All Rise

Although I got to see Pegboy, a permutation of Naked Raygun, numerous times in the early '90s, I never got to see the original Chicago punk band in concert. That was rectified on Friday when the reunited group played the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.

I have to admit the set started off slow. It seemed like Jeff was talking his way through songs, and the guitar was waaaay too low. But four or five songs into the set, the band was sweating, slashing, and chugging its way along through songs as if it were 15 years ago. Except for the Misfits, I can't think of another band with more sing-along "whoa-oh-ohs" and the rows in front knew them all. "Home of the Brave," "Soldier's Requiem," "Knock Me Down," and "Treason"--no hit was untouched, including a cover of SLF's "Suspect Device."


The encore kicked off with Shot Baker helping out with the vocals on "Wonder Beer." What's with Chicago and drinking? The weather? But I digress. The song selection was great, the pit was moving but not annoying, and the band's chops are better than ever. The group is known for some bluesy riffs, sci-fi militaristic themes, and blue-collar ideals, but the vibe remains 100 percent punk.

I thought I'd see a ton of people I knew at the show, but nope. Of course my friend Craig from UCLA was holding down the fort. I also chatted with a GR reader, and she and I tried to remember exactly where we met. I think that's Atiba with the camera in the bottom left of the photo, but I was only introduced to him once and didn't want to be a stalker.

Tour's over, so you'll have to wait 10 more years or visit the Midwest to see the band in the near future. The DVD release show in Chicago is loaded with all sorts of incentives...