Fangbase - Reviews

Saphire Supper Club, Orlando,

26th October 2001

also

State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL

28th October 2001

I attended the shows at the Sapphire Supper Club in Orlando, and the State Theater in St. Pete Florida, and they were probably the best shows I've been to.

Ol' Drac was in fine form, and was even more dapper than usual. But it was the insane Captain Sensible who stole the show again in his awful leopard print jumpsuit. I was also very impressed with Pinch's drumming. This has to be one of the greatest live bands ever.

Democracy
New Rose
Song.com
Wait for the Blackout
Would You be so Hot if You Weren't Dead?
Plan 9
Amen
13th Floor
Neverland
Absinthe, which Rocks!

Then for the encore Captain returned wearing a hideous pink wig, and a tutu, and sung HAPPY TALK from South Pacific. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. And it's all his fault that I've got that soundtrack on vinyl.

Eloise
Thrill Kill
Neat Neat Neat

And another encore, and lots of blathering between songs. Something about Patti Smythe making great songs, but being a horrid excuse for a human being. blah blah blah. Fuck John Lennon! Michael Jackson is a genius.blah blah blah. Funny shit!

Disco Man
She
Love Song
Smash it Up parts 1 and 2...

...Which was very cool, It had a lengthy introduction with some nice guitar work from Sensible. This song had really been fleshed out like an epic of sorts. Amazing!

The setlist didn't vary much from night to night, but they were all so damned tight, that it's really a moot point. And since they were in different cities, there were only a few of us who noticed.

At St. Pete's rather chaotic finale, Cap pulled a girl onstage from the crowd and handed over his guitar. She just stood there making feedback, while he flailed around shrieking with his bare ass hanging out of his tutu. I put my camera away at this point.

You realize, of course that I'm cheating, and I took Cap's playlist at the end of the Orlando show. But, they did play a couple that weren't on the list, and my brain is just too rattled to recall what they were. Yeah, there was lots of new material, but I think Grave Disorder is quickly becoming my favorite Damned album, so I'm not complaining!!!!

I wasn't expecting to see Dave leap off into the crowd, to split up a cat fight, but sure enough that's what happened in St. Pete. Both the crowd and the band were really upset, that this stupid brawl went on for as long as it did. I only mention it because it's worth mentioning how professional the band was in handling the situation. I'm sure they've seen their fair share of shit over the years. Dave pulled the band back onstage, and after hurling a few well deserved insults, carried on as if nothing had ever happened.

It's also worth noting that I got to talk to all the members, at least once, and they're really cool people. It's nice to meet someone we all admire and find them to be human beings, and not boring rock snobs.

I could go on and on about this, but I feel like I'm only telling you what you already know.

Openers - The Briefs rocked. Vintage sounding pop punk with snazzy suits. I've been playing the shit out of their CD the last two days. I highly recommend them, and gladly give them Muck's Seal of Approval. Arf Arf.

aloyzius P

Another for St. Petersburg...

The St. Petersburg State show was awesome. That was my first time seeing the Damned *not to be my last*, and it was great. I've become a rather big fan of the Damned.

The show was lovely. The only thing that sucked were the occasional fights. The most annoying one being between two girls who, for some stupid reason or another, interupted the Damneds show and started fighting. Vanian himself lept into the crowd to split that one up *you go boy*. Besides that, the night was the best. at the end of the show, my best friends boyfrieds best friends *ooo, niiice*, ex GIRLFRIEND, was pulled up onstage by Captain and was handed Captains guitar. Lovely for her. We were all then shown how nice the Captains ass looks in a pink tutu.

All in all, a WONDERFUL show. Now Ijust sit and wait for the next... yup... just waiting...

~amber~