GO LOAF!

A month ago today, I had the distinct pleasure of going to see Archers of Loaf on their reunion tour in New York City. They were amazing -- every bit as much as they were back in the 90's when I saw them a Roseland, Tramps, Maxwell's, Irving Plaza...

They played almost everything I wanted them to. Among those: Strangled by the Stereo Wire, wrong, Audiowhore, and Dead Red Eyes. I would have liked them to play Telepathic Traffic, backwash, and the 3-song stretch on All the Nations Airports of Worst Defense/Attack of the Killer Bees/Rental Sting. But after 2 hours and as many encores, I can't really complain.

This show was better in ways than those back in the day. First off, the smoking ban is a flippin' godsend. No longer do you have to shower immediately after leaving a show. And equally nice: there was only one opener. In the 90's you'd to have to sit through 4 bands before the headliner came out. Here's to not punishing the fans.

And to top it off, I was feet away from Eric Johnson, and was able to grab his setlist. Yeah, I'm that bastard.

A great review of the show is over at Spectrum Culture. The writer captures the feeling of having been there, and has some interesting commentary about how the band, the scene, and the symbiosis they share, have changed since Archers' first run.