REVIEW: Descendents bring empire live back to pop-punk glory days
08/07 @ Empire Live, Albany
Photo from artist Spotify
“ Descendents played an absolute dream setlist for even a casual fan, stretching back from 1981’s Fat EP, all the way through 2016’s Hypercaffium Spazinate.”
I need to preface this review with one thing: Descendents are my favorite band, so this will not be an unbiased review. For literally forty years and counting, this band has been a part of every moment in my life. In the last thirty or so years, I’ve seen Descendents play several times, both in small clubs and at huge festivals.
I can honestly say, Thursday night at Empire Live was the best show I’ve ever seen them play, and that is saying a lot.
I rolled up to Empire Live about 30 minutes after doors opened. With me was BJ Schwinghammer, who is not only my longtime friend and new host of Unsigned518’s Weekend Spotlight, but also a Descendents fan seeing them for the first time.
The crowd was already quite lively for a Thursday night. There were a few dozen out front in the “smoking corral” and plenty more inside.
I was happy to see the diverse crowd when we got inside. While disappointed that I didn’t see any liberty-spikes, there were enough punkers in battle-vests and combat boots to soothe my soul.
Opening act, Liquid Mike, came out and blasted through their first four songs without a single word. Hailing from Michigan, Liquid Mike are very quickly establishing themselves as songwriting powerhouses, having released five studio albums in their five years of existence.
When frontman Mike Maples finally spoke, it was simply to ask what baseball team we all liked. When the response was less than unified, Maple joked “Man, fuck you guys! You don’t even know what team you like,” before launching into another song.
While their inter-song banter may not be their strongest suit, Liquid Mike has incredible songs, and a rock-solid stage presence. I was especially impressed with their trumpet player/keyboardist/vocalist, Monica Nelson, who adds a necessary layer to their sound.
Teen Mortgage, the power-duo out of Washington D.C., came on next. The started with a wall-of-noise buildup that seemed logistically impossible with just a single guitar and drums. Once singer/guitarist James Guile declared “We’re Teen Mortgage and we’re from Washington D.C., which means fuck Donald Trump and fuck ICE” they came in like a shotgun to the face. Relentless, powerful and political, their set absolutely blew me away. Guile must have superhuman lung power, because it seems though he never takes a breath between blistering verses. Rapid fire and pure punk rock, Teen Mortgage definitely had the crowd's attention. Their use of pre-recorded interludes was a great touch. From a sped-up “It’s My Party (And I’ll Cry If I Want To)” to a crowd-unifying “Solidarity Forever,” which saw the entire place with one hand up high, swaying back and forth.
At one point, Guile declared that he would like a circle pit for the next song. While at first, the effort seemed reserved, by the end of the tune, the pit was achieved.
I’ll give it a solid 7 out of 10.
By the time Teen Mortgage wrapped up their set, Empire Live was packed nearly wall-to-wall. It was as if the crowd magically doubled without me even noticing.
The energy that built while the Descendents crew set up the stage was insane. While normally the set-break sees an exodus of folks heading to the bar, bathroom or to catch a smoke, nobody left the floor. In fact, the crowd made a noticeable shift forward as people got in position for the literal inventors of pop-punk.
Then it was time.
The foursome walked out and were all smiles. Well, except for Karl Alvarez. The Bassmaster General is all business.
Drummer Bill Stevenson walked to the front of the stage, asking if everyone was “doing alright.” What was very noticeable to me was the genuineness in his questioning. I really felt as if he would have gone around the room and personally made sure everyone was comfortable before starting, if given the time.
As they took their positions on stage, guitarist Stephen Egerton declared “The first time I ever had Buffalo-style chicken wings was at the QE2.” The crowd erupted at the reference to the revered club, and Descendents launched into “Everything Sux” from their 1996 album, Everything Sucks, their ‘comeback’ album after a nearly eight year hiatus.
Descendents played an absolute dream setlist for even a casual fan, stretching back from 1981’s Fat EP, all the way through 2016’s Hypercaffium Spazinate.
While tending to lean more towards social rejection, reading books and drinking coffee than politics in their songwriting, during the song “‘Merican,” Milo did aim direct political fire mid-song with the proclamation of “Fuck the Government” and for the second time of the evening, “Fuck Donald Trump and fuck ICE.”
Then gleefully went back into the song's chorus of “Listen up, man, I’ll tell you who I am. Just another stupid American. You don’t want to listen, you don’t want to understand. So, finish up your drink and go home.”
“No Fat Burger” is a song about Milo’s inability to eat unhealthy food anymore, due to generational heart issues, so it makes sense that he sought out Wizard Burger across the street for dinner. If you are unaware, Wizard Burger is a vegan food joint with burgers so good, the unassuming would never know they were eating vegan.
While tearing through the song “Weinerschnitzel,” (which, while it is a short song at just ten seconds, is nowhere near Descendents’ shortest) Milo changed the words from “Welcome to Der Weinerschnitzel may I take your order?” to “Welcome to Wizard Burger may I take your order?”
While it was a very small detail, it was really cool for me to hear the local shoutout and the nod to healthier living. While Bill Stevenson joked “You want ice cream with that? Yes!” after Egerton remarked “You want a salad with that? No!”, it felt as if behind the scenes, the dudes were taking care of themselves, as they all looked amazing after nearly four decades of this current lineup.
In summation, before I get in trouble with my editors for rambling, I just want to say that the evening was perfect. The staff at Empire Live were on point, at times distributing bottles of water to the sweaty crowd (who would immediately spray the water over the crowd like a geyser of welcomed coolness) and making sure the crowd-surfers were safely removed and re-deposited into the pit. The crowd was supportive, positive and electric, and all three bands were at the top of their respective games.
While waking up for work a mere four hours after getting home may have made me feel every minute of my 52 years, make no mistake about it – for three hours last night, I was a teenager.
To Karl, Bill, Stephen and Milo: thank you, for playing the way you play.
