Dead On A Friday @ Traditions Pub

I went to a fashion school in NYC. We had no sororities, we had no fraternities, New York City was our campus. As such, I never really had a standard "college" experience. That is, until I went to see Dead On A Friday at Traditions Pub last night. There were two sororities and one fraternity there last night, and they proved most of my stereotypes about them right. They were loud, immature, and binge drinking. There was a LOT of screaming and even LESS room in an already crowded bar. It was pure chaos really, and I pretty much assumed how they would' take a punk show. I assumed they would be unresponsive and even slightly annoyed by one of my favorite Queens punk bands, Dead on a Friday.

I guessed wrong. As soon as D.O.A.F. began playing, the crowd slowly inched there way into the back space to get a better view. I even saw a few of them bopping their head along to the fast rhythm sections. As always, Dead On A Friday put on a solid show, and notably with one of the longest sets they've played in their seven years together! It's really REALLY difficult to play that pace for more than a half hour, and one of the greatest benefits to punk music is that it packs a punch and delivers the message usually in under a minute and thirty seconds. As such, they played an extensive SEVENTEEN SONG set list, including some awesome covers by Jordan Cooper and the Misfits. My favorite cover of the night, however, would have to be their punk anthem version of the theme song to "Perfect Strangers"- guitarist Jessen nailed the end guitar solo and had the crowd positively REELING with nostalgic joy. It was QUITE the crowd pleaser, and was an effective way to make an impact on the 20-something college crowd. The covers were only the beginning of several "surprise" moments, they had the amiably titled "fifth DOAF member" Daniel Matz come up and sing "Do Want You Want" by Bad Religion as well as drummer Nick Ferony singing the last song of the set "Don't Forget the Struggle" by Warzone. I was really surprised by the strength of their voices, especially after having to follow the powerful vocals of lead singer and bassist Dave Fox.

Dead On A Friday are one of the most reliable local live acts you can go and see. They are consistently impressive and you're guaranteed some good old punk rock. Upon leaving Traditions, I felt I walked away with a good local show experience as well as bearing witness to what a college bar was all about. The college bar scene upheld some stereotypes, but they also disproved a few as well. It was an education for sure. I'd definitely say I'd return to the Traditions Pub to see D.O.A.F. again, that and the free drink tickets with admission didn't hurt much either.