Goldfinger, The Vandals and Flogging Molly
Pacific Amphitheater
Orange County Fairgrounds
by Gary Schwind

Things sure have changed since the last time I saw a band (Royal Crown Revue) at the OC Fairgrounds. They used to hold the concerts in the same area where they judged the prize animals. Maybe not, but that's how it looked. The concert area used to be a stage and a lot of bleachers. Now, the concert venue is a big amphitheater. I don't know the capacity of the place, but I'd say it holds as many people as the average NBA arena.

We arrived shortly before The Vandals took the stage, which means we missed Goldfinger's set. Now, I have to make the disclaimer that I'm no expert on The Vandals. That being said, I think we have The Vandals to thank for all the pop-"punk" bands of today. If I had to guess, I would say that a lot of kids grew up listening to records of The Vandals and tried desperately to sound just like them.

For now, that's all I'll say about The Vandals, but I'll return to them later.

Flogging Molly took the stage and the entire amphitheater erupted with applause. They immediately had people singing along with them. From "Drunken Lullabies" to "Within a Mile of Home," the audience sang along. It had the feel of a European football match or a drinking session at a pub in which all the patrons sing the old favorite drinking songs. Flogging Molly also included perhaps the longest interlude I've ever heard when they sang "Black Friday Rule." Dave King ripped through the first couple verses, then remained on the stage with the lead guitarist, the bassist and the drummer. The interlude included an extended guitar solo, lots of dancing by Dave King and even a discussion of football. (What the rest of the world calls football, that is.)

And all the while, people sang, clapped and danced. That was the big difference between The Vandals and Flogging Molly. When The Vandals were on stage, some people stood because they were really into the music. Others of us stood because the people in front of us did. While lots of dedicated Vandals fans sang with the band, it didn't have the same atmosphere as when Flogging Molly played. 

I think every band could take a lesson from Flogging Molly's live shows. They are a shining example of how fans will get behind you if you pour your heart and soul into your performance. Now, I'm not saying that The Vandals had no energy. What I am saying is that it takes a little more than a few jumps and screams to show the audience that you're really into your performance.

I know The Vandals have been around a long time and they don't need me to tell them how to perform, but I'm going to take this opportunity to make an observation. For the final two songs of The Vandals's set, the lead guitarist was also the lead vocalist. When he took the microphone, he said that he just wanted people to have a good time and he wanted people to like his band. During the final song, he did some 80s hair metal fast fingering on his guitar and stalked from one side of the stage to the other doing the sort of thing Hulk Hogan used to do when he wanted crowd participation. You remember that, right? He'd go from one side of the ring to the other and put his hand to his ear. That's exactly what the guitarist did. Here's my take on that: if you're doing your job, you don't have to plead for crowd approval. Flogging Molly didn't plead for crowd approval. They didn't have to. As soon as they took the stage, they had the attention of everyone in the place. (With the exception of the girl next to me, who was so inebriated, she vomited between her feet and spent the entire show doubled over in her seat.) 

Allow me to close with some advice. If you are in a band, no matter how long you've been playing, go and see Flogging Molly live. A Flogging Molly performance is everything a live performance should be.
 

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