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I had a little apprehension for this show, for you see The Phoenix was where I would be attending the “Against Gambling Problems” tour, and while it isn’t the worst venue in the world, on Friday nights it turns into a nightclub and shows are done by 10 o’clock. This meant I would have to rendezvous with my comrade for late-afternoon caps around 4:30 to make it to see Fake Problems at 6:30. When we arrived Fake Problems had already taken the stage; I didn’t know any of their tunes either, so the enjoyment factor was lessened somewhat. Although the rest of the crowd was polite it was mostly standing around during their set. I decided, being the gracious fellow that I am, to start dancing and shimmying all over the place to get people going; that didn’t work well, so I used this time to grab a beer or three at the bar.

Between bands, due to boredom and immaturity I got my friend to turn the free condoms she received into balloons and a fun time was had by all. Well, a fun time except for a few wincing prudes that is. So next up Riverboat Gamblers took to the stage, and it is true, they are definitely one of those bands that if their records haven’t won you over their live show will. A small and sporadic pit got going during their set but the crowd was in general noticeably more energized. I attribute most of that energy to frontman Mike Wiebe. Through the course of the set he was all over the stage jumping around and singing into the crowd during highlights from their last album, such as, “True Crime” and “Don’t Bury Me…I’m Still Not Dead.” In fact there is this small balcony beside the stage and Mr. Wiebe decided to climb up to that during “The Art of Getting Fucked.” I’m sure he isn’t the first person to do so but he made it look like a lot of fun. Also, like any good drummer worth his weight, theirs proceeded to get half-naked and looked like he was having a hell of a time on stage. If anything Riverboat Gamblers proved themselves to be a wise choice for a main support band because even if the crowd isn’t as devoted to them as the main act, they can still encourage a good amount of crowd participation.

For me it would be interesting to see if there was any backlash crowd-wise toward Against Me! since the Sire signing. I for one was waiting for Tom to come out in a football jersey, bandana and dreadlocks. Truthfully, the crowd did seem a bit smaller than the last time I saw them, but other than that it didn’t really seem like there were any hecklers present to try and stick it to Gainesville’s sons. Another thing I noticed was that the crowd seemed by and large younger; I’m not sure if that was because the rest of the old folks were at the bar or what. Against Me! didn’t take long to come out but in the meantime a couple of sing-alongs broke out in the crowd (it was all fine and dandy then but when I was singing along to the Dillinger Four playing on the sound system I get weird looks). The band came out as is the custom to “A Brief Yet Triumphant Intermission (Introduction)” and the crowd went bo-nanas. The first song they played was “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” and it was good to see the band passionately rocking out to one of their older jams. I’ll take this opportunity to talk about a strange phenomenon that occurs at the recent Against Me! shows I’ve been to. Occasionally bands with lots of screaming young female fans (Brand New, Say Anything, etc.) will have this painful push toward the front and centre of the stage, Against Me! however get this odd torrent of sway that moves back and forth and side to side. The band gave it everything they had as they rollicked through such crowd favourites as “Don’t Lose Touch” and “Sink, Florida, Sink” (I’d say this song constitutes for most of their own screaming girl fans for some reason). The band played three or four new songs as well, including, I believe, “White People for Peace.” Musically the tone of these new songs seems a lot brighter than most of Searching for a Former Clarity, but lyrically appear to be just as biting. After the band finished their set they promptly and enthusiastically returned to the crowd’s joyful shouts. For an encore they played “Disco Before the Breakdown,” which I was really pleased to hear them play, and finally closed with “We Laugh at Danger and Break All the Rules.” Although the band cut down on the stage banter some they are still mighty energetic in their stage presence. Since it was still early everyone collected their shoes and floated out into the streets with a battle in their hearts in search of Irish stout and Mexican wrestling.

Now here is the set list for Against Me!, it is by album and if anything is wrong excuse me because I was rather drunk and thirsty, and somehow received a gash in my beautiful head:

Reinventing Axl Rose

  1. Pints of Guinness Make You Strong
  2. Reinventing Axl Rose
  3. I Still Love You Julie
  4. We Laugh at Danger and Break All the Rules [encore]
Disco Before the Breakdown
  1. Disco Before the Breakdown [encore]
As the Eternal Cowboy
  1. Cliché Guevara
  2. Sink, Florida, Sink
  3. You Look Like I Need a Drink
Searching for a Former Clarity
  1. From Her Lips to God’s Ears (The Energizer)
  2. Problems
  3. Don’t Lose Touch
Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!
  1. Americans Abroad
New Wave
  1. White People for Peace
  2. other new songs [the one Chris filmed in Richmond was played]







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    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 4:59 PM (EDT)

    They also played walking is still honest, up the cutts and two other new ones. They didn't play white people for peace. Rice and bread was also played as mentioned in another post.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 7:13 AM (EDT)

    against me? more like aGAYnst me! roflmao

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 2:15 AM (EDT)

    anyone else go to the Columbia, Mo show?

    I think the setlist was pretty much the same except they played T.S.R and Those Anarcho Punks are Mysterious and not Disco or W e Laugh at Danger ...

    I can't remember any other changes, can anyone else?

    Posted by mynameisbud on 2007-03-14 21:59:10

    seems kind of short, 14 songs for a headliner.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 9:36 PM (EDT)

    They still play the song reinventing axl rose? haha...

    Posted by mcgregor107 on 2007-03-14 13:45:37

    Faaack! I really wanted to go to this..
    I've even got my Against Me! shirt on right now!

