A Review of Madball at The Champ.
So let me start off by saying I love Madball. They are one of my top five favorite hardcore bands of all time, so this review is completely biased. I also will say that I am not the kind of reviewer that wastes time on describing set lists and nit picking song selection. This is just my views on a great night of hardcore at the Championship in Lemoyne. I arrived at six and decided to come back as no one was really there yet. I also noticed behind the usual rope corral the Champ has been famous for there was a kid with a metal detector wand. I was confused but it was at the request of Madball’s booking people and therefore a one time deal. There was also a no re-admittance policy which seemed a bit extreme, but was another Madball request. I am sure if any other small band requested such things they would be laughed at but this is Madball. They are legends and could likely win the argument if it came to it.
So the wife and I left and came back around seven to find a mass of people outside in the corral. It literally looked like a corral this time. Like cattle being led to the slaughter down the small narrow hallway into the Champ record store and then the venue. Being that it was hot and humid outside the short walk into the store was nice and cool. Then once in the venue the heat mixed with the smell of body odor was, well, a typical big show in the summer. We had missed Cruel Hand but I caught a bit of Miles Away, who were good but I guess my old cynical ways caused me to not stay the whole time. I missed Outbreak but caught much of Reign Supreme who were impressive and there singer was energetic and engaged the crowd well. It was hardcore, nothing out of the ordinary, just good stuff.
Wisdom in Chains came up next and I must say having only seen them one other time I was blown away. They had so much energy and just command of the room. Singer Mad Joe, who is an oldhead in the hardcore scene, was not only commanding the stage but was funny as hell. He told stories, he help to defuse a bit of a scuffle during the set. I remember him saying to the people involved in the spat once the song ended “It’s quiet now, you can’t fight when it’s quiet!” After things calmed down the room erupted when they played “Fighting in the Streets” and from that point on it was a series of sing-a-longs and pile ons. I have seen a lot of bands in my day and these guys are now my new favorite newer band. They play hardcore the way it was meant to be played, fast, heavy and with sing-a-longs. They are fun, catchy and most of all really down to earth guys. When their set ended I was thinking if Madball wasn’t playing this still was worth the money I paid. Following a band like Wisdom in Chains would be tough for anyone, except Madball.
So there was a good 30 minute wait between Wisdom in Chains and Madball. Normally I would have been pissed or maybe even left as it was getting later and later into the night, but this was Madball. Their roadie was telling people not to sit behind the stage area, which is small, not some big club kind of thing. Those things again while annoying was ok because it was Madball. Sure it seemed kind of a rock star kind of thing but my respect and others for this band was greater I guess. Finally after a long wait they made their way on stage. Once they started nothing mattered anymore. Not the metal detectors, the no re-entry or the restrictions on where people could stand. It was all about watching one of the greatest hardcore bands ever play a small venue in Lemoyne PA. They pretty played everything I wanted to hear and some new stuff I have not heard. The crowd started off kind of sluggish I thought. I would imagine due to the heat, the Wisdom in Chains set, and the fact that it was late on a Thursday night. By the middle of their set things started to get crazy as I had expected. The pit was not huge but was moving and the pile ons were getting bigger with each song. Freddie Madball was his usual talking to the crowd about the importance of knowing where this scene came from and all the typical hardcore cliche’s. The difference is they are coming form a band that actually knows what they are talking about so again it was fine. They ended after playing a slew of songs from every record including “Set it Off”, “Demonstrating My Style”, “Look My Way”, “Infiltrate The System”, “Nuestra Familia” and more from their newer albums all the way back to the original 7″. Then the chants for “one more song” began which is not usual at a hardcore show but like I have said earlier, this was Madball. They came back and played two more for the encore. they ended with “Pride”. The crowd rushed the stage and the ensuing pile on began. It was the perfect end to a great show. It gave an old guy like me a chance to remember why I got into hardcore 20 years ago. Just seeing good bands and kids going nuts makes this stuff fun for me still. I am a grumpy old cynical jerk most days but last night I was 17 again.
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