T.S.O.L. CONCERT REVIEW – STRUMMER’S, FRESNO

On Tuesday night, January 19, I attended a concert unlike any other I’ve ever been to. The headlining band at Strummer’s was T.S.O.L., a group I wasn’t too familiar with but I had known about their groundbreaking impact in the punk world. I was also a fan of their 6-year era with vocalist Joe Wood who had taken the band’s sound in a different direction. Although, this went against the group’s punk roots, It was my only source of reference going into the show…

On my way to the venue, I had many doubts about how the night would turn out: Was it even worth going, having such little knowledge of the headliners in the first place? Does anyone go to see punk anymore? Am I going to be totally lost, not knowing one lyric from any song?

Sure enough, all these questions were quickly answered once I entered the club.

The place was absolutely packed with fans flying their underground band colors, some in an all leather get-up and others in full face paint. When it was almost time for the openers to start their set, most kept a safe distance from the front of the stage, leaving a nice open space in the middle for future activity.

I was a bit confused at this point. Why wasn’t anyone gathering as close to the stage as possible? That’s the best view! I’ve never seen such a large majority of people settle for spots furthest away.

As soon as the opener’s rang out their first song, all bets were off. Anyone in that front row space was automatically a member of the mosh pit and just because you were not in it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t effect you. Throughout each track on the set list, I was constantly watching the band with one eye and keeping tabs on the pit with the other. Tempo changes became more notable in each song, because there could always be a quick shift from innocent headbanging to slam dancing.

My show in particular might not have been too rowdy for some of the people used to this kind of concert, but I was completely caught off guard. A couple of trips, falls and some shoving made for an interesting first impression. Although, I might not have participated in the pit that was circulating right before me, I was being a very attentive witness among the whole scene.

Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get more turbulent, T.S.O.L. emerged on stage and the pit grew twice as wide by the second track. You could also see the crowd appear to be more focused as if they had saved all their energy for the punk legends themselves. Before, I had noticed a few people bump each other to the ground after an intoxicating mosh run.

However, once T.S.O.L. came on, I saw a windmill of people in synergy while some seemingly got spat out of the scrum. Collapsing and colliding against the outer rim of the audience, fans were being thrown about in a wild frenzy.

T.S.O.L. made quite an impact on the city of Fresno and myself inside the local punk club, Strummer’s. After that eye-opening experience, I’ve discovered punk’s infamous culture is still alive and well today. Although, I was not as experienced as the mosh pit regulars standing beside me, I think I got more of a bearing on the environment.

Now that I’m more aware of the scene, I can’t wait to see Dead Kennedys in March at the same venue…