All Words by Gareth Moore
All Photos by Josh Sisk
People were packing into the Black Cat on Saturday night. As a result I was instantly greeted with a tidal wave of sweat and stink. This feeling was far from pleasant, but the night was rooted in a good cause. Government Issue, along with the Goons and Set To Explode, were playing in support of local DJ Stephen McPherson (a.k.a. Stereofaith). Stephen recently had an expensive medical procedure and all proceeds from the night went to fund the operation. Since he is one of the finest DJ's in the city, as well as being a good man, his fans were happy to support him.
Stephen’s fans weren’t the only ones in attendance. The devoted admirers of Government Issue arrived with a desire to be musically blasted. This band no longer tours (partially because, as singer John Stabb joked, the band would have multiple heart attacks if they did), which meant all lovers of the band needed to be at the show. What surprised me was the amount of photographers and video cameras at the show. It was not enough to be present; this night had to be documented.
The band was in strong form. They managed an act of controlled chaos; it was aggressive, the music appearing to be borderline mad, yet it was always played with precision. Bassist J Robbins and drummer Pete Moffett, always in sync, changed speeds with the greatest of ease. The band never grew sloppy or tired, but they always remained fierce. Unfortunately it was too wild for some. Two guys walked past me muttering “They’re good and all, but I can only take that kind of shredding for so long.” For others, their happiness would increase with each song. All around me were wide smiles, drunken dancers, and eyes that remained enthralled by the band.
I couldn’t help but marvel over front-man John Stabb. He charged onto the stage, his face tucked away by a purple fuzzy hoodie. This strange look led me to imagine “Barney goes hardcore gangsta.” Stabb resembled a kid who never grew up. He ran around the stage, hurled himself to the ground, and seemed to love every second of it. He is far from being a distant performer; he eradicated the boundary between him and the audience by repeatedly passing them the microphone and burying his head next to theirs. The man was an engaging presence throughout the night.
Eventually the length of the show proved too much for me. They were able to cram many songs into their show, and kudos to them for maintaining the high-energy, but I think the show would have proved more powerful as a shorter set. I was not the only one who felt depleted; around the 80-minute mark the crowd became increasingly thinner. At this point I understood why Government Issue does not tour. Staging these shows multiple times, for weeks or months on end, would lead to death. I just wonder who would die first: the band or the audience. At least we would die with smiles on our faces
Previously in Live DC:
- 5/16: LiveDC: Mark Lanegan @ 930 Club
- 5/16: LiveDC: Horse Feathers @ Black Cat
- 5/16: LiveDC: M. Ward/ Lee Ranaldo @ 930 Club
- 5/16: Photos: Dance In The Circle @ Dupont Circle
- 5/16: LiveDC: The Cranberries @ 930 Club
- 5/15: LiveDC: Esperanza Spalding @ Howard Theatre
- 5/15: LiveDC: Opeth & Mastodon @ Fillmore
- 5/15: LiveDC: M83 w/ I Break Horses @ 930 Club
- 5/14: PHOTOS: Metal Lords feat. Rob Zombie & Megadeth @ Merriweather
- 5/14: GIVEAWAY: ART AFTER DARK @ Art Museum of the Americas
God loves a cheerful giver.
that's actually j robbins on bass for government issue, not j hoffman. either way, i'm bummed i missed this.
Great article and not to split hairs but it's Steven.
"They don't tour anymore" is a really funny way to say "they broke up 21 years ago and haven't played together since". Just sayin'.
It was a real gas to watch them get through nearly their entire catalog. Nearly as fun was getting to hang out with friends from back in the day. They're not young guys - I find the idea that they outlasted a few members of the audience to be pretty funny.
Not to sound like a jerk... but GI didn't just 'stop touring' over 20 years ago, they completely broke up in 1989, and have not played together at all with this line-up in those years, aside from a one-off thing that Stabb did with Lyle 2 years ago. In GI's last few years together they were known for playing some rather lengthy sets, often with mixed results, since they were not playing as much of their early catalog of songs at that point either. There were people at the Black Cat on Saturday that could tell you legendary stories of them playing for over 3 hours at CBGB's in the 80's to a sparse crowd of fans.
