D Generation/The Biters Live Review-Troubadour, Los Angeles, Ca.
Real. Raw. Messy. Brutal. That about sums up the reunited band’s performance in Hollywood!! This was a highly anticipated show in this city and it was close to a sellout. The band blasted through 20 songs from all their releases, and usually at a live show you remember the beginning and end, the top and the bottom, and DGeneration slammed the crowd at both ends!
Opening the show with Jesse M. shouting, “Has anyone seen my boy?”, the band blasted into the Regan Youth classic “Degenerated”, which hit like a gutter punk rock punch to the chest (much more powerful version than the RY version, but not as macho as the Los Angeles Death Dolls version), and from there it was all up hill!
These guys came out sweating at the first swing, and it lasted through the whole set, as these guys still give it their all on stage, featuring all original members and a simple stage set up, much like their songs. The music is simple but carries a wallop, just like when I saw them a decade before at the Dragonfly. I never saw them at the big gigs with Kiss or Green Day, but rather in their element, where they always shined, in real and raw environments, like small and sweaty clubs. They pulled out their old trick of completely trashing the club with bags of shredded magazines, being tossed around by the band and crowd. (Note: Rebel Rebel “borrowed” this idea when we played out of town or in another country, as a feather pillow is harder for the clubs to clean up, not to mention harder to find! And magazines are plenty in any town, and all you need to carry is a few garbage bags to put the shredded paper in!) It was refreshing seeing a band that puts their all into their stage time, like it may be their last gig, and with this band, it just may well be, although there is a rumor of a new CD and full tour. All heart, energy and emotion.
I personally hope they just go out swinging like at this show, and finish with grace and balls! They closed the show with my favorite song “No Way Out”, and the whole crowd was moshing and singing along, old and young together in a punky and glam unison, proving you can still rock in America!
A quick note about the opening band, The Biters. You must see them live, good full frontal energy and even better songs, straight from the Sweet/Tom Petty/Ramones/Candy/Cheap Trick school of song writing. These guys play twin lead guitars live that are off the chain, not as catchy since Thin Lizzy days, some of the catchiest pop punk trash rock out there. Good haircuts, good threads, good stage moves, good songs = Good Times!!!
