Concert review: Agent Orange live in Grand Rapids

Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill – 05 Oct 2022

OG OC punks Agent Orange are still delivering the goods four decades into their storied career.

I’m a big fan of Agent Orange. (The band, not the deadly herbicide.) Living in Darkness is probably a top 15 album of all time for me. I’ve seen the OC trio at least a dozen times, and continue to go every time they come anywhere near Grand Rapids. This show was originally scheduled for last year, but was delayed due to… you know. Don’t make me say it again. 

In general, I feel like show attendance has dipped post you-know-what. Agent Orange bucked that trend and sold out the admittedly intimate Tip Top Deluxe Bar and Grill. When they played the same space a few years back, there was plenty of elbow room. The Tip Top is generally more of a rockabilly/roots rock joint, but is one of my favorite venues in the city. 

Kalamazoo’s Thee Elder Gods opened the show with a spastic set of punk and hardcore. The trio is propulsive and herky-jerky, with very little melody. I’d seen them one time previously, opening for another ‘80s punk band, the highly underrated State from Ann Arbor. I enjoyed their set, but they are definitely best digested in short chunks. A few of us recognized their cover of Angry Samoans’ “The Todd Killings”. I did wonder what the aging crowd thought of Thee Elder Gods, who were much closer to power-violence than surf punk. 

Tip Top has an announcer/mascot named Farmer John. (He’s exactly what you’re picturing, plus a cowboy hat.) He’s the actual farmer who raises the beef in the (above average) burgers the bar serves. He introduces the bands, hands out the thank yous, and encourages good tipping. He also demands an encore from pretty much every band that plays. Thee Elder Gods obliged him with a spirited cover of the Dayglo Abortions’ 1986 classic “Argh Fuck Kill”. 

Agent Orange’s set didn’t exactly start out on a high note. It took several minutes to get guitarist/vocalist Mike Palm’s mic working. After they sorted that out, there was still some wicked feedback for a couple more songs. Still, Palm and company seemed to be in good spirits and truly enjoying themselves. They played most everything you’d expect. There were a bunch of songs from Living In Darkness (1981), and a couple from This is the Voice (1986). Of course there were surf instrumentals like “Pipeline” and “Misserlou”. These songs always serve to remind me that Palm is one of the best guitarists in the (punk) business. 

The dance floor at Tip Top is really too small for much dancing, let alone slam dancing, but that didn’t stop people from trying. I stopped at the edge of the beer soaked hardwood, sure I would fall on my ass if I went any further. The band fed off the energy of the crowd, who were right in their face with the very short stage and tight confines. Palm dedicated “Too Young to Die” to Loretta Lynn, and “Bloodstains” brought the audience to peak violence. “The Last Goodbye” wrapped things up nicely, until Farmer John came out and worked his magic. 

Agent Orange then tore into another surf instrumental, I can’t remember which, before closing with Dead Kennedys’ “Police Truck”. For 75 minutes or so, we were transported back to another time and place. When I was a younger man, 25 or 30 years ago, I was able to see classic punk and hardcore bands all the time. I guess I thought it would last forever. Now that I’m older, and hopefully wiser, I really savor seeing the remaining old school punk bands do their thing. Agent Orange still do their thing very well. 

Confessions of a merch whore: Agent Orange had a nice spread of T-shirts, patches, skate decks and stocking caps. They even had a skateboard keychain. I was tempted by the hats (a sad reminder that winter is right around the corner) and the Thee Elder Gods LP, but I don’t think Mrs. Trauma would have appreciated it. I did splurge by upgrading from PBR to Coors Banquet.