Riot Fest 2017, Day 1

Friday didn't start out very strong until Liars. This is a great band for people who like noise. But I didn't know what to expect, as the lineup and approach had changed several times. The singer wore a lovely wedding dress. And the chanting Birthday Party-like style I appreciate so much was on display. X is a band never to take for granted (it seems like we shouldn't take anything for granted these days). Literate punks who take to rockabilly and write occasional songs that cut to important social issues. Whether it was my state of mind or the band's performance, they sounded particularly good to me. The Buzzcocks played, but can we ever get a Magazine reunion? My goodness, how I'd waited for Ministry. A lineup of metal dudes (black hair, black clothes) took the stage. Looked like Danzig's band. And they brutalized us for an hour straight. Al indeed has written some new songs about recent events (sample lyrics: "a punch in the face," and "we are not snowflakes, we are antifa"). Ministry closed with a string of songs from Psalm 69 and The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste. New Order took me straight back to obsessing over Substance in ninth grade, classic song after classic song (in fact, they played a fair amount from Substance, plus two Joy Division songs). The lights and videos held my attention almost as much as the band. If one crossed Ministry and New Order, she might wind up with Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor said as much. They played some of the heaviest songs right away ("Wish," "March of the Pigs") but then went into the brand of self-loathing ballads that Reznor does so well, ending with the park-silencing "Hurt."

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