Review: D.R.I. and Intent – Live in Grand Rapids

The Pyramid Scheme – 17 Apr 2022

D.R.I. are still wrecking necks four decades into their career.

I struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that the Dirty Rotten Imbeciles are touring to celebrate their 40th anniversary. While I can’t claim to have been there at the very beginning, I first saw D.R.I. 32 years ago. The band was at their peak popularity, and was touring behind their most commercially successful album, Thrash Zone. It was one of my favorite shows ever, and I never stopped going to see them. I’ve seen them play for big audiences at festivals, and for a handful of people at a small club. It seems like they’ve always been a part of the soundtrack of my life. I’ve seen them at least a dozen times over the last three decades. 

I showed up to the Pyramid Scheme in downtown Grand Rapids on Easter Sunday just a few minutes after the show started. I ran into some friends in the front bar and never made it back to see the local opener. Sorry Mooch Globe. I heard good reports. I’ll try to do better next time. 

I did tear myself away from the conversation in time to see the other touring band. Intent are a younger quartet from Arizona that play straight up, old school thrash. They have only an album and a demo under their belt but they’ve got their sound down. It’s hyperspeed riffs with plenty of chunky breakdowns, and Death Angel-like lead vocals. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meat and potatoes set. I know I did. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd when D.R.I. hit the stage. While the room is not that big, (420 capacity), when the pit opened up, it felt full. The pit waned surprisingly little, especially considering the band played for nearly 90 minutes. That’s probably too long for most club bands, but the depth of D.R.I.’s catalog justifies it, at least for the faithful. The vast majority of us hung in there until the bitter end. 

They opened with “The Application” from Definition (1992), and closed with “The Five Year Plan” from Crossover (1987). In between there were tons of songs from Dealing With It! (1985), 4 of a Kind (1988), Thrash Zone (1989), and Full Speed Ahead (1995). Their debut, Dirty Rotten EP (1983) and their newest EP release, But Wait, There’s More! (2016) were also represented. The short, early punk/hardcore songs were well interspersed with the longer, more metallic thrash songs to keep things interesting. 

Personal favorites? “I Don’t Need Society”, “The Explorer”, “Dead in a Ditch”, “Dry Heaves”, “Acid Rain”, “I’d Rather be Sleeping”, “Beneath the Wheel”, “Abduction”, “Slumlord”, “Syringes in the Sandbox”, “Nursing Home Blues” and “Think For Yourself”, just to name a few. Other highlights? The crowd went most insane during the mosh classic “Thrashard”. “Argument Then War” and “Violent Pacification” (my all time favorite) took on extra significance in light of the current state of the world. 

The most impressive thing is probably the fact that after 40 years, OG members singer Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy still seem to have a passion for this music. It’s a real testament to their perseverance. Despite being highly influential, they never quite broke into the mainstream like some of their contemporaries. Their blue collar work ethic has kept them on the road and relevant. 

There were a ton of younger people at this show. (Not just the normal 80 or so of us old punks who typically show up for these things.) It was encouraging, and the kids were treated to a great show. D.R.I.’s music has aged well, and is still finding an audience with another generation of punks and headbangers. It definitely wasn’t folks my age who kept the pit going all night!

Confessions of a merch whore: I’ve spent a small fortune on D.R.I. merch over the years, but not on this night. I’ve pretty much got everything they had to offer. Unfortunately, there was no vinyl. Intent had some cool T-shirts, but there were long lines after the show. Still, I’m kicking myself for not grabbing one.