Wednesday, September 9, 2009

BURN "Shall Be Judged" at The Marquee, NYC 1991



Five minutes ago I was on my way to bed, completely exhausted and practically incoherent when I somehow felt compelled to click on a video of Burn from the Marquee in 1991.

This wasn't anything I hadn't seen many times before, in fact, I've sat with cronies and we've talked at length about Burn's sheer force from this set, and those who attended confirmed what they witnessed that night (and that Supertouch was great as well). Regardless, it had been long enough since I had seen this let alone thought about it that I couldn't completely prepare myself for what I was about to witness again.

So, I watched it once, and by the end was overcome with energy and a feeling that was a mix of wanting to do very strange dances combined with a strong desire to go jump off of very high fixed objects at the same time. I'm still sitting here now in a full sweat unable to sleep and figured I may as well write my thoughts stream of consciousness on 2:13 of video that is worth your time.

:06 - Blistering tightness. I forgot for a millisecond how this band was/is an all-star cast in ever sense of the description. Hardcore dudes aren't expected to be musicians. These guys were/are musicians.

:07 - Is Chaka high/drunk/dusted? Do I care? No. Somehow he's not going overboard with energy and yet it seems like a human being couldn't possibly have more energy.

:19 - Holy fuck, yeah, he's got energy.

:28 - My God, up until now I couldn't even see Gavin, I could only feel his presence. He appears and I actually get scared...like when you are walking at night and someone comes around a corner without an ounce of warning and the first thing you think is "where is my wallet?"

:31 - Yeah...I don't ever want to fuck with Gavin.

:36 - That scream. Did you just hear that?

:39 - I'm not sure the Marquee dancefloor in 1991 is the safest place in the world.

:44 - Black skinhead with boots and braces has now gone from front-and-center singalong to pre-dive stage mosh. Can someone please identify this guy so I can friend request him on Facebook asap?

:47 - Maybe the most devastating power move you can pull as a front man: the-get-up-on-drum-riser-and-lock-eyes-with-your-drummer-creating-a-musical-meeting-of-the-minds-along-with-an-outward-vibe-that-says "we are basically having sex through music and destroying the world right now". I need to at one point front a band just so I can mimic this if so compelled.

:48 - :59 - Ok, this is just Chaka demonstrating why he's one of the best frontmen to ever exist in hardcore. See, he could teach these moves all day to people, and nobody is likely every going to pull it off. Did I mention this is all going on during probably the best part in any Burn song ever (and there's like 379 great parts between all the Burn songs)? Calling it a "mosh part" doesn