Original image of Citric Dummies by There Stands the Glass.
A handful of the 100 punks at the companion venues Farewell and Howdy on Thursday, October 5, propped themselves up with canes and walkers. The people half my age might have suffered their debilitating injuries in precisely the sort of mosh pits that made the concurrent shows dangerous.
Like the decrepit concertgoers, I deliberately put myself in harm’s way for three hours during performances by six bands. I felt fortunate to stumble to my car with only a wrenched wrist, a few bruises and ringing ears. I paid $15 admission for each show. A chronological rundown follows.
1. Konrad Hell and the Highwaters (Farewell) A friend’s description of the Kansas City group’s concept as spiritually akin to Sid Vicious’s cover of “My Way” is close to the mark.
2. C-Krit (Howdy) Even though the obnoxious miscreants are musically inept, their ultraviolent spewing was my favorite set of the night.
3. Citric Dummies (Howdy) The Minneapolis trio are Hüsker Dü hooligans.
4. Vintage Crop (Farewell) Shouty Australian indie-rock.
5. Alien Nosejob (Howdy) The Australians’ myriad variations of punk and garage rock exhausted me.
6. Jackoffs (Farewell) Punk fatigue and an aching wrist compelled me to surrender after 15 minutes of fury.