J and I were looking forward to seeing these Chicago boys for the second time. The first time we saw them open for MCR at the Pageant on September 22, 2005. That night, they were a wonderful lead-up to MCR, with their minimalistic set and punk noir rawk sound. One of my favorite memories is J and I turning to each other during "Mercy Me" and singing "to Chi-ca-go..." On April 24, 2006, Alkaline Trio returned to the Pageant as headliner with Against Me! as opener.
I think I can speak for us both and say that we enjoyed the politically fueled and energetic sound of Against Me! more than we did Alkaline Trio. We didn't know anything about this band, except that they had a presence at the Warped Tour last year. They had the hunger and the energy that we love to see. The pit contained loyal fans and the audience reciprocated the band's energy.
To me, pairing a politically-charged band such as Against Me! with the apolitical Weimar macabre styles of Alkaline Trio was an interesting choice. Nonetheless, the crowd never waned in its energy throughout the night.
Alkaline Trio's set included everything off Goddamnit including "Clavicle" and "My Little Needle". Their acoustic set included "Good Fucking Bye". Hearing "My Friend Peter", The Misfits' "Some Kinda Hate", and "Radio" were definite highlights for me, but that concert was truly a 2-hour show of allegiance to the hardcore fans in the audience. J and I spent most of the time watching the audience and discussing the marriage of rockabilly and punk in the scene. I was disappointed to not hear "Mercy Me", "Time To Waste", and "Sadie".
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