NOFX

Feb. 21, 2001, House Of Blues, Anaheim
Review and Photos By: Scott Harding

So I get to the new "Disney Downtown" and Im thinking what a weird place to have a punk show. I have been to the House Of Blues in Hollywood and I think it's a cool place so I was pretty interested in seeing this new one. When I got to the H.O.B. I noticed all the punks hang'n out and I couldn't help notice the looks of all the old people and their families when they noticed all the spiky hair and mohawks. "Welcome to the happiest place on earth!!" Anyway it was pretty amusing. Once inside I was able to slam back a few Long Island Iced Teas before the first band started. So I make my way down to the stage and to the front to snap some pics. I was pretty upset to find that they didnt allow me to take any pics with flashes (even though they gave me a photo pass) in the front at first so the shots you see I had to take while ditching the security.  Later I found a cool bouncer that isn't care so I got some good pics of Tilt  until his bone head boss came and damn near kicked my ass out for using a flash. So you'll notice the NOFX pics suck ballz......sorry.

So the first band to kick off this show was Fabulous Disaster. 4 chicks that fucking rock! I haven't heard of them before this show  but I have to say, damn they fuck'n smoke! With punchy guitars and slam'n drums, Fabulous Disaster took the H.O.B. by storm. Their singer ran the stage with power and authority. The thing I think I like most about this band is the way they sing. It seemed like they all sang at the same time throughout most of the songs. It was almost like the way Bad Religion sings their harmonies. It was very tight. Although they kicked ass, the crowd look at the stage like a deer in headlights before it gets slammed by a semi. Im not sure what was up with the crowd but  they kinda sucked until NOFX came on. Come on people! Support the other bands too! So right before they stopped playing I figured I would grab a few more alcoholic beverages before Tilt and head up to the bar. When I got there I noticed that even Fat Mike was enjoy'n Fabulous Disaster! Yup, there he was next to the bar slowly banging his head to the music!  Anyway,  Pink and Black records send me a copy of their new cd coming out very soon and I highly recommend it to any fan of NOFX, Tilt or any melodic or not melodic punk lover out there. They have a few shows coming up with Propagandhi at the palace and the Glasshouse so go there and check them out. In the meantime check out Fabulous Disaster's site and CLICK HERE!

Click da Pic

Tilt was up next and right away Cinder came tear'n in to the songs with her aggressive style of singing. After a few songs Cinder, looking disappointed, tried to get the crowd to be more active saying that is was ok to pit. But once again the BORING crowd just sat and stared. OK Ill give credit to one punk that tried to form a pit but no one even tried to get their slam dance groove on. Lame, lame lame. So Tilt played on regardless and to my surprise they played a well rounded set of both old classics and newer soon to bee classics. I like it when Cinder sticks to the personal lyrics. She's one of the best song writers in punk today. Even though the political songs sound odd coming from TILT they can pull it off very well. And she has one talented band to back he up. A very good show by Tilt once again, and I can't wait to see them again.

So now the moment we were all waiting for....NOFX! Before they went on I was talking to a few hotties that had NOFX stuff written all over their bodies and they couldn't stop telling my how excited they were to see NOFX. Sure, I said that the crowd sucked, but that was before NOFX came on. It was pretty cool to see the excitement right before they guys came on to jam. I guess they were all there just to see NOFX. But I have to say NOFX has some pretty dedicated fans! All I could hear now was every person in the venue chanting "NOFX! NOFX! NOFX!" 

So after chanting along with the crowd for about 10 minutes they finally took the stage. Shit...they didnt even begin playing and people started slam'n! I guess they were holding back from the other bands to save their energy to rip shit up for NOFX. NOFX are all about playing for their fans, so it's only natural for them to talk to the crowd a bit and let them all know how shits been and crack a few jokes. So with that Mike and the boys started do'n what they do best.....punk'n out! So here is where the crowd finally starts act'n like a crowd! Bodies started fly'n every where! Pits started to emerge on just about every inch of the floor of HOB. It's pretty cool if you think about it. Here is a band that has never been on MTV, purposely refuses to be played on the radio, rarely does interviews yet still manages to keep a crowd com'n back even after all these years. Now that's punk! Although I was very disappointed they played "Bottles To The Ground". No, it's not because I dislike the song...it's actually one of my favorite. It's the fact that at the Warped Tour 2000 in Anaheim, Mike announced that they would never play that song again live because shitty local radio station KROQ was play'n it on the airwaves. Oh well, ya can't keep all promises! And I guess it was a good thing to because they kicked ass at that song! Playing everything from "Six Pac Girls"  to  "What's the Matter With Parents Today" NOFX played a bit of just about every release they have put out. They even had Melvin whip out the accordion to play a live version of  "Theme Form A Nofx Album" and all the guest singers came out to sing their part. That was a great way to end the show. NOFX has gone from a small punk band to become the best punk band ever. More talent comes from this band than no other I have seen live. So if you are one of the less fortunate that hasnt seen them live the get you lazy ass out from under that rock and go see them!