TSOL – at Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA

Some of us have never had the experience of seeing such a legendary band like T.S.O.L. at a small venue like Chain Reaction. So when the word was out that they would be playing there for such a cheap price, many purchased their tickets as soon as possible.On December 9, 2010, the night that people had been waiting for was finally here.

Rundown Kreeps opened the show. They looked to be in their late teens and they were pretty talented. Their music was a little different from your average punk band but it was still good. With not many people inside yet, a small pit was still formed to show that we appreciated their set.

Spitwad was next and it was obvious that next to T.S.O.L., they had brought and drawn the biggest crowd. The pit was huge and tons of kids were singing along to all of the words. Spitwad plays straight to the point old school Punk rock. With simple lyrics and fast songs it was easy to get drawn to their music. They did a cover of "Subliminal" from Suicidal Tendencies, which caused the biggest and most brutal pit of the night. When they finished, many wanted to hear another song but time was limited so they weren't able to.

Next up was Unit F. Most of the crowd left to hang out outside but there was still a handful of people watching.

Finally T.S.O.L. made it on stage. It was really packed inside the small venue, making the show even better. They opened with "Fuck You Tough Guy", causing the pit to start and fans to go crazy. Of course, Jack Grisham talked, made fun of people, told stories, and purposely pissed people off while it made others laugh.

They played songs such as "Sounds of Laugher", "80 Times", "Dance With Me", "Terrible People", "Superficial Love", "In My Head", "Abolish Government", and "World War III". There was non-stop pitting, crowd surfing, and stage diving all throughout their set. The pit was small and packed with sweaty and out of breath people but it didn't stop them from keeping it going.

Jack kept telling strange stories that he said were true but they were awfully hard to believe. After playing a bunch of songs and joking around,  T.S.O.L. said goodbye and announced they'd be playing their last song. Everyone knew it was time for some "Code Blue" and sure enough it was.

People were climbing on top of each other to crowd surf and picking each other up as they were falling down in the pit. The pit almost took up the whole floor and it seemed like everyone knew the words to the most famous T.S.O.L. song.

After it was over everyone rushed outside already talking about the show. It was cool seeing T.S.O.L. along with some great opening bands in a small venue, giving the show a more personal feeling. It was also nice that Chain Reaction didn't stress their "no moshing, crowd surfing, or stage diving" rule that night. This show was definitely a highlight in the month of December and I'm sure I can speak for many when I say that.

-Corrina P.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

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