 The Living End
Live at The Avalon, NYC by Matt Pullman
Ah, The Living End. A band that I’ve been waiting to see ever since I was a wee little middle school punk back in the Pennsylvania boondocks. The Aussie boys don’t tour these parts all too often so I was super psyched to finally witness their live show.
Before the show at NYC’s Avalon, where lines of fans who were waiting to get in had been forming an hour before the doors opened, the boys met up with die-hard fans and some industry peeps to have some brews and chit-chat. Discussions about the new album, touring the world, working with Billy Joe Armstrong were all conversation fodder. Some lucky fans won customized signed Living End Crumpler bags, which included the band’s entire discography inside and limited edition signed State Of Emergency vinyl.
Afterwards, the crew slowly stumbled over to the club to witness the boys rip-roar through an hour and change set. Highlights included the new anthems off State Of Emergency “We Want More” and “’Til The End”, the classic “Second Solution” off their self-titled 1998 debut and “Pictures In The Mirror” off Roll On. Bassist Scott Owen spun his stand-up bass around like a crazed lunatic, puckling feverously away at the strings while drummer Andy Strachan banged his snare and four top-hats at a frantic but incredibly control pace. Singer Chris Cheney completed the final piece of the puzzle with his Brian Setzer-inspired guitar licks and delivered on his promise of bringing the best possible show to the crowd. The boys were in top shape, jamming out several songs throughout the night and even busted out a new school rendition of “Mr. Sandman.”
The Living End lived up to my expectations on Tuesday night. The show was everything you could want; tight, fast and incredibly energetic.
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