Menzingers/ Big Eyes/ Crazy and the Brains

live in Brooklyn (2015)

nickEp

Redbull Sound Select, you’ve done it again! Offer me three-dollar tickets to see just about anybody, and I’ll show up. Offer me three-dollar tickets to see The Menzingers, Big Eyes and Crazy & the Brains, and I’ll even take a sip of your toxic energy beverage.

When I arrived, Crazy & the Brains were already on the stage. Hey, a xylophone at a punk show is pretty crazy right? For one, I’ve never seen a xylophone fit in anywhere this naturally since grade school. But also, I’ve never seen anyone play a xylophone quite like this. It was intense. Mallets were flying everywhere. Lead singer/guitarist Chris Urban’s fashion choices (a large gold chain and sailor’s hat) make a hell of a lot more sense when you think about him having to compete with that xylophone every night. Really fun impressive set from these gents.

Big Eyes were equally as entertaining. I was the least familiar with them but they fit the bill flawlessly. They were an incredibly tight outfit with the drummer being a noticeable standout. (All three men behind the kit at this show were beyond excellent. And then the aforementioned xylophonist, who again, wow.) Big Eyes kept the energy up even when Kait Eldridge’s vocals weren’t. The singer noticed halfway through the set and tried to get them turned up. From the back, though, it was to no avail. I hope everyone up front got a little more of her, because she was great.

Brett Davis hosted the night as some sort of professor/poet (I missed the explanation which I’m sure came before Crazy & the Brains.) When he introduced Big Eyes people weren’t really feeling it. When he took up time before The Menzingers, people were downright pissed. The shtick wasn’t amazing but I must commend Davis on his commitment to the bit. The crowd was angry but he pushed through. Also, The Menzingers were coming on any second. The guy deserved a break. Sheesh.

The Menzingers played one sweaty hour of good old-fashioned punk rock. Guns blazing, they didn’t disappoint. If you’ve seen them before, you probably knew that already. The set pulled heavily from their last two albums. “I Don’t Wanna be an Asshole Anymore” and even “Where You Heartache Exists” are surely becoming set staples, which makes me happy. Even my least favorite track from Rented World, “The Talk,” sounded great live. “Time Tables,” my personal favorite, snuck its way in there too. What I wasn’t expecting was the reaction for “In Remission.” Yes, it’s good, but usually songs from a new album don’t get the most love. Not the case here. Oh, also it was Greg Barnett’s birthday, so if you've been wanting a Menzingers' “Happy Birthday” singalong, you would have gotten it Tuesday night. The cover I was hoping for, Rancid’s “Roots Radicals” that they’ve been doing lately, never materialized. However, I’ll take closer “A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology” and stop complaining. Finally, we all got handed a gorgeous show poster and sent on our way.

Punk rock: cheap tickets brought to you by the nice people at Redbull?