It takes a certain kind of confidence (or cluelessness? Maybe a mix of both?) to ask a band currently onstage and in the midst of a concert to stop the show and autograph your hat, yet some guy in the crowd during Bad Religion‘s show at The Phoenix on Thursday night tried it twice.
The first time, bassist Jay Bentley made the very good point that he’s at work now and he generally doesn’t carry a pen around with him at work, though he did make the concession of wearing the fan’s hat for one song when it was thrown on stage. The guy tried it again later in the set, with singer Greg Graffin repeating the same very good point that bands generally don’t keep pens on them while performing, although really, Graffin seems like the kind of guy who does always have a pen on him. He still signed it for him eventually once another fan produced a pen. I guess it just goes to show that persistence does pay off.
And while asking a band for an autograph mid-set is not recommended, it does demonstrate the level of devotion Bad Religion fans have for the band. By the time the band went on stage, The Phoenix was packed full, with many of the fans up front enthusiastically moshing during their set. Graffin commended them while noting that he gave up the pit long ago, although glancing at that pit, I saw a few in there who looked perhaps a bit too old for moshing. But hey, as Sloan once sang, if it feels good, do it.
With 17 albums released over the course of their nearly 40 year career, the band’s got a large repertoire to work with and they chose well, with the setlist mixing selections off their latest, the aptly titled Age Of Unreason, with classics such as “Suffer”, “Generator”, “Stranger Than Fiction” and “American Jesus” and even stretching back to their very first album for “Fuck Armageddon … This Is Hell.”
Overall, the band put on a satisfying set and everyone went home happy, especially the guy with the signed hat.