Chicago, IL – 20 Oct 2023
T1 Fest Day Two
Friday night just happened to all work out. To simplify the access to Reggie’s, my wife and I booked a hotel less than a mile away. It was our anniversary weekend, so we were looking for some lovey/dovey activities aside from slamming into random strangers at a punk rock show. Less than a quarter mile from our hotel stands Moody Tongue Brewing. MT is the only Michelin star rated brewery in the world and it’s been on our must-try list for a while. The online reservation system said the restaurant was fully booked. I suggested we try to walk in right when they open. As luck would have it, we got seats at the bar. Moody Tongue provides a chill/quiet vibe and great ambiance. The food and beer are top notch, if you are looking for a low key upscale hang before hitting Reggies, give MT a shot.
We arrived at Reggies, walked in the door, got our wristbands, and were immediately greeted by some familiar faces: Josh and Patrick from the Raging Nathans. We all hugged and got caught up on their European tour. As we chatted, Zoanoids took the stage. If you’re going to a show, get your money’s worth and catch the opening act, they might just be your new favorite band. Zoanoids (wordplay on So Annoyeds?) grabbed my attention right away. They sounded like a combination of MxPx, The Lillingtons, and The Spits. Safe to say, I picked up what they were putting down. I hit the merch table and chatted with Cowboy and Joe from the band. I guess they got added to the bill at the last minute and hoofed it over from their lair in Kalamazoo to make the gig. I’m glad they did.
Next up we caught Hospital Job. They hail from Springfield, Illinois, and Luke McNeill (also of the Copyrights) provides guitar and vocals. I’ve seen these guys a few times and they always bring the indie punk rock mix in a way that will get your toes tapping. While HJ blew everyone’s minds, I talked to Nick from Raging Nathans. He clued me in on the Green Room backstage. I had ventured backstage with my VIP privileges, but all I found was a case of water. Little did I know of the secret world that exists deep in the bowels of Reggie’s. We started our D&D campaign by going out the back door and down a set of stairs, there before us stood the glowing green entrance to the room of the same name. Luckily, we didn’t have to fight off any Orcs to find the dodgy fridge that contains the PBR. Stickers and band scribblings adorned the walls. If you had a hunger pang, you could hit the meat and cheese tray. Reggie’s really looks out for the bands providing a shower and washer/dryer down there as well.
Flamingo Nosebleed took the stage as we emerged from the backstage curtains. We’ve seen these guys at Nightshop in Bloomington a few times. They represent Fort Wayne, Indiana, and started back in 2008. Glad to see they still bring the heat. I ran into Christian (The Raging Nathans) while I was checking out Flamingo and we ended up chatting about their exploits in Europe. We discussed the concept of walking down the street and having a building/wall/edifice next to you that’s ten times as old as anything in the United States.
We fought our way forward for The Raging Nathans. They opened with their backs to the crowd playing “Cemetery Drive.” Then they turned around, introduced themselves and jumped into “Waste My Heart.” Nick and Josh’s guitars assaulted the crowd while Patrick and Christian provided the machine gun rhythm. “Wasted time, wasted youth and debt.” The classic themes of disaffected youth that form the foundation of punk rock. The album Waste My Heart appeared in my top ten of 2021, and I still have it on heavy rotation. The Nathan’s touring has honed them to a razor-sharp edge and they sliced up their set and the audience. Some other standout tracks: “Freedom,” “Head in a Hole,” “Not Giving Up,” and “Because, Fuck You.”
Next Sack hit the stage, I slid down to the Green Room to procure a PBR. On my way back up I ran into Christian. He said I should be watching the show from the “Hawk’s Nest.” I had spied the upstairs viewing area that seemed reserved for the Illuminati. I had no idea how to get up there. He said you take the spiral stairs. Which made perfect sense because that was the only feasible way to get up there without going to another building. My only concern centered on the questionable condition of said staircase. I had visions of the “Tom and Jerry” cartoon where Tom goes up the stairs and they disintegrate behind him. Still, that vantage point literally put you on top of the band and I had to check it out. My wife and I headed up there and caught the rest of Sack from there. Kody and Ray from Teenage Bottlerocket switch things up with Sack. Kody gets to drop the guitar and front the band, while Ray takes up the bass. They ran through some of their classics including “Roach Clip,” “One Helluva Party,” “I Tried Suicide,” and “I Used to Give a Shit.” Kody sported a T-shirt that read “Eat Shit” and employed a fifty-foot-long mic cord that mostly remained wrapped up in his hand. I was hoping for a foray into the crowd ala Fucked Up, but no such luck. I should also mention that he had a personal cooler full of beers like Robert Pollard from Guided by Voices, which he did take full advantage of.
As I sat up in the Hawk’s nest waiting for The Queers, I really felt like my cup was running over. My wife and I had a great start to our anniversary weekend. I know she had a blast, but she probably didn’t picture attending a punk fest for her seventh anniversary. I felt thankful for our relationship and music is part of that. As we rode this euphoric cloud, The Queers hit the stage. Early on they pulled out a Screeching Weasel cover, “Like a parasite.” If the Queers weren’t Ramonescore, they would be Screeching Weaselcore; or is SW Queerscore? What came first, the chicken or the egg? Anyway. Joe Queer continues to flip father time off and crush every show. They ran through all the hits, “Ursula,” “Fuck the World,” “See you Later Fuckface.” At one point, Ray Rocket came out to slay “KKK Took my Baby Away.” By the end of the set, we were wiped. As we walked out into the cool autumn night, a nasty thought popped in my head… how could Saturday (T1 day three) measure up?
