Punk rock legends Bad Brains are doing another short tour later this year, which in itself is not all that big of a deal. It’s cool, but they do this once in a while, reminding aging punk rockers and schooling newer fans on why they’re one the most revered bands in punk rock music. But this time, they’re putting in a particularly noticeable appearance: Election night, Nov. 4 2008, in Washington D.C., their hometown, where they were unoficially banned in the 1980s. Here are the tour dates:
- September 2 – House Of Blues, Chicago IL (Presented by Converse: N.E.R.D.and Bad Brains)
- November 4 – 9:30 Club, Washington D.C. (Election Night show)
- November 6 – Irving Plaza, NYC
- Novermber 9 – Waterloo Park, Austin TX
With roots that reach back to the mid-1970s, despite several breakups, substitutions and comebacks, the core of the group is and always will be insane and iconic frontman HR, guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer and drummer Earl Hudson. I was 12 the first time I ever heard Bad Brains, in 1984, it was a few years before I first picked up a bass guitar, and music was a big, wide open frontier of welcome auditory sensory overload. But beyond opening my eyes to punk rock music, the Bad Brains also helped me realize early on that music was not bound by genres, that it was okay to like (and want to play) punk rock and reggae, as well as rap music, metal, jazz and anything else that appealed to me. They had a big part in shaping the way I approach the listening to and playing of music.
I just wish they’d tour back through the Bay again. I missed ‘em last time. Here’s a lil’ something to mark the 9:30 performance on Nov. 4…
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Also, the current issue of Wax Poetics magazine — possibly the best music magazine in production today — is The Rock Issue, and features a great cover story on Bad Brains. Cop it today at your favorite local magazine shop.