NOFX - House of Blues - 1/17/12
NOFX House of Blues Sunset Strip
Timothy Norris
1/17/12
See also: Our NOFX slideshow
Better than ...All of the other shows NOFX played this week
After nearly four hours of opening bands, NOFX finally took the stage in front of a packed house at House of Blues Hollywood last night. Lead Singer Fat Mike enticed the crowd: "Tonight is going to be the best night of your life." Judging by the exuberant sea of fist pumping moshers in the pit, this may have been true, at least for some.
Not only was this the only night NOFX played "The Decline," their 18 minute punk rock masterpiece and rant about the problems with politics and society, they also surprised the audience by doing a special (though sloppy) live recording of "Doornails," featuring opener Old Man Markley.
Not everything was a surprise, however. NOFX bantered with the crowd, picking audience members to make fun of to pass time between songs. No one was spared, including the sound engineer, a black guy wearing a Rasta hat; Fat Mike and El Hefe referred to him throughout the show as "sound mon" (fake accent and all). Fat Mike also commented on the abundance of old guys rocking in the pit.
When he wasn't making fun of audience members, Fat Mike spent most of his vocal downtime complaining about having to play and laughingly threatening to end the show early. It only got worse when, after seeing the pot clouds hovering above the pit, Fat Mike and El Hefe demanded to be passed a joint. Things promptly got sloppy. ("I don't smoke, I coke," insisted Mike.) Still, they got through many crowd favorites including Murder the Government, Eat the Meek, and Don't Call Me White, and everyone seemed to go home happy.
Despite some of the shortcomings, this sold out show highlighted the fact that old guys can still hold their own in a mosh pit. That's enough to impress anyone reliving the glory days.
Personal bias: This reviewer almost dusted off her hi-top All Star Chucks and safety pin collection to honor the high school version of herself.
The Crowd: The perfect mix of old people, high school kids, and skater guys who mistakenly brought their girlfriends (a bit of advice ladies, don't wear high heels to a punk rock show). Oh yeah, and a handful of hardcore punks who dressed the part, held/threw their shoes in the air, and got the mosh pit going.
Random notebook dump:One of the happiest discoveries of the night was that there wasn't a single hipster in sight. But, there were a lot old white guys, including some who looked caught between their past and present. (I'm talking about you, Mr. Fancy Sport Coat over a Black Flag T-shirt, sipping cocktails in the back).
See also: NOFX - Occupy LA - 11-28-2011
Set list below.
Location Info
Venue
House of Blues Sunset Strip
Map
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