The Queers

Live In Casper (2011)

punk_sk

It wasn't a night for the record books, but it was cold outside. Inside a building more designed for holding 4-H ribbon awards and dog shows at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds, the Queers were playing a show that night.

First to play was local band, Good Morning Tonight. There was nothing special about this band: generic mallcore. It's hard to believe they would have even played this show unless the promoter was trying to fill out the bill. Their merch was designed with "loud" designs worn better on the t-shirts of similar acts of no notoriety. The only thing that stood out was the Blink-182 tattoo on one of the guitarist's arms and the fact it was the bass player's last show.

Next to take the stage was Denver band Reno Divorce. I was highly surprised and amazed by this band. They sounded a lot like Social Distortion but if Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) was singing lead vocals. Their next release is a must check out for me.

Third to the stage was Riverside, Cali.'s Knock Out. During their set I started to check out, drank too much too fast without eating within the past few hours. They're not a bad band, ska-punk similar to the Have Nots, but I wasn't exactly digging them. My friend, who caught the tour a couple days later recommends them to the fullest, which is good enough for me for to go a second round.

Now, typically speaking a local band is unlikely to play right before the headliner but this band is like no other. The Front put on a killer show. I've seen them three times this year and they always put on a better live show then their recorded material puts on. Their position on the bill not only solidifies how great they are live but their friendship with Joe Queer, who took them on tour over the summer and produced their last album Snake Oil Salesman. It was during their set I noticed just how hard it was to hear the vocals despite me standing stage front, center and no more than four feet away from singer Lauren Bezold the entire set. They played a couple new songs dedicated to a couple members of the crowd, myself included for various reasons.

Finally, it was time for the Queers to take the stage. This was my first Queers show, despite their long history as a band. Their set just moved along with little interruption, playing a number of fan favorites. Again, the vocal problem existed. Unless Joe was singing the chorus (which I knew the lyrics for) I could barely understand him. I was upset when the set came to an end at 11 p.m. as every band had gotten an even 30 minutes although every band (Good Morning Tonight) did not deserve such a set time.

I really enjoyed myself that night, though. Even though it was my first Queers show where most of you have probably seen the group 20 or 30 times over, all the bands were professional and sounded great. My only complaint is with the vocals during the final two bands performances.