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One of the most influential punk bands ever to grace the face of the earth performed May 17th for the first time in over 7 years! The venue was The Key Club in Hollywood and the band was the Circle Jerks! When I first found out that the Circle Jerks were forming again I thought I was hallucinating! But a quick visit to their website proved it to be a fact. Immediately I rushed out to buy a t ticket and I'm glad I did! When we arrived at the Key Club I couldn’t believe how many punks were hanging out front. Liberty spikes, leather, patches,and Mohawks was all I could see as people lined up outside the Key Club hoping to score a ticket. As I waited to get in I was very glad I had got my ticket ahead of time because they were turning away people at the door because this show was sold out! But I wasn’t surprised. I mean this was The Circle Jerks first show in over 7 years! Right away I noticed a few celebrity punks also waiting their turn inline to get in. Amongst them were Lee Ving from Fear and Jordan from Strung-Out. I talked to Jordan and he told me that he was filming the show for a sequel to his excellent music/boarding/motorcycle video called Eargasm. (By the way he gave me a copy of Eargasm so check back soon for a full review of it, it was fucking incredible!) If the second one is anything like the first one Ill be the first to get it! So I finally get in and I noticed the first band was on. Now I don’t know who booked this show but you would think that they would have a nice selection of punk bands to start off the festivities right? Nope! Instead they had crappy rap meets metal bands play! Ya know, the kind that all sound like Limp Bizkit? What the fuck were they thinking?!?! Boy was I pissed! And so were many of the other punks in the crowd as they booed and gave the middle finger salute to the bands performing. Now I don’t know if all the opening bands were like this but I knew the first 2 were so I decided to skip the rest until The Circle Jerks came on. So im sorry but Im not going to review the other bands because either didn’t like them or I didn’t see them.
So I headed downstairs backstage to the bar only to pay $8 for a fucking
beer! Shit, where Im from I can buy a 12 pack for $8! And then the
bartender gave me a dirty look when I didn’t tip him! Shit, any beer
that cost over 4 bucks doesn't deserve a fucking tip! But what do you
expect from a flashy place like the Key Club. As I was sitting there I
noticed that there were even more punk celebrities chill’n there too
including Pennywise’s own Fletcher and Dr. Know’s founder and front
man Brandon Cruz! It was pretty cool to see so many punks there to support
the Jerks! Then I noticed that there was a mini stage set up backstage
where word had it that Lee Ving was going to perform an acoustic set! And
that he did. Although he did it after the Circle Jerks performed Im going
to tell you about it now. Now for most it’s really easy to see Lee Ving
onstage with a full band backing him shouting and jamming to hard kick ass
punk tunes like “Beef Baloney” and “More
Beer” and having the crowd go ape shit. But this wasn’t the case now.
Instead picture and acoustic guitar, a harmonica and Lee by himself
singing these same songs along with some classic country tunes in front of
a chilled out crowd! It was fucking amazing! I have seen Fear about 5
times and this was completely different. Lee showed off the fact that his
talent stems much deeper than just punk rock. And you thought he could
sing in Fea ,you should hear him acoustic! Now I'm not sure if this is
going to be a new thing that he is going to do but if you get a chance to
see him perform solo I highly recommend it! So anyway, I headed back up to the main area to see if the Circle Jerks were going on soon. The place was fucking filled to the rim with people! And they were all there for on reason and one reason only, to see the Circle Jerks! As I made my way up front the Circle Jerks took the stage and the crowd immediately went ape shit! Keith briefed us all on how this was the first time they have played in 7 years and they might sound a bit rusty and to bear with them. Then he proceeded to introduce the rest of the band, Greg Hetson on guitar, Zander Schloss on bass and to be honest I'm not sure who was on drums, I think it was Keith Clark but I'm not sure. From there they ripped in to “Wild In The Streets” and it was all punk rock from there. People started pitt’n and stage dive’n and the bouncers started getting nervous. In fact one started acting like a total ass and was pulling kids off the stage as they tried to dance with The Jerks. But that all came to a halt when Zander pull him a side and told him to knock it off. After that it was stage divers left and right, hell I even hurdled my fat ass off the stage a few times in full respect of The Circle Jerks! For not jamming in a long time I have to say they did a great job. There was a few mishaps but hey man that’s what punk is all about right? Raw, loud and ass kick’n! About half way through the set they guys decided to take a short break. Some people got scared thinking that it was the end of the show but everybody was yelling for more. 5 minutes later it was back to the chaos with the power chords of non other than “All Wound Up” “Beat Me Senseless” , “Junk Mail” and a slew of other classics. I'm not sure but I think the whole set went something like this:
And I cant remember the last few. But anyway it went something like that. All and all it was a fabulous show! It was great to them again and it was good to see that Keith is doing well and able to jam again. For those who missed this event fear not because rumor has it that The Circle Jerks are warming up for a tour! Check their website for more details at www.thecirclejerks.com.
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