On the very chilly evening of December 4, I headed to Seattle’s foremost punk club El Corazon to see NYC ska masters the Slackers. Due to a miscommunication it took awhile before my name was at the door so sadly I missed the openers (Simple Minded Symphony & the Bandulus).
I did arrive inside in plenty of time for the Slackers’ entire set. As many times as I’ve seen the Slackers, I think I enjoy them more each time. They even played my favorite song (Watch This). This tour celebrated the band’s 30th anniversary.
Half the six members wore masks on stage. Vic Ruggiero (lead vocals and organ) wore a two-toned checkered mask even when singing though he did remove it a few times when he wasn’t behind his keyboard.
One of the times he was maskless was when he came out from behind his keyboard with a sock puppet whom he had a mock conversation with, thanking everyone for coming out and keeping their masks on.
Sax player David Hilyard wore a black mask with a tube extending from it so he could play his horn. He also had on a large black hat so all you saw of him was his eyes and a few hairs sticking out under the hat.
Bass player Marcus Geard should receive an award for best mustache and the greatest smile. He always had a huge smile on his face and always looked like he was having the time of his life. Always impeccably dressed, he played a wicked bass perched on a bar stool.
Vocalist/trombonist Glen Pine comprised the two horn players. He strutted, and flitted about the stage, often leaning into the crowd who eagerly sang back at him.
Toward the end they did a medley of the Stones’ Get Off My Cloud and the Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go.
By the end of the show there wasn’t a still body in the house. Even though the club was maybe two-thirds full, I got jostled quite a bit.
Despite missing the two first bands (I will catch you next time), this was a really fun show and kudos to everyone who kept their masks on. The rest of the Slackers are Jayson Nugent who provided the band with much of their power on guitar and Ara Babajian kept the beat rock steady on Drums.
