MxPx is one of those bands that, even if you're not a huge fan and don't own every album, you still make an effort to see them live. I did last night, and it was super-fun.
I've only seen them perform once, back in April 1998, which was preceded by a chance meeting with them. Even though they've been around for nearly 15 years, they still seem very down-to-earth guys who just enjoy playing live music and having fun.
There were three opening bands, two of whom were local. I missed the first two, but the third one, Laruso (?), was pretty decent. The show had to start early because it was at a venue that, at 10 PM, turned into a club for, ahem, alternative lifestyles.
MxPx came on a little after 8, and launched right into their set with tons of energy. You can tell there's really something special about these guys. I mean, anyone can get a bunch of punk rock kids to jump, but to keep them jumping for nearly two hours takes magical powers or something. But they did it.
In the middle of their set, they took requests. It's amazing that a band with such a huge catalogue can still be able to pull off playing any song in their repitoire at a moment's notice. Of course, most of their songs have three chords, but it's still pretty impressive.
It's also cool that these guys still appeal to such a wide audience. I was probably one of the older people in the crowd, but the bulk of it was made up of teenagers. I also happened to see someone bring a little girl who couldn't have been any older than six. But, I guess if you're going to bring a six-year-old to a punk rock show, then MxPx is probably the most wholesome one to see.
Their earliest stuff is pretty hard-core punk, but they've been through several phases ranging from hard-core to power-pop. I think their sound works best when it's a mix between the two, as heard on the "Life In General" album.
The encore included a cover of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," originally by the Proclaimers. And, as always, they ended the night with "Punk Rawk Show." They mentioned coming through SLC again this summer on a club tour, and I can't wait.
1 comment:
Hi there. I enjoyed reading parts of your blog. Hope you don't mind terribly. Probably the best live show I ever saw was GWAR. Ages ago. I made the mistake of wearing all white to the show, and came home covered in fake blood. You know you had a good time when you come home covered in fake blood. Take care.
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