Dag Nasty last night was pretty fuckin awesome. When I was 16 and missed the cubby bear gig I never realized it would be 28 years before I had the opportunity to see them. When the show was first announced I was really hoping that they were going to have Dave Smalley on vocals, not a big fan of the Dag With Shawn version of Can I Say. But he changed my mind last night, he's amazing live. And of course, Brian Baker. I mean, what else can you say?
Now, I'm not normally one to doubt how much of a fan anyone might be about any given band, but as I saw it, roughly 75% of the crowd just stood there staring at the stage, not even bobbing their heads, and giving a golf clap in between songs. I didn't get the feeling that they were there because they like the band. Like the guy next to me... he just stood there motionless the entire time EXCEPT when they covered Minor Threat, but after that he pulled out his cell phone and left. Didn't make sense to me. I'm not saying they had to be moshing and stage diving, cause well, the median age appeared to be about 45 and that could kill most of us, but show some excitement dammit! And kudos to the old farts that WHERE moshing and crowd surfing. I hope you're not TOO sore today lol.
First off it was an Epic show...Can I say was on very heavy rotation in my headphones and at the ramp in the mid-to-late 80s
hadn't really listened to it since the 80's but started again a few weeks back and still love it
At that time, while I was a huge DC and NYC hardcore fan, I didn't catch that many shows while a rabid fan living close to the epicenter hardcore (NYC --the dc bands came up all the time)
(still lamenting that 30 years later)
So Dag was always a bucket list band (with Rollins BF and Bifaria DKs) to see live
and yes Dave Smally is really the voice IMO...although listening to it today, I didn't realize how much he sounded like Ian (and Ian produced that album)
But I listened to the Dag with Shaun stuff and started coming around
I though he did a fantastic job on the vox
but the rest of the band was just stellar...BB's guitar work sounded fuckin' awesome and just made me smile a huge grin
Bass and drums were great too
I love how a sold out show at the black cat is not crazy packed unlike a sold out show at 930
the crowd....man I was really surprised, in that they were a seminal DC/HC band and that there would be some rabid old school fans. Kinda shocked how laid back most of the crowd was
I was mid way back dead center and I could see the front was rocking it out, singing along and raising their hands at the appropriated times
and there was a little crowd surfing (which is forbidden as posted at the entrance
)
Was nice we got Little Friend by Minor Threat!
