8/12/2010 - Ink and Dagger, some other band that doesn't matter @ Party Expo, Brooklyn NY

This place is literally a stone's throw from where I live... okay two blocks - but still, I can avoid using the nasty venue bathroom and instead enjoy the comforts of my own! And judging from the promo vid, the band was also practicing very close to where I live. Therefore, making sense as to why they did their warm-up show here before TIH.

Primitive Weapons - shitty, melodramatic, "post-hardcore" music. I couldn't believe the fact that they were booked in the first place. The paparazzi took up the whole front row of both sets, but the vocalist was eating up the cameras like it was pussy. On that note, the band is full of pussies. I blame Vice magazine for this - since apparently they booked the show in the first place.

Ink and Dagger - Geoff and I had an intimate exchange of sweats during this set. I was front and center for as long as I could take, but the pile-ons were getting to me. Once again, paparazzi with cameras up front taking shots of the reunion. Came with an impressive light show. They played all the songs everyone wanted to hear, Geoff's voice was a little light but it worked. Bassist strings kept on breaking. I retreated to the side of the stage after "Bloodlust", cause I had my big sing-along out of the way. Great show, with encore. Downside: no vampire make-up.

+: show literally within walking distance!
+: went to the show by myself and met two chicks from Long Island; being a networking queen
+: a great set from Ink and Dagger
+: Geoff kept it real and rocked the early '00s emo hair, lawlz.

-: show groupies, both guys and girls. hate 'em
-: no vampire make-up
-: Primitive Weapons looked douchey, diseased my eardrums with douchiness
-: the show didn't start until 9:45, when it was advertised to start at 8
- (for a second): going to shows by yourself can be really awkward, until you meet someone.

them getting back together for these shows without sean mccabe is dumb as fuck. he's irreplaceable, especially with fucking geoff rickley. the thought of this just made me mad. it's like when the germs toured with that chode from teen vogue or the thought of the beatles touring with joe perry and ron wood.

i'm glad you had fun though! care to elaborate on how they sounded any more?

At TIH10 they played with the corpse paint, which is awesome. Also, how is it dumb? They're playing shows for a benefit, nothing more nothing less. They asked Geoff to front the band since obviously the original vocalist can't seeing he's dead, and all. if you don't like it, don't go see them on the reunion dates, and support them.

they were one of the bands responsible for getting me into music, so it just rubs me the wrong way a little that they got the guy from thursday to cover vocals for a frontman as legendary as sean mccabe. it's awesome that they're doing it for that cancer guy's medical bills, just weird, you know?

Gotta choose your words wisely, J!

But the reunion with Geoff didn't bother me one bit - then again, Ink and Dagger is not as big of a deal to me as other bands I could think of off the top of my head. But you know where I'll be when Scholastic Deth reunites!