Kottonmouth Kings / Zebrahead / Riddlin' Kids

live in Seattle (2003)

FatTony

As I read recent reviews of live shows, I notice that everyone seems to agree on one thing, a first for this site. That is that they're sick of the same five shows getting reviewed over and over again. So, with that, I decided to submit this, a review I knew nobody else would submit on this site.

Besides, the Riddlin' Kids were there, so it was totally punk. Right?

Didn't think so, but it was worth a shot.

This was my first chance to see a show at the newly established Northgate Theater. As I entered the venue, two things ran across my mind. The first was how huge the place was compared to the Showbox or the Graceland. The second was how few people were there. The venue has a total capacity of about 2400 people, and there couldn't have been more than 500, tops, to give you an idea of how empty it was.

First up was everyone's favorite, the Riddlin' Kids. I'd been forced to suffer through this band before in order to see another of my favorite bands, so at least I knew what I was getting into. They plowed through their 30 minute set of generic pop-punk tunes with a moderate amount of energy. The crowd wasn't really into them though, except maybe a few people here and there. The highlight of their set: they didn't play their abysmal cover of REM's "End of the World As We Know It." Thanks guys.

Next up, the real reason I was at the show…ZEBRAHEAD. Tonight was the fifth time seeing them. This is one of my favorite bands in the world and one of the most entertaining bands I've seen live. Tonight was no different. They wasted no time getting the crowd riled up. They played many of the fan favorites and even a couple songs they don't usually play live, namely "What's Goin' On." They also treated us to a new song called "The Setup" and mentioned that their new album will be out on July 15, for anyone that might care. From what I've heard, the new album will be significantly harder than Playmate of the Year. Most memorable moment of the set: The lead singer demonstrating that only four chords are required to write a hit pop song, followed by snippets of Blink 182's "What's My Age Again," All American Rejects' "Swing Swing," Green Day's "When I Come Around," and one other song I didn't identify, all strung together in a nice, neat medley. Genius!

Kottonmouth Kings, like the Riddlin' Kids, are another of those bands that I saw against my will. And, like the Riddlin' Kids, the other time I saw them I was less than impressed. After a 30 minute wait between sets, Kottonmouth Kings took the stage…sort of. Note to anyone out there that's in a band: don't play more than one minute of intro music before you take the stage. Also, don't shine any bright lights into the audience…you never know who you may be blinding…like ME, asshole! Kottonmouth made us listen to about 7 minutes of intro music before they finally came out. But when they came out, the crowd lit up (both emotionally and literally) as the band launched right into "Suburban Life," the only song of theirs I can readily identify. While I'm not a fan of the band or their music, I have to give them credit for the amount of effort they put into their stage show. But a word of advice: lose the guy that does "the robot" and smokes pot the whole time…he's kind of boring. After about 15 minutes of their set, I started to develop a headache, possibly because of the music, so I decided to leave. Having seen them before, I don't really think I missed much, and they got a total set time of an hour and a half. There was no way I was going to make it through that much of the Kottonmouth Kings. There's only so much I can take.

The breakdown of the entire show:

Riddlin' Kids - 1/10 - Only because I can't give them a zero. I suppose they earned a point for not playing the REM cover.

Zebrahead - 10/10 - One of the few bands I can rely on to fully entertain delivers yet again. I wish they were headlining. I would have liked to see them play for longer and with better bands. If they'd headlined, it would have likely decreased the $20 ticket price as well as reducing the number of dumb meathead jocks at the show. One can only dream, I guess.

Kottonmouth Kings - 2/10 - Energetic, but bland music is still bland music, regardless of how much effort is put into it, and there's only so much punishment one person can take.

Overall, the show was pretty mediocre, aside from Zebrahead's set. I would suggest skipping this tour and catching Zebrahead the next time they make it to your area, since the tickets will be much cheaper and there's at least a chance for some better support bands.

Total score: 4/10.