THURSDAY FEB 2002 FIRESIDE BOWL HOW TO

I really haven’t kept up with their catalog but they still put on a pretty fucking insane live show. I haven’t seen No Warning live since 2002 in Aurora, IL and the time before that at the famous Fireside Bowl in 2001. It’s always a pleasure being in the front with camera gear for that, but it finally felt like a hardcore show. The stage diving commenced with the start of the first song. The crowd finally broke up the giant hole in the center of the room with a wave of kids dancing and moshing. No Warning from Toronto, Ontario played second.

Hardcore shows typically require the need for additional lighting when everyone and everything is moving quickly so I felt like my chances of capturing anything were going to royally suck for the remainder of the night. I am not one to really start shit with anyone but I knew since I was singled out, that my chances of slipping in my strobe light was very slim without getting kicked out from the show. Just after Spiritual Cramp finished their set, I was stopped by the security in the venue informing me of their NO Flash policy. They seem to let loose in a “we don’t take ourselves overly serious, let’s have a good fucking time” type of way, which is pretty rad for a hardcore show. I surprised this dudes fingers weren’t breaking.

The one thing that stood out the most about this was the fucking TAMBOURINE player! Yes, these guys were cranking out some Maximum Tambourine on stage. Little did I know at the time that members of Spiritual Cramp and Culture Abuse were once in a blistering hardcore band called All Teeth. They had a strong vintage Power Pop Punk sound reminding me of a similar band from the Bay Area called Culture Abuse.

THURSDAY FEB 2002 FIRESIDE BOWL HOW TO

They busted out with so much energy on the stage that I felt many people generally didn’t know how to react to it at first, but I was digging it pretty hardcore right off the bat. Spiritual Cramp from San Francisco opened the show. On some level it felt kinda like an awkward high school dance. The crowd wasn’t particularly large, which left an obnoxious hole in the center of the room during the entirety of the show.

The newer location is nothing like its old, dingy one in the Lakeview Neighborhood which is now a CTA platform, but at least it’s cool to have a venue to see such bands than none at all. I spent my evening on Sunday, February 25th at the Bottom Lounge in the good ol’ meat packing district of Chicago, Illinois to witness one of my all time favorite bands, American Nightmare with the support of No Warning and Spiritual Cramp.īottom Lounge is always a weird spot for me with attending punk shows. Most of us in our thirties or late twenties cringe at the thought of going to a show on a Sunday night but when it’s a specific band that you have practically killed yourself seeing multiple times in your early twenties or late teens, the decision of going out is definitely with out question.

Thursday feb 2002 fireside bowl