That’s right, “The Live Experience” is back… it’s been awhile. So, as I was saying, last Friday night (October 5th, 2018) was awesome. I traveled back to my old stomping grounds of Denver, Colorado to witness the legendary Suicidal Tendencies perform live at the luxurious Summit Music Hall… what an awesome venue! That’s not all, Madball was on the bill and I’m a huge fan so that made it extra badass.
The place was packed, the line to enter was down the entire block. I thought there is no way I’m going to be front and center for this gig. However, that was not the case. Everyone was super spread out and making my way to the front was a cake-walk. To get this party started Clusterfux hit the stage and I didn’t know what to expect. Dude, let me tell you, once Clusterfux get warmed up they crush it. They are an excellent Hardcore Punk band that bring the riff and the speed, talk about a sore ass neck the next day, but it’s all good because we have copious amounts of ibuprofen… just kidding. Be sure to check out Clusterfux on Chain Reaction Records.
Next up was Madball and did they deliver! No joke, Madball live is a band you need to witness before you leave this planet. Holy shit, never a dull moment, every track is brutal, fast, and you will lose your voice from shouting along. Of course, they performed the classic tracks, “Set It Off”, “Smell The Bacon”, “Look My Way”, “Infiltrate The System”, and more. It was f@#$ing legendary, be sure to give them a listen.
Afterward, it was time for the mighty Suicidal Tendencies to hit the stage. The crowd went wild, there was crowd surfer after surfer, flying beer cans, and everyone was having a great time. Vocalist Mike Muir was all over the stage and brought one hell of a presence. His onstage mosh dance was like a powerful crab with blades for arms that was ripping through a door… there is probably a better way to put it but I’m not a wordsmith. Guitarist, Dean Pleasants brought the riff and it was infectious! Everyone was banging their heads, it was awesome.
Then as I glanced at the drums, I noticed a familiar face behind the drum kit. It was Dave Lombardo, formerly of SLAYER. Between Muir and Lombardo I was pretty starstruck. Midway through the set and throughout the night, the band invited fans up on stage to rock out as well. There were kids, ladies, and gentlemen of all ages having a great time… they even started moshing on stage and some dude was protecting Lombardo’s drum kit, it was insane! It was awesome when Lambardo did a little Slayer double bass drum solo from “Angel Of Death”.
While all this greatness was going on, I couldn’t help but notice how f@#$ing awesome the Summit staff/security crew was. They would alert you of oncoming crowd surfers, hook you up with water if you were thirsty, and carry you off if you were wasted. That’s some first class service for a metal show lol. Finally, after playing for a good hour or more, ST ended the show with “Institutionalized” and it everyone from front to back was chanting the lyrics…
“I’m not crazy, institution
You’re the one who’s crazy, institution
You’re driving me crazy, institution
They stuck me in an institution
Said it was the only solution
To give me the needed professional help
To protect me from the enemy, myself”
So there you have it, the gig was awesome, the beers were $8 each, the ticket fees online were kinda brutal, and I Uber’d so I have no idea about parking… BUT IT WAS AWESOME! Sorry, I didn’t take any photos… I’m not a slave to my smartphone, I like to party instead. Talk to you later, stay safe, if someone falls… pick them up, and be sure to crank up some heavy metal.
