Bouncing Souls/Sick Of It All - Terminal 5, New York, NY - 9.19.08

Posted by Jes Tones on 09.24.2008

My favorite Jersey punks rock a new stage in NYC...

I was sick, like, lying in bed dying with the flu sick, all last week, but there was NO WAY I was going to miss the Souls show on Friday night, even if I do hate that stinking venue. Ok, “hate” is a strong word, but it’s a new venue and even with three different levels it’s been almost impossible to see anything at the shows I’ve been to at Terminal 5 so far. Especially the Raconteurs show, which they shamelessly oversold. That said, I stayed on the floor level for this show and it was not bad--the show wasn’t sold out and we actually had room to breathe and, god forbid, see and, well, even dance a little.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but I LOVE THE BOUNCING SOULS. I mean, I’m not one of those crazy BS lovers that gets the Souls’ name/lyrics/album art tattooed on my body, I don’t stalk them on Myspace leaving them weird comments (although I’ll admit I do like reading the ones other people leave) or yell out that I want to have (bassist) Bryan’s babies (actually that was my best friend, but she was really drunk so let’s give her a pass on this one, ok?), but I do nonetheless reserve a tiny, fortified, well-decorated, somewhat bizarre but permanent space in my cold, cold heart for these dirty Jersey boys. And Friday’s show was just yet another reminder of why exactly that is.


This show was probably the best I’ve ever seen the Souls, and I’ve never seen them bad. The boys charged on stage to the tune of Springsteen’s “Born To Run” and about midway through the show paid homage to another brilliant Jersey artifact--The Misfits--with a semi-acoustic cover of “Hybrid Moments”. At one point lead singer Greg Attonito even grabbed a ukulele and played a massively scaled-back cover of Sick Of It All’s “Good Lookin' Out”. The rest of the show was a perfect mix of hits from 2001’s How I Spent My Summer Vacation (“That Song”, “Private Radio”, “True Believers”, “Gone”--even “That Something Special”), as well as a few other treasured oldies (“Say Anything”, “Hopeless Romantic”, “East Coast! Fuck You!”, “Born Free”, “Here We Go”, “Kids And Heroes”, “I Like Your Mom”, etc.) and a few newbies (“The Gold Song”, “Lean On Sheena”), including one song fated for a promised upcoming album. Johnny X from Sticks and Stones came onstage as usual for a rendition of “The Ballad Of Johnny X”. In short, a perfect set. And the best part of it all was watching the 300+ pound burly ass Hulk-looking dudes shamelessly (and loudly) singing along and so stoked with classics like “Gone” and “True Believers” that it seemed as though they might just break down and hug each other right there.

So yeah, if it’s possible, I love these guys more and more every time I see them. Greg sounded great and looked respectable in his signature tie, long-sleeved shirt and trimmed haircut (although I still try to picture him with the pony-hawk from the early days), Bryan pounded on the bass like a rockstar and looked like the badass he is, bulky as hell, bald and wearing his signature wife-beater, and Pete, on the guitar, looking steadfast and almost shy. Michael, who just might be a vampire with those fangs of his, carried the show on drums and even busted out the spoons for the SOIA cover. They somehow managed to rock the flu right out of me and send me home swirling (or was that the beer?)--just what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately, I missed most of Sick Of It All’s set thinking I’d seen them before and wasn’t really into it--but based on the few tunes I did catch, I must have been mistaken. These guys rocked out and were downright fun to watch. I WILL show up to see them next time.

The Souls have a few more shows scheduled over the next couple of months and you can pretty much always count on them for Warped Tour:

10.10.08 - Chicago, IL - Riot Fest at House of Blues
w/ Lawrence Arms
10.29.08 - Washington DC - Black Cat
w/ Strike Anywhere, The Casting Out, Gimme Drugs
10.30.08 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
w/ Strike Anywhere, The Casting Out, Gimme Drugs
11.01.08 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
w/ Strike Anywhere, The Casting Out, Gimme Drugs
11.02.08 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
w/ Strike Anywhere, The Casting Out, Gimme Drugs
11.06.08 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse Music Venue
w/ Youth Brigade, Kevin Seconds, Nothington
11.07.08 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
w/ Youth Brigade, Kevin Seconds, Nothington
11.09.08 - Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park

The 411: These guys have been rocking out together for over 20 years now (with the exception of Michael, who replaced Shal Khichi on drums circa 2000) and are one of the few bands that seem to be able to evolve without losing that original character and intensity that made us love them in the first place. There’s nothing showy or glamorous about a Bouncing Souls show, you just really get the feeling that you’re at a party with all your friends, and four of your friends happen to have a kick ass band and you know all their songs, but somehow they still seem fresh. Good times.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]