FLAG, DRI, Subhumans, Casualties, Lower Class Brats, Funeral Dress, Retox, Molotov Compromise, Catholic Spit
I’ll be completely honest: I didn’t even plan on attending any of the PRB shows this year. I thought the 2013 lineup paled in comparison to last year, and the fact that I had to work on Friday and Sunday further complicated matters. Sure, there were a few bands scattered throughout the weekend that interested me like 7 Seconds, Agnostic Front, Bad Religion, D.R.I., Flag, and Subhumans, but I hesitated to buy tickets. I can’t say I was all that bummed when I found out all of the shows had quickly sold out.
Fast forward to PRB weekend, and a friend from California contacted me saying he had an extra ticket for the final festival day. I was still hesitant to go to the show, as an old friend from work passed away that Friday after a short fight with cancer, but I figured some live music might help take my mind off things for a bit. Also adding to my reluctance was my own health; I ended up battling a stomach bug for the duration of Sunday, but I was feeling a little better by Monday night.
So even though I was still a bit queasy, I made my way downtown on Monday evening in hopes of seeing Subhumans, D.R.I., and Flag. Unfortunately, I almost puked on the concrete as soon as I parked my car and stepped out into the downtown air that was filled with the stench of dirty punks and Pabst Blue Ribbon. My initial thought was to turn around immediately and head for home, but my spirits began to pick up as I clued in on the Subhumans’ “Peroxide” playing somewhere off in the distance.
After a short trek through various downtown alleys to the PRB festival area, I settled in to watch one of my all-time favorite bands. The UK Subhumans were one of the first punk bands I discovered as a teenager after purchasing the EP-LP at the old Tower Records on Flamingo and Maryland, and their music served as a very early introduction to issues like animal rights and politics. It was really cool to hear some of those old gems live, and the band also played at least one cut from 2007’s Internal Riot, which only made me wish for more new material from the Subhumans. The band ended their set with the always awesome “Religious Wars.” and as they broke down their equipment, I thought about just how relevant their music remains all these years later.
Next up was Houston’s own thrash metal punks, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles. I actually thought D.R.I. stood out a bit on the bill, and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I do find it slightly odd that the majority of punks (a sub sect that can be notoriously close-minded) seem to give them a free pass after they morphed into a more straight up metal band with albums like Crossover, Four of a Kind, and Thrash Zone. In fact, I joked with a friend about seeing the video for “Suit and Tie Guy” debut on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball as they played the song live, and there’s no doubt that a lot of D.R.I.’s later material is more suited for longhairs than the mohawk punks that probably dissed them when they initially “crossed over.” That personal observation aside, the band ripped it up as usual, and I saw plenty of folks attempting to imitate their iconic “skanker man” logo in the pit.
The grand finale to the entire PRB weekend was probably Flag, a group consisting of former members of various incarnations of Black Flag, as well as Stephen Egerton from the Descendents/ALL on guitar. I certainly can’t deny that I was excited to see these guys play, and I was a little distraught when they started out flat after dealing with some technical difficulties on stage. The sound was also really off for their set, and it wasn’t until I put in some ear plugs that I could actually hear Chuck Dukowski’s bass in the mix.
At any rate, Flag kept cranking along, and they eventually picked up some steam after the first few songs. Of course, they played almost every pre-Rollins Black Flag song that I wanted to hear (the ever meticulous Jon Hey later pointed out that the only cuts he noticed missing were “Damaged II,” “I’ve Heard It Before.” and “My Rules”), and they also included a few of the more popular jams from the Rollins’ era like “My War” and “Rise Above,” which Keith Morris nailed in his own unique way. Dez dropped his guitar and gave Keith a break from the mic toward the end of the set, but as cool as it was to see him sing for a bit, he was obviously out of shape and faded out pretty quick. I left before the encore and listened to “Louie, Louie” as I walked back to my car.
I should probably feel bad for missing the other bands, but I was lucky to see the few groups I did, and Steven caught some photos of everyone. At the end of the night, I was glad I went to the show, even with a sour stomach. After all, it’s not every day that three classic bands play in a row on the same bill.
Maybe next year we’ll get to see Greg Ginn’s version of Black Flag with Chavo on vocals.
-Lance Wells
Photos by Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/
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