I remember the morning leading up to this show like it was yesterday, which is pretty crazy considering the date. It was December 20th, and I definitely had that pre Christmas excitement coursing through my veins. I was a junior in High School and it was 1997 - the year of the so-called "Youth Crew Revival" and I was loving every bit of it, so the fact that a mere 40 minutes from my house I was able to go and see Rain On The Parade, Rad (who were not listed on the flier) and Hands Tied...well that just made this time of year even better. I was working on the weekends at this really fancy restaurant called the William Penn Inn, down in the bakery (I would later become a busboy) packaging cookies into tins. The day went so slow and when my dad finally picked me up later that afternoon (yeah, I was not driving at this point, you didn't misread that) I remember hopping in the car with the biggest smile on my face. Got home and dressed and waited for Phil to pick me up. We got there just as RAD were about to play, which was a good thing. I always loved this band. They had a demo tape and a 7" that came out on Broken Glass Records that you should definitely hunt down if you get the chance. They were really sloppy I remember, but still fun. I wonder what happened to those guys? Anyway, up next were Saves The Day. I remember hearing a lot about this band, but I wanted to wait until after they played before getting their demo. I heard they had just signed to Equal Vision and had a guy from Hands Tied in the band, so I should've probably just assumed then that I'd be a fan, but still...I waited and watched their set. They really impressed me...it was a few months after I saw the last Lifetime show and I needed something to fill the void and they delivered. Of course, due to my stupidity, they were completely sold out of demos by the time their set was over. Don't you hate that? After finding out that they were out of demos, I still knew I needed to buy SOMETHING. It was almost like Phil read my mind because he turned to me and said "let's go look at some records." No sooner had he said that then I saw a giant crowd of people, and a guy nursing a black eye. I look around and see Porter from Floorpunch being held back by what seemed like 50 dudes. The guy cowering in the corner was Duncan Bawlow, of By The Grace Of God. Apparently Floorpunch were on their way to another show that they were playing but made a pitstop in Yardley to confront Duncan. Duncan had said some things in a zine and it got back to them. For more info on this, check out the song "The Answer" from Floorpunch's awesome (and only) full length on Equal Vision Records called "Fast Times At The Jersey Shore". But back to the show itself....I think Rain On The Parade were up next, and this is where I began to get really excited. I had seen them once before I heard them, in the summer of 1996 at the Southhampton Youth Center, but they didn't really leave an impression on me then. I had just gotten their "Full Speed Ahead" E.P. a few months back and almost wore out the grooves listening to that thing. It was just what I was looking for from a hardcore band. To me I feel that they were definitely one of the most overlooked bands of that era. They took the stage and I remember kids went nuts. Hands Tied then took the stage, and I have to say I was a bit dissapointed. This was after Sean and Pat were no longer in the band, so I think the lineup was Geoff TDT on drums, Espen on guitar and Matt Smith on bass. I could be mistaken though, if anyone knows I'm curious. I mean, the songs still sounded cool but I remember it just wasn't what I expected, especially after seeing ROTP's set. It just seemed like no one was really into it besides Tim. Again, it was ten years ago so I could be a bit foggy. After that, Upfront played, who I wasn't a fan of then and am still not now, so I do not remember much. By The Grace Of God went on last. Honestly, I know it's not "cool" to say this, especially after what happened earlier that evening, but By The Grace Of God were a really great band. The two times I saw them (this being the first) were definitely good times. They played with a lot of intensity and seemed really into what they were doing. Apparently after that incident Duncan "retired" from hardcore. Kind of lame if you ask me, but whatever. The show was great regardless and I feel this was the first of a good strand of two years where at least once a month I was seeing all of these great bands. Hopefully I can find some more fliers.
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