    Posted by daved4 on 2007-03-14 01:37:13

    i totally could have gone

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 11:58 PM (EDT)

    ...my God, at Warped Tour one kid kept crowd surfing over and over. getting to the front, running to the back, and coming back up. it got so infuriating, especially because he had no shirt on and his ass was hanging out of his pants. eventually we just didn't catch him. he stopped

    your fault for going to warped tour, dude.

    Posted by JonDaley on 2007-03-13 21:45:51

    For some reason to me Rice & Bread's opening lyrics remind me of the opening lyrics to that new "Up The Cuts" diddy.

    Posted by jumptheshark on 2007-03-13 21:28:55

    "Even though I never crowd surf I have absolutely no problem with them as long as its not the same kid over and over again and as long as they arent flayling their legs"

    ...my God, at Warped Tour one kid kept crowd surfing over and over. getting to the front, running to the back, and coming back up. it got so infuriating, especially because he had no shirt on and his ass was hanging out of his pants. eventually we just didn't catch him. he stopped

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 5:49 PM (EDT)

    I think they also played Rice and Bread

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 5:17 PM (EDT)

    The Greatest Against Me video I have seen.
    Truely amazing
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F1ry2rjV6Y

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 1:06 PM (EDT)

    they also played walking is still honest...great show, no matter what you say about this band and their views or career moves, you cannot take away from their live shows....here's a link to "the disco before the breakdown"

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIrDvlhFq70

    Posted by therhetoric on 2007-03-13 12:36:56

    Pretty decent show, I had fun. I forgot to switch my glasses for contacts so I had a hell of a time keeping hold of the glasses. My problem with the crowd surfers at this show was they were doing flips and shit off the stage and landing on people tucked up in balls. Doing that means you land on like one person, which sucks. Being pretty big (6' 4" about 210 lbs) meant it didn't really hurt me but I saw some kids get taken the fuck out by this.

    Posted by passionisafashion on 2007-03-13 11:35:44
    My Score:

    The St. Louis show last night was awesome, mostly because of the crowd. Just about everyone in there knew every word. If there was any backlash for the Sire signing, that crowd didn't give a shit, at least from where I was standing.

    There were a few of those obnoxious girls there, two of which spastically started attacking the boys next to them and pulling them down by the neck while jumping up and down. But I guess there's always some faction of obnoxious people at any show.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 11:15 AM (EDT)

    One of the best tours i've been too. I hadn't listend to riverboat gamblers or fake problems before tihs, and now Fake Problems is near the top of my list. They are amazing

    Posted by primeevil7 on 2007-03-13 10:36:47

    Watching the Disco Before the Breakdown live? I'm envious.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 10:16 AM (EDT)

    on another note does against me ever play "turn those clapping hands into fists"....I know its a long song to play, but Ive been waiting for them to play that for a while every time i goto see them

    No, they never play it. that's why it's on their live album.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 9:34 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "on another note does against me ever play "turn those clapping hands into fists"....I know its a long song to play, but Ive been waiting for them to play that for a while every time i goto see them"

    I've seen AM! about 8-ish times since Eternal Cowboy's release, and they've played it every time except once, which was last Summer. So, maybe they've "retired" it, what with yet another new album coming out.

    On another note that will be brought up here anyway, Against Me! is fucking fantastic, and New Wave will be a fantastic record. If you honestly have so much against this band now, I believe you're focusing your anger in the wrong fucking place, my friends.

    It's fucking music. Enjoy it, or listen to something else.

    Posted by MikeStupid on 2007-03-13 07:15:07

    Crowd surfing as a result of stage diving? Awesome.

    Crowd surfing, as in getting picked up in the back and coming down on the backs of people's heads? No. Fuck that shit.

    Posted by ozmanx on 2007-03-13 03:10:44
    My Score:

    The score is for crowd-surfers as I too hate them. I don't want to look like some paranoid fuck always turning around looking for the next drop.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 3:08 AM (EDT)

    Even though I never crowd surf I have absolutely no problem with them as long as its not the same kid over and over again and as long as they arent flayling their legs....on another note does against me ever play "turn those clapping hands into fists"....I know its a long song to play, but Ive been waiting for them to play that for a while every time i goto see them

    Posted by JonDaley on 2007-03-13 01:24:55

    personally if crowd surfers wanna have fun I say let them if they are of a decent size, I'm a scrawny dude so I'll get crushed either way.

    Posted by wildo on 2007-03-13 00:34:40

    Anyone else hate crowd surfers? I don't understand it, its obviously pretty fun for the surfer but its so fucking inconsiderate to everyone else. I don't think anyone enjoys getting kicked in the head or having some asshole jump on them.

    Posted by wildo on 2007-03-13 00:32:59

    I was at this show as well, I was surprised at how many 15ish year old girls were there. Riverboat Gamblers have sooooooooooooooo much energy, WOW. Against Me! set was solid, a bit of everything. The encore was fucking awesome, so excited to hear Disco, and We laugh at Danger was a fucking awesome song to end the night on.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 12:24 AM (EDT)

    the gamblers, in my opinion, are stealing the show on this tour.

    Posted by julianminutes on 2007-03-13 00:17:17

    i was there. i was drunk. i lost my shoe during the first song.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 12:08 AM (EDT)

    Is Against Me! going to be the new Larry Arms as far as show reviews goes in 2007?

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