"This song is not about violence. I wrote it when I was 21-years-old and confused. 'Eye for an Eye.'" Vocalist George Hirsch introduces this blistering slab of hardcore punk and the people in attendance go nuts. In addition to being possibly the heaviest song that Blacklisted has, its title incorrectly leads people to believe that it is an anthem of vengeance. Halfway through the song, a fight breaks out between two large men, and as one drags the other across the entire length of the venue's bar and rains punches down, the band stops playing. I guess due to some compulsion to weigh in on the situation, I walk up to George and say, "So much for it not being about violence." He stares straight ahead at the melee, watching his words being misconstrued yet again in the form of a brawl, and shrugs.
After security handles the situation and ejects the men, guitarist Jon Nean starts playing the opening chords of the band's one and only slow song, dare I call it ballad, "Wish." This does not last for long, though, and he stops. They regroup and kick back into "Eye for an Eye" at a crucial moment: the primal, double hit of the tom-tom and the song's vocal refrain. As the kids scream along to the final part of the song, Hirsch has to remind the crowd yet again why he wrote it in the first place.
The show proved to be a tug-of-war between tough-guy posturing and progressive, melodic hardcore evolution. Local act Probable Cause represented the former, urging people to mosh as hatefully as possible, and even congratulating their friend who succeeded in hitting nearly every person in attendance as he windmilled along an entire side of the club. This is what's wrong with hardcore.
The Boston band, The Carrier, is a promising young band that has melodic guitar riffs with shouted vocals. Their set inspired many sing-alongs with kids piling on top of each other to crowd the stage. Rhode Island's Verse are a little more melodic and received the same reaction as The Carrier. During their set, a fight broke out between two girls. Apparently, Girl No. 1 was dancing too close to Girl No. 2, and this was not taken lightly by Girl No. 2. It was resolved quickly, but then they tried to start it up again. Something tells me this does not happen at Josh Groban concerts.
2008 Woodie Awards
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