For at least one night in November, punk was alive and well and seeping from every speaker into the eager ears of the youthful masses scattered throughout the Roseland Ballroom. By evening's end, the crowd, a large majority of which had come solely to hear the Bosstones, bore witness to a concert which highlighted both the sublime and the ridiculous elements of the current state of punk music.
Hagfish opened the show and set the fever pitch pace for the rest of the night, ripping through selections from their impressive release, Hagfish...Rocks Your Lame Ass. The power punk quartet seem to follow the current trend of punk bands who refuse to take themselves too seriously, thus avoiding any activity which might serve to diminish the irony and wit which is so apparent in their songs. With a sound which might draw comparisons to both Down By Law and Civ, Hagfish solidly sped through a brilliant, yet all too brief set of pure, unfiltered and infectious material, including both "Stamp" and "Bullet", two standout tracks from their current effort.
After a short break, the hardcore punk band Sick Of It All took the stage to promote its latest effort, Blood, Sweat And No Tears. Whereas Hagfish seemed to represent the recent onslaught of incisive, cutting and witty punk bands which have come to symbolize the most current stage in the evolution of punk music, it quickly became most apparent that Sick Of It All took its cue from many of its monotonous and all too abrasive predecessors. Selections like "Pushed Too Far", "World Full Of Hate" and "No Cure" were packed with impressive energy, yet were not much more than angry diatribes which lacked any degree of maturity or wit. Hardcore punk is inconsequential if it is nothing but an outpouring of anger minus the insight and humor which makes it relevant.
Fortunately, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the most eagerly anticipated band of the night also happened to be the finest, treating their fans to a variety of selections which spanned the band's entire catalog of music. The Bosstones' trademark of gruff vocals over a ska rhythm with punk guitars interjected throughout had never sounded better, the nine piece unit was tight and on the mark from start to finish. Highlights included "Where Did You Go?", fresh from the film Clueless, "Someday I Suppose", a selection from their 1993 album Don't Know How To Party and "Kinder Words" from their latest release Question The Answers. To their credit, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have brilliantly created a new and inventive twist to the standard punk music sound, showcased impressively at the Roseland Ballroom in midtown Manhattan.
