I know that this will come as a surprise to some of you, but...I am not a punk rocker. I'll give you a moment to recover from the shock. That said, I love Rancid, and the show last night was great. I do wonder at how a solid hour plus of music managed to feel like they'd only just begun the set, but the entire thing was wonderful. Something I noticed was that even the songs I didn't recognize (to which everyone around me knew every word) felt like home. Somehow this show, with it's circle pit, underage poseurs, and faded middle-aged punk enthusiasts, felt like a big, warm welcoming hug.

Now on to some less rosey observations. After working myself ragged lately, I'm beginning to understand my father a lot better. This is why he's cranky, anti-social, and embarrassing. It's hard to deal with crowds and stupidity when you're tired. I actually started knocking into one girl intentionally so that she'd move and stop smacking me with her purse. I was also considerably less energetic than I tend to be at concerts, very little bouncing and screaming. This is after only about a month. He's been doing it for 20 years, and much worse than I have.

The girl with the purse brings me to my next point. Spacers. Why do people do this to themselves? This particular girl had what looked like giant, diamond rimmed hoop earrings. Upong closer inspection a chill went down my spine. Those things gross me out like none other. Aside from my own aversion though, how does one ever get a job with that? I can understand employers overlooking smaller ones, or plugs, but you're severely limiting your options when putting a three inch grommit in your ear.

Another girl with spacers brings me to the next item on my list. I'm accustomed to the fact that this sort of show is going to be populated by the young and the clueless. High school seems to be where these sorts of scenes take their strongest hold. However, I had not been prepared for the perfect marriage of punk rock preoccupation and the Fashion Club from Daria. I assume that people terribly into a scene will look down on those people like me who look a bit preppy. Pigtails and a mini-skirt don't scream hard core. In this case, the girls standing behind me in line (probably 16 from what I could hear) were perfectly quaffed in their faux-punk revival 1980's regalia, complete with bad hair and skin tight ensembles I will assume were purchased at Tyson's. So punk. What got me was their constant derision of others as fat (referring to one of their friends as Big J), poorly dressed (calling a normal if indie looking girl "art fair girl" and making fun of her beret), and lame (something about "Debbies"). It was quite literally like listening to Quinn and the girls. I can't wait for the world to kick these two in the ass. Hard. I never thought I'd be relieved to see the chubby girl in the plaid dress and ripped stockings or the older guy with sleave tattoos and the t-shirt of a band older than most of the people in attendance, but after those girls, it was welcome.

Finally, I wonder if punk isn't due for a revival. While most things have gone metal, emo, and corporate recently, the fact that Rancid can still sell out consecutive shows in multiple cities speaks to the presence of an audience. Is there perhaps a nascient movement that simply needs a spark to ignite it, and if so, what, where, and when will that be?