I wrote up a list a few years ago of things I must do in my life before I turn 25, and throughout, it has been continually been updated. One of the items on the list from the start though was to see RANCID headlining a concert. Ever since I was 14, RANCID has been a big part of my punk rock life. Play me a tune, and I’ll name it — heck, I’ll probably sing the whole darn thing to ya. Their music is ingrained in my brain. Tonight was the satisfaction of one of my many dreams. And it fucking ruled!!

The night started off on a bad tone though when my arrangement for an AFI interview seemed in jeopardy, when both the club, and RANCID’s management denied me what I thought was set-up through Nitro. After quite a bit of fluster, I worked a deal out, and by the stroke of good fortune, I ran into Smith, AFI’s tour manager, and was given my 20 minutes with Davey Havok. At least he knew what the hell I was talking about. Davey was super nice too, which definitely helped calm my nerves. Note to all zinesters and future zinesters. Bring full documentation of any prearranged “”guest list,”" or “”press / photo pass,”" with you if it was done by email. It might make your night run a whole lot smoother.

On to the music: First up were the DISTILLERS, Brody Armstrong’s band (Tim’s wife), and as an opener, they were pretty scorching. They can best be described as sloppy, but visciously bitting, fast punk rock with screeching female vocals and insanely fast bass lines. Brody and Kim (lead guitarist), have plenty of attitude for everyone within 20 feet of them, so just watch the heck out! Those are two women who most certainly would hold their own in a bar fight, and probably have done so already. Their songs pretty much sound all the same, with the exception of the slower tracks, and if you really dig that streetpunk sound, I recommend picking up their full length. I don’t play it nearly enough as it deserves.

AFI had one of the sickest entries that I have ever seen. The stage was lit with plastic pumpkins, and a fog machine, which created a dense layer of clouds across the entire stage. With their banner in the backdrop, AFI stormed the stage and immediately whipped into a tune off of “”Black Sails in the Sunset.”" With their new album, “”The Art of Drowning,”" popping up on the billboard charts, and selling over 8000 copies in just the first week, the excitement was most certainly being channeled into waiting for the band to play new songs. Both “”Sacrifice Theory,”" and “”Days of the Phoenix,”" were more than well received to a crowd that ate every minute of AFI’s heart thumping hardcore. The sound at the Nation is often hit or miss, but no doubt, it was on perfectly tonight. AFI sounded absolutely thunderous. Davey jockeyed often between the stage and the crowd barrier, supported strongly by the bouncers, occaisonally allowing the crowd to sing into the microphone. AFI’s set covered material from almost their entire discography, and they really surprised the heck out of me when they played “”3rd Season,”" off of “”Shut your mouth and open your eyes,”" which they dedicated to the boys in RANCID. At this point, the crowd was getting seriously intense and bodies were just flying everywhere. From wall to wall, the crowed moved in waves around the venue, swayed by the forces of hundreds of kids screaming and dancing. It was quite a sight — and I knew that once RANCID took the stage, it would only get more nuts. After playing for more than 40 mintues, AFI closed their set with the now infamous “”Total Immortal,”" a fitting title for a band that yearns to exist forever.

The hype for RANCID’s set had been huge. The word was out that RANCID had practiced some 120 songs for this tour of theirs, their first full US tour in more than 2 years, and everyone was wondering what songs will they play. I was not dissappointed in the song selection, as they played plenty of favorites that I thought had no chance of seeing the light of day on stage, but alas, they left out my two all time favs, “”sidekick,”" and “”roots radical.”" On the plus side, RANCID played “”Rejected,”" off of their first full length, and “”Journey to the End,”" which was a fabulous sing along that had the place rocking back and forth. The band played a ton of stuff off of “”And out Come the Wolves,”" including, “”Maxwell Murders,”" “”Alleyways and Avenues,”" and a solo version of “”The War’s End,”" done by Lars. Tunes off of “”Let’s Go,”" were, “”St. Mary,”" a huge version of “”Radio,”" “”Nihilism,”" Tenderloin,”" “”Salvation,”" and “”Gun Shot.”" RANCID only played one song from “”Life Won’t Wait,”" which was “”Hoover Street,”" which sounded great with everyone singing along. I was hoping to hear “”1998,”" or “”Bloodclot,”" off that album as well, but that didn’t come to fruition. Although I love their new album a ton, I didn’t think that the songs they chose to play off it came out all that great live, with the exception of the killer, “”It’s alright,”" which has one of the coolest guitar licks I’ve ever heard. The sold out crowd screamed like headless chickens in between songs, and people were getting their clothes ripped to pieces in the full combat 60 feet by 60 feet mondo pit! It was CHAOS!!! After all of the hubbub with RANCID attaining mainstream success, this was solely a night for the punks — for those like myself who have waited years for a conert of this magnitude. The night did end on a odd note. After a terrible fake at ending the evening, RANCID came back and played only one song for the encore, “”Dead Bodies.”" Now don’t get me wrong, I like that song very much, but of all songs to end a set with, they had soooo much more to choose from that would have been catchier, and more well known, like “”Roots Radical,”" (damn I love that song).

For one hour straight I screamed my lungs out, relishering that I might not get this opportunity to see a band that has meant so much me ever again. After leaving the venue, it was like a warzone (we were in Southeast DC afterall). Kids were bloody, bruised, and beaten, and fully enjoying the great time they had. Here are some stats of stuff I took note of:

amount of shoes thrown on stage during RANCID: 9

amount of kids with bandages around their head and blood on their shirts and pants: 3

number of drum sticks used by Adam Carson of AFI: 12

number of “”fuck yous,”" by Kim of the DISTILLERS: too many to count…