I bet you are all wondering where my neat photos and story are for this big event? Well let me tell you. Back on the day that they announced this show, I’m talking before there were tickets on sale, etc. I started inquiring about a photo pass for the event. I sent multiple emails over to two different people at Touch and Go and for months they went ignored. I was informed a few days ago from someone I know there, who’s job it isn’t to handle such things, that they were “all out of passes and there is nothing they can do”. Had it not been for this person, I never would have gotten an answer either way! This infuriated me to the point that I actually was seriously considering not going. As it was I was only planning to attend on Saturday because that was the only day any of the bands I really give a shit about were playing, plus I had a ticket already, squeezing a mostly thin fellow with some camera gear into the place to shoot wasn’t going to cause some sort of disaster to happen! It’s not like they were losing money by letting me in free because I paid! I guess when it comes down to giving back to someone that has been writing about your records for 21 of your 25 years in existence in multiple publications, not to mention that someone being a local whose website gets a lot of traffic and would have made for some great press, they just couldn’t be bothered. I was also asked by someone to provide photos for Razorcake fanzine so I would have been doing double duty that day shooting pix for press in multiple places.
So that being said, I’m not putting over the show in any way shape or form because why give them the press when I didn’t even get the courtesy of a response to my numerous emails? I did end up going solely because of Scratch Acid and Big Black and I guess I’m glad that I did, but I couldn’t get that bad taste left in my mouth about the whole thing despite all the beers I tried to wash it away with yesterday.
I would like to thank Lewdd for some beers and Traci Trouble for the use of her jacket while I was freezing my ass off after the sun (or lack thereof) went down at the show.
man, that really sucks and I feel for you. the only thing I can say is that I tried to sneak as amny people as I could in to the shwo and especially people that were press/photogs/girls.
When you get an event that big and its staffed by volunteers you gotta cut them slack because they tend to power trip that much more without even knowing it. We drove all the way from Detroit to film NA and thought we had it all figured out, just to find out they didnt have passes for the band’s video crew?!!
But we worked it out and it probably helped that we loaded in when there were still only about three hundred people there..
I’m really sorry that tickets and passes to a charity event left a sour taste in your mouth, but I just saw Negative Approach and Scratch Acid live for fifteen bucks and it was fucking FANTASTIC!!
Holy Shit was that a great show!
I even didnt mind waiting through all the early bands I’d never listened to just to get to see the rest at the end.
That was the best show Ive ever seen in Chicago and can’t let it pass that I don’t really thank that whole scene for coming off. Try and look past the imperfections and see that what happened yesterday mightve been the coolest punk rock show in years.
I frankly didnt think punk had it left in it.
Cheers Chi-town!!
I had no problem paying for my ticket to get in, that wasn’t the issue (though usually I won’t go to a show if I had to pay, but this was a special occasion and the price was right), the issue I had was the treatment, or lack thereof I got from a label I’ve supported for nearly their entire existence, and have even most recently promoted. Someone in power there could have made up another photo pass to allow me to do my thing and it wouldn’t have caused any trouble, nor cost someone money.
one moment to remember the fallen…
ok., I get that youre pissed and that you should be. I didnt mean to belittle that or the fact that youve served us and tng for so long. and anything i say will probably not suffice. I want you to know that youre appreciated regardless
That really sucks, by the time I found out about this show it was too late to find someone to watch the kids. I was really looking forward to seeing photos of Big Black and Scratch Acid and Girls vs Boys (the only bands I really cared to see). How was Big Black (who was playing bass?) I guess there no chance of ever seeing that agin?
-Monkee13
Jeff Pezzati played bass for Big Black. They only played 4 songs (“Cables”, “Dead Billy”, “Pigeon Kill” and “Racer X”) but were pretty great.
I would say that the chances of seeing them again are pretty slim. Maybe if T&G has a 50th anniversary fest.
Aw, quit your moaning. A rare punk singles MP3 blog is not “press”: if it were, I’m sure they would’ve accomodated you. I’m a freelance writer and I had no problem communicating with T&G to get the passes I needed. It was probably your “I’m a real punk, so you owe me” attitute that put them off (or maybe it was just your grammar — you could use a lesson or two on when and when not to use commas.) Your bitching shows that you’ve missed the whole point of the event: if you don’t like how things are, go out and make your own thing. Recycling other peoples’ past work isn’t much of a contribution to culture, and pouting certainly isn’t, either.
Have you read this site for more than 10 seconds or did you just come here looking to download free music? I am always reviewing things and writing about and photographing shows on this site far more than posting “rare punk singles on mp3”.
If you want to send me to school professor, I’ll be more than happy to work on my comma placing skills.
Hey Skittles – Not to use this forum to bitch at you, but this is a punk site, t&g was a punk label (do you even know what that is), and what got you a press pass was probably your freelance writing indie rock brown nosing. T&G would have failed a lifetime ago were it not for outlets that were (in print anyway) just like this one. It’s a shame that they would issue you a pass and not MXV.
Looking at the youtube videos, one should probably rather thank punkgod for not having been there than anything else. It’s 2006 – it’s all just nostalgia and tasteless as such.
Get over yourself. it seems that you crying IN PUBLIC because you’re not as big a scencester as you thought. Spend your time complaining and making your points to Touch and Go, not bad mouthing them cause you didn’t get special privileges.
I think the issue is not that MXV thinks he’s “as big a scencester [sic]” as you seem to think he thinks he is, but that the label didn’t even give him any sort of answer about the photo pass in spite of the passage of a more than reasonable amount of time. A solid “no, we cannot offer any more photo passes” early on would have been better than completely ignoring the request.
It’s about respect. MXV was giving Touch & Go good press in his printed ‘zine from two decades ago through its run and now on the Web, so it’s not like the label should be aloof to his contributions. He was just asking to take some damned pictures, not scam free admission or touch Steve Albini’s underpants or anything.
MXV-I’m sorry it did not all work out for this. I hope you enjoyed some of the bands that you saw. It was great to meet and hang with you. If you ever want to come see some shows in DC my couch in my basement is always open!
Fogarty pretty much nailed it with his assessment. I couldn’t give two shits about being a “scenester” as I’m not a teenager. And obviously contacting Touch and Go did me no good in this case so I’m using the forum I have available to me, MY website, to air my grievances and maybe someone will take notice in the future or at least it will give them something to think about.
Touch & Go has remained a successful record label for 25 years thanks largely to the support of influential web logs like the one you’re reading.
A lot of cameras have zooms nowadays… And some folks even made their way up to the front w/o any special passes.
It was a great time, all for charity, T&G made ZERO profit, 25+ bands for $35, etc.
Poor baby – try using the telephone next time.