Lizard in My Backyard being played. They got “Punk Rock Girl” out of the way early on and also played several songs a piece from each of their albums up to 1990’s Metaphysical Graffiti (represented by the amazing “If You Love Somebody, Set Them on Fire” and “Methodist Coloring Book”). In between, we got the amazing “Six Days” from 1986’s Eat Your Paisley, “Tacoland” from 1987’s Bucky Fellini and “I Walk the Thinnest Line” from 1988’s Beelzelbubba, just to name a few. Rodney’s stage banter was priceless, too. I learned the proper use of the word “dickfreckle”, for starters, as well as his seemingly bottomless outrage at what a lunatic Alaska’s current governor is. At one point, he spoke about her church’s “pray away the gay” service where “former” gay men are “converted” to heterosexuality and commented that they should “pray away the stupid”. Amen to that.
By the end of the night, I was covered in sweat. Even though it was cold and rainy outside, it was packed and steamy inside! I felt as if I’d just finished watching ALL or BAD RELIGION or FUGAZI at City Gardens back when I was a teenager. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a show. Long live the Dead Milkmen!
The above photo was taken by NINA SABATINO and is used with permission. Thanks Nina!