They don't tour anymore because they have all moved on to other bands since GI broke up over 21 years ago, and this show was a great way to talk a long fun walk down memory lane for a great cause.
Why no mention of the rest of the bands that played, especially Set To Explode that was highlighted by guest appearances from members of Black Market Baby coming on-stage to run through a BMB song, and members of Marginal Man sharing the stage with Set To Explode to do some Marginal Man songs too?
GREAT pictures. But christ, worst article ever. It reads like something from an online translator. No editor here?
Damn - just when I start to think that BYT can turn out the occasional quality article, something this crappy passes editorial muster. There are editors, right?
Next time, consider letting someone who is at least passingly familiar with what they are watching write the "review"? Wrong names, mis-statements of facts, glaring omissions, and a totally poor representation of what actually was going down Saturday night? There were over 800 people there, surely one of them could have provided you with a decent write-up. "They don't tour anymore"? Well, yeah, technically true. Just like most bands who have not put out any new material in 20+ years (because they, you know, broke up).
Cheers, Josh Sisk: your pictures are fantastic. They should have been allowed to do all of the talking.
Not that I do any defending of anything ever but our original writer had a family emergency the evening of the show and we had to scramble to get someone else because we wanted readers to at least have a platform to discuss their show experience, which is what our intention is with every show review. Gareth kindly volunteered, he has done and amazing writing job in the past and an adequately informed job here (everyone clinging onto this "they don't tour anymore" sentence is sort of...I don't know, petty?)
"10 minutes ago Svetlana said
Not that I do any defending of anything ever but our original writer had a family emergency the evening of the show and we had to scramble to get someone else because we wanted readers to at least have a platform to discuss their show experience
"
actually your sentence that strts right after "of anything ever" is doing exactly what you state you don't do.
Petty, perhaps - but it wasn't something Gareth said in passing. He came back to the same statement, "now I understand why they don't tour anymore". Apparently no, he did not. Cheers to him I guess for stepping up, but dude needed to be able to recognize that he wasn't able to deliver any sort of quality piece.
A platform for readers to discuss their show experiences could have been done in a really nice way by letting the pictures speak for themselves. Open up the comments with something like "800 people went to see some local punk rock geezers play their asses off Saturday night: discuss". What you refer to as "adequately informed" came off as pretty clueless.
"As a result I was instantly greeted with a tidal wave of sweat and stink. This feeling was far from pleasant, but the night was rooted in a good cause. "
this guy screws up right off the bat with this statement.
great pics though.
Totally clueless reviewer. All the things he said about why he wasn't that impressed with the show was WHY WE LIKE HARDCORE in the first place. OK, GI developed way passed the rudimentary HC of 1981, experimenting, stretching out, etc. etc., but still, they were there to BREAK the rules, not conform to them. Including in the review the line "Unfortunately it was too wild for some." Was one of the reason this band EXISTED. Mentioning that someone said “They’re good and all, but I can only take that kind of shredding for so long.” Was another reason why they were LOVED by so many. If you can't stand the heat, get the fuck out of our scene. Great pictures, tho'! ! !
Totally clueless reviewer. All the things he said about why he wasn't that impressed with the show was WHY WE LIKE HARDCORE in the first place. OK, GI developed way passed the rudimentary HC of 1981, experimenting, stretching out, etc. etc., but still, they were there to BREAK the rules, not conform to them. Including in the review the line "Unfortunately it was too wild for some." Was one of the reason this band EXISTED. Mentioning that someone said “They’re good and all, but I can only take that kind of shredding for so long.” Was another reason why they were LOVED by so many. If you can't stand the heat, get the fuck out of our scene. Great pictures, tho'! ! !
It's like the guy showed up and asked someone who was playing, then wrote the article on the way home. Do some research, man. GI was 10 years ahead of their time! Moving from hardcore, adding psychedelia and metal and ending it all with a ridiculously polished final record, they are one of the icons of the DC punk scene. And the show was epic! Like they hadn't lost a step in the 21 years they've been gone.
Really nice photos, though.
looks like a sausage fest.