The event of Black flag in Mexico City it was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated and highly anticipated among the culture punk national since it was announced. And it is that a whole generation of lovers of the genre has been waiting for years to be able to chant live the great themes of this group that, by the way, had a boom when not even many of those who met yesterday in the 360e forum.
The promoter of the event Alter ego Please warn through social networks and in advance that problems with the weather have caused the band to travel on the highway from Monterrey, arriving later than planned at venue. That is why at the time of access the group continues to do soundcheck, which of course and despite the warning does not fall on the people who are trained and less, when Tlaloc decides to give them a bath. Finally the entrance is given and a solitary DJ is in charge of livening up the event, even if only for a brief moment: a failure that we can never understand makes the ambient sound have to be carried out by the center console, and the DJ has to resignedly pick up your stuff without being able to run your mix.
Black flag then he takes possession of the stage because at his request there was no opening act, and “Depression” followed by “No Values” are the hymns with which the night begins. Sadly, the sound is quite poor and probably flawed by the rush of the audio test, and this is a detail that does not allow you to fully enjoy the songs from start to finish at the event. But those of us there almost know each song by heart and although the audio is not optimal, the first chords of “Fix Me” to unleash the first great mosh of people on the track. “Black Coffee” and “Room 13” keep the vein punk a tope con gente volando hacia el foso delante del escenario al ser alzada por las catapultas humanas, y luego otro gran intercambio de empujones se da al ritmo de “Gimme,Gimme,Gimme”.
The most respected figure is undoubtedly that of Greg Ginn, guitarist and sole original member of Black flag that undoubtedly generates that emotion of having a whole living legend in front of you. His strings are the cause of pogo and madness on the track when they run “Loose Nut” and “Six Pack”; and later they maintain the atmosphere without rest with “White Minority” and “I`ve Had It”. Then it is time to listen “Slip It In” which with its six minutes long is undoubtedly the longest song of the night and if the data does not fail me, the longest song in the history of the band. It is right after this topic that Mike Vallelly use the microphone to introduce each member of the group, before executing “I Can See You”: loose and monotonous theme that breaks the inertia of the setlist, but fortunately it is left behind when “Revenge” and “Clocked In” tempers and speed rise again. It must be said that the singer and also skater The professional was enthusiastic and eager to please the public, but he is far from being able to shake the heavy ghost of Henry Rollins, which sectors of the public constantly remind him of. “Jealous Again”, “Can’t Decide” and “Nervous System” are the issues responsible for closing for a moment the performance of Black flag.
The band returns and then an unmistakable rhythm warns us that the most iconic and expected theme of the night is yet to come: we refer to “Rise Above”, that song that bands the likes of Misfits have played live as a tribute, and we all wanted to hear and live live once in a lifetime executed by its Alma mater: All was slam and uncontrolled adrenaline on that topic! Black flag finally closes his presentation with “Louie Louie” and it is here where the greatest discomfort of the fans becomes manifest, since the event had been promoted as a night with two and a half hours of setlist y al final a duras penas llegamos a la hora y media. Esto trajo como consecuencia que el grito de “culeeeeros” invadiera el foro, y que los vasos vacíos llovieran al escenario en señal de descontento. Mike Valelly He goes out on the track to take photos with people and the atmosphere becomes polarized: while some approach happily eager for a photo with the vocalist, others begin to yell at him to stop being in rockstar and go up to sing more, or go skating better. This is how a bittersweet night ends in which although the details and mishaps affected the smooth running of the event, in the end we were also able to enjoy a legendary punk night that had been waiting for a long time.
Photos by Alfredo ALV.
