Punk As Fuck Live

The ultra punk Mike McCready

October 15, 1995
Lake union Pub
Seattle, WA

By Mike Nelson
The show was at the Lake Union Pub, a very small, run down bar overlooking Lake union. the bar was not big enough to fit two full size pool tables. In fact, they had to move their pool table out to make room for the bands to play. The place was so small that when the bands were playing, the crowd was standing between musicians. At its fullest, the place could hold no more than 50 to 100 people, if that many.

I got there early to be sure i could get in and a get a good seat. The show didn't cost anything when I arrived, but around 8:30 they started to charge $2 a head. When I got there, it was great. Everybody was absorbed by the Seattle Mariners baseball game, except Mike McCready. He sat next to me at the bar and talked about his prior engagements with Pearl Jam with one of his friends. mike has a new, very short haircut, and he bleached his hair. It took me about ten minutes before I realized he was sitting right next to me. He seemed to be a very nice and down to earth person. He does not act like a rock star. A few minutes later, he picked up his guitar and dissapeared into the back room.
There was supposed to be a third opening band, but they did not play because one of the band members didn't have ID and couldn't get in. The bar was under watch by the police, so they were forced to proof everybody including the bands. the band member who couldn't threw a fit and would not play.

Shifter came on at exactly 9:30 and played for a half an hour. Their music was very hardcore punk. Each band member had one amp for their instrument and one for their microphone. you could barely hear the vocals when they sang them. Aside from that, they played very well.

Zeke came on a little after 10:00, and played until 11. They were also hardcore punk but with a tinge of thrash metal to their sound. Their sound system was much better than Shifter's, and you could hear every word and note perfectly. Zeke plays frequently in this bar, and a lot of the crowd was there to seethem. They were recieved by the crowd better than both Shifter and Bumrush. I thought they played a great set full of energy.

When Bumrush came on a little after 11, everybody crowded the area where the band was playing. Having a seat at the bar meant you could not see the band. So it was either stand and be crowded, or sit comfortably at the bar, and see nothing. Their sound system was by far the best of the night. You could probably hear the music all the way accross Lake Union. Suprisingly, the crowd did not seem to like them as much as they liked Zeke. A lot didn't even know a member of Pearl Jam was there. Those who did know, called for PJ songs and were dissapointed not to hear any. People in this city seem not to like PJ at all. Some even called Mike a sellout. I was very suprised.

Overall, I thought Bumrush played a great set though it only lasted an hour and a half. Again, the music was hardcore punk. Bumrush was the only band who had lighting. It consosted of two metal pails with some type of liquid on fire. Other than that, everyone was in the dark. After the show the whole band hung around except for Mike who was gone before anyone could notice. I'm not exactly sure who the other guys in Bumrush were, but they said one of them was a photographer. I'd have to say it was a very enjoyable night out.

SIDENOTES ABOUT THE SHOW
The place was a shithole really. Duct tape held the bar together, and the employees spit all over the place. There were signs inside trying to control drinking and fighting outside of the place. The majority of the crowd were punk fans with dreads.
There were no special guests, just the scheduled bands.They were efficient about setting things up and starting on time. it would have been nice to see a longer show, but infortunately, bars around here close at 2am.