Whether they are your favorite punk band, or just some band that you see a lot of merchandise from, The Misfits have managed to implant themselves into American culture more than any other classic punk band. Also, unlike many of their contemporaries, the Misfits are still around! Yeah I know, Danzig isn't with them, but he hasn't been for a long time and both he and Jerry seem just fine with that. So get over it, and lets see what the Misfits have to offer...
The opening act was supposed to be Graveyard Boulevard, featuring former members of Frankenstein Drag Queens. However, they no-showed the event while still sending out a merch girl to set up shop at a table. I found that kind of tacky, so lets move on with things...
The Sex Slaves DID show up, and they surprised the hell out of me. Imagine a cross between Social Distrtion and Guns N Roses and you pretty much have them down. I can tolerate most bands in that punk influenced rock n roll style, but these guys kick some ass. I had never heard of these guys, and odds are you haven't either, so if you're into some good, fun NYC rock n roll, check these guys out.
http//www.sexslavesnyc.com
Sex Slaves Myspace page
Then came the Misfits and...NO...Danzig wasn't with them!!! Some people in the crowd seemed shocked by that, despite the fact that he hasn't been in the band for decades. the band is now a three-piece withr Jerry Only did most of the vocals with guitarist Dez handling a few songs and oldschool Misfits drummer Robo back in the fold. It was loud, it was fast and it was one freakin punk rock classic after another. There were some sound problems that plagued the set, but the band kept going and I didn't care, because after all, its Punk Rock, it's not supposed to be perfect. "Last Caress", "De Die My Darling", "Teenagers From Mars" and every other Misfits song you could want to hear was torn through in rapid succession. The only down part of the night was around 20 minutes of uninterrupted material from the Micheal Graves era. I understand the inclusion of those songs and respect that they want to honor the entire histry of the band, but perhaps they should mix those sogs up in the set to keep the momentum going a little better. "138" finished up the set and then Jerry immediately sat down on the stage and started talking to fans and signing auotographs.I've come across so many new bands with one hit song that ignore their fans, so to see a legend like that take so much time with every fan really drove hoe the point of this web site for me.Jerry is smart enough to know where his money comes from, and that without the fans, he is nothing.
So, though it might not be the Misfits you heard on the cds, its still a great feeling to be right there in the crowd while Jerry is tearing it up. A million bands have immitated them, but noone will ever match them.