On the evening of November 3, the Showbox Sodo hosted the triumphant and long awaited Seattle return of California punks NOFX. Lead singer/front man Fat Mike came out sporting a mohawk along with a short kilt and a new Bush/Quayle t-shirt. The significance of the latter was a mystery since much of the band’s songs tout left wing leanings. But then this is a band that puts fun ahead of everything, so I’m sure this was a joke. His Mohawk was the perfect complement to shirtless guitarist Eric Melvin’s (Mel) ever present long braids.
One of the first things Fat Mike did was to make a jab at local punks MXPX, saying NOFX was better than they were. When the band lit into We’re the Brews I had a bird’s eye view of the floor to see it was a non-stop seething, writhing sea of bouncing and moshing bodies with flailing arms and legs flying about as crowd surfers tumbled over the barricade.
The venue was packed wall to wall and the moshing and stage diving only increased when the band played Idiots Are Taking Over. Mel’s harmonious screams echoed beautifully throughout the cavernous hall.
At one point I was amazed to see a dude who looked like he was at least 40, get on stage and do an amazing stage dive. Fat Mike said this was the best show of the whole tour.
Coincidentally for me was their playing Perfect Government as it’s a song that’s been popping into my head frequently for at least the last couple weeks.
It was Mel who seemed to have the most energy as he constantly leaped about the stage, his long locks whipping about.
El Hefe blew a mean yet smooth trumpet on the songs with a heavy ska influence such as Eat the Meek. Otherwise he kept pace with some wicked guitar licks. He often strutted from one side of the stage to the other.
Drummer Erik Sandlin pounded and slammed in grand punk style.
They ended the entire night with their usual Theme From a NOFX Album, but had to change some of the lyrics from when it was released 15 years ago. They are now over 40, not over 30 but definitely still doing fine. The song features Mel on accordion. As the band left the stage one by one, Mel stayed on playing the same notes on the accordion. A stage hand pretended to guide him off stage, but he returned without stopping his playing of the same notes over and over again.
Finally he left the stage, the house lights went up and hoards of sweaty bodies began streaming from the club. This show defined what punk rock is all about – loud, sweaty, noisy and wild.
On stage prior to NOFX was a band from New Orleans called Pears. Pears is led by vocalist Zach Quinn, a wiry, skinny dude with skin tight pants and no shirt. He screamed and growled into the mic while leaping about and barely standing in one place for more the a few seconds.
They definitely got the audience riled up. The remainder of Pears is Brian Pretus, Guitar/Vocals, Erich Goodyear – Bass and Jarret Nathan – Drums.
Opening the night was a band hailing all the way from Tel Aviv called Useless ID. This quartet was a lively bunch – hard core punk without being overly screamo.
They definitely possessed the punk rock sound and personality.
My only beef with the entire night was the club itself. I had requested ADA seating 24 hours in advance and was told to let the staff know when I got there. I did this and got told ADA seating was sold out so if it got full I’d have to move. I managed to sit through both opening bands, but since my seat was way in the back of the club and my vision was partially blocked by a pillar, I went to the front of the club to take pictures. I returned to my seat for the encore and got told my seat had been taken and the ADA seating was sold out and full. I could see my seat. It was vacant and said so. But no, the dude guarding the ADA section said my seat was taken. It so obviously wasn’t. I guess I have to look disabled in order to be allowed to use ADA seating. I will, however, do a shout out for the NOFX fans in attendance. They let me stand in front of them to take pictures and when one dude saw me hobbling down the steps as we exited the club he offered me his arm. All in all though, this was a fun night of punk rock.
