RATM / Anti Flag show at the Target Center in Minneapolis
This was an awesome kickoff to the weekend. Jim flew in from Boston on Wednesday, I met him and Heather at Nancy’s apartment downtown, then we headed to the show. Anti Flag kicked ass (I hadn’t seen them before, but Jim was very familiar), and Rage absolutely rocked.
They’ve gotten better every time I’ve seen them, starting with their reunion show last summer at Coachella, and continuing with the mud-pit extravaganza at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin last fall. The mud pit was super fun, but the performance this time was unparalleled.
Leaving the show, there were HUNDREDS of riot cops all dolled up in full gear and weaponry waiting for the ostensibly inevitable post-Rage mayhem to ensue. When it didn’t, they got antsy, and started egging on the crowd, calling them “pussies,” etc. Minneapolis’ finest, indeed.
We stopped by the Local on the way back to Nancy’s place for a Guinness and a Bushmills, then called it a night.
The next morning, Jim and I hit up the News Room for breakfast. Killer food there, and excellent booze selection, despite the shoddy service. I introduced Jim to the beverage I invented (I think – quick google search didn’t turn up anything) – the White Mexican! As you might imagine, it’s made like a White Russian, but with Tequila Blanco (your choice) instead of the vodka. It’s awesome. We decided since the WR is also called a Caucasian, the WM needed an alternate nomenclature as well. “Conquistador” immediately occurred to me. They were white, they came to Mexico, engaged in all kinds of violent behavior when they got there, and it starts with a “C” – sold.
NOTE (09/11/08): Talking to a dude at work, he has a friend that’s been making “White Mexicans” for years – “He makes them in pint jars and tends to get obliterated.”
Jim took the train to the airport at noon, and I hung out with Heather until my flight to Texas at 8. Stay tuned for the texas report coming soon…
MC
RATM will play Target Center in Minneapolis during GOP convention!
Looks like Rage will be playing the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Tickets go on sale Saturday morning – I’m getting a buddy to try to score some for me since I’ll be camping. Anyone know if this is a BYORS (Bring Your Own Riot Shield) event, or will the 98273409238 cops there have extras, considering the result last time they played a political convention?
Hit me up if you wanna go…
UPDATE: got two presale tix. They’re seats, which sucks, but there was no GA available. Still trying to get some GA ones.
Our basic freedoms, man…
This weekend was Paddle Fish Days in Madison Lake (where Heather’s parents live). I don’t know why they call it that, because there didn’t seem to be much paddling. I do know they have a fish-kissing competition.
On to the important stuff – we skipped pretty much everything and went straight to the beer garden/band concert thingy. We dragged Luke and Kyle
along, and met some people we knew there also. That’ll happen in a small town. The locals were complaining that beers cost $3.
This band called IV Play
was playing a bunch of cover tunes – your standard G&R, AC/DC, whatnot – they weren’t completely untalented. Eventually, after some beverages passed, they started playing some more… motivating music. Some Manson. Some Rage. Kyle and I decided to go up front (where nobody had yet begun acting appropriately in response to these tunes) and shake things up a bit. Well, big local D-bag decided he didn’t like these antics, and after a song or three made the decision to remove yours truly from the show. We waltzed to the edge of the crowd, at which point I assertively disentangled myself from him (injuring myself in the process – a very deep cut indeed)
and made my way back up to the front for the end of “Killing in the name of,” and further celebration of my basic freedoms along with the other dozen or so people that had awakened to the example of our righteous behavior.
The shocking thing is that I experienced more anger and violence at this tiny hillbilly cover band street festival than I did at the Manson and BOTH Rage shows I went to last year, combined! Even the band was like “don’t kill each other guys” – I mean seriously – who plays Manson and Rage and then tells the crowd to stop throwing a few friendly elbows… Buncha amateurs…
Here’s a link to album with all the pics (just a few more):