Here was "day 2" of my unofficial hardcore weekend, this time at Club Europa in Brooklyn. The last time I was here I was pretty disappointed they'd raised the stage what looked like six inches, because it made the entire place feel a little less intimate. But for some reason, it looked lower at this show, the air conditioning was running well and the lights weren't too intruding. Nice.
As the day before, traffic was also horrific, as cars crawled along the LIE and just getting to the Williamsburg Bridge was a nightmare. Consequently, my friends and I missed the split set from Richmond's Naysayer and Long Island's Backtrack.
Agent came on and played a good mix of all their EPs. A lot of LI fans seem to have made their way out for the show, as the band had a pretty strong reaction for a rare NYC appearance. Agent actually sounded downright fantastic; they rarely sound this precise and just generally together. It seems people are still warming up to the new 7" songs, even though the band has been playing one or two of them for a year and a half. Naturally, "I'm Fucking Sick..." received the biggest response, with kids suddenly bum-rushing the stage and diving off it onto a small group of others ready to act as a landing pad.
Set list (7:16-7:34):
- Anywhere Is Better Than Here
- Current
----- - I Am Job
- I'm Fucking Sick of People and Not Saying Goodbye
----- - Processes Incur Subconscious
- Tough Lake, Mr. Muenster
- Be Careful They're Ruffled
Set list (7:49-8:15):
- Live Dammit Live
- Homefront
----- - new song
----- - Out of Business
----- - Blind Faith
----- - I've Heard (Dag Nasty cover)
----- - Wolverines (?)
----- - ?
----- - 250 32nd
----- - On a Mission
Set list (8:32-9:06):
- Hard Bark on the Family Tree
- The Machinist
- The Same Son
- Bostons
- Life Is Hard Enough
- Watch Me Sink
----- - On the Bird in the Cage
- Something More Than Ink
----- - Pave Paradise
----- - Unbreakable
Set list (9:35-10:16):
- Some Came Running
- Can We Start Again
- ?
----- - Ante Up
- Superhero
- Pot Committed
----- - ?
- What Holds Us Down
- What Keeps Us Here
----- - Ali vs. Frazier I
----- - My Therapy
----- - Count Me Out
- Swan Song
I can't really complain about the set here, though. The band played fairly straightforward versions of Is Dead stuff, meaning it came together a lot more coherent than the sloppiness and weird tones the songs had live in the past. They played the "hits" from Troubled Stateside superbly and grouped together things sensibly ("Gravity/Grace" with "Small Skeletal"; old songs in one straight trio).
They also have a new member. Guitarist Gary Cioni's been moved to bass and the band has brought back one of their old guitarists. He held things down pretty well, and it was interesting to watch Gary showing him the ropes (again), helping him along on backup vocal parts for new songs or certain riffs.
Good times, as usual. But hopefully in June I can finally hear "Love" or "Four X's."
Set list (10:36-11:19):
- Everything Changes / Nothing Is Truly Ever Lost
- Bicycles for Afghanistan
- XXXX (The First 1000 Years of Solitude)
- Abre Los Ojos
- I'm on the Guestlist, Motherfucker
----- - Third Atlantic
- ...But You Are Vast
- Play It Loud Fuckers
- Long Song Titles Aren't Cool Anymore Because the Rest of You Fuckers Are No Good at It
- Amsterdamned!
----- - Gravity/Grace
- Small Skeletal
----- - I, Stateside