The Misfits

There are some bands that go from black and white to Technicolor when you hear them live (the Futureheads!); and there are other bands that do the opposite. Take for example Alkaline Trio, a band I've seen twice now on accident. I always thought they sounded decent enough on the recording, but when I heard them live, they totally went flat. It's not a stage-presence aspect, either; it's a sound thing. I know that sounds like a strange evaluation for a zillion decible concert-setting - and I even used to doubt the veracity of my own impressions - but it's true. If the brilliant performance by the Futureheads didn't confirm my belief, then last night's opposite experience did.

While I admit that the Misfits' brand of hardcore punk is not exactly my cup of tea, I thought they sounded interesting enough on their recordings - a claim, incidently, that's not easy for me to make about many hardcore punk bands, I'm sure. I'm sure if I heard any of their three opening (hardcore punk) bands on the radio, I would not have said they sounded interesting enough (after all, there's a reason they're the opening, right?). But as for last night's show, I think I can safely say that two of the three opening bands sounded better and more interesting than the Misfits. Isn't that weird? Ps, it's not a sound-technician variable, since I was right there and the same technician was doing the sound board all night. So, one must conclude, the Misfits actually sound flat and monotone live. They had ridiculously elaborate visual effects, AND YET: it could not mask the fact that they sounded flat.