Spongebob Squarepants

When I was really young and started going to shows I literally liked anything. I loved bands like the Partisans, Cocksparrer, Exploited and tons of other horrible street punk. I was really into bands like You and I, Joshua Fit For Battle and a bunch of other scream bands. Bands like From Autumn To Ashes, Poison the well and Thursday all appealed to me and Alkaline Trio was one of my favorite bands. Literally I was one big confusing sponge of music. What else could you do but be confused if you saw a kid x'd up with liberty spikes, a poison the well tshirt in fucking army boots and a vest covered in studs and horrifyingly bad street punk patches.I know what else you could do...call me retarded. For the most part a lot of the first shows I went to were in Philadelphia, for whatever reason that’s where I ended up and that’s where our parents were willing to drive us. Another one of the first shows I went to, which I will never forget was at The Rotunda in Philly on 4/06/01. Breaking Pangaea opened the show, the singer now sings for Taking back Sunday. I still think this bands name rules because Pangaea was what the landmass was called when all of the continents were connected to each other before they broke off….but anyway, The Ivory Coast played and so did Sweep the Leg Johnny. Sweep the leg Johnny had a saxophone player (no they weren’t a ska band) and to this day he was one of the most intense, awkward, uncomfortable front men I have ever seen in a band. Me and my friend Jeff got to the show real early and stood up front the entire show because we wanted to be there for Alkaline Trio, the show was sold out, and when Sweep the Leg Johnny played I literally had so much of the singers sweat on me I was soaked, it was disgusting. If you’ve never been to the Rotunda it’s a really small place, probably only fit like 250 people in it and this place was packed from wall to wall. Alkaline Trio had just come out with From Here to Infirmity and when they played Private Eye I’m pretty sure I peed my pants a little bit. I wish I was into stealing setlists back when I was younger because they played some shit you wouldn’t hear in a million years these days at an Alkaline Trio show. I remember they played I Lied my Face off which is one of my favorite Alkaline Trio Songs, I’m pretty positive they played Maybe I’ll Catch Fire (the song) too. Overall the show was fucking amazing, I got the Hell Yes 7” which is apparently worth a ton of money these days, too bad I sold it for like a buck to someone. My legs were so cut up from being pushed against the stage, it was one of the more painful things I’ve experience from going to shows. Jeff’s dad had pizza in the car waiting for us when he picked us up for the ride home…FUCKING AMAZING. It’s so weird how you remember the little things like that. Actually, never mind…I could never forget good pizza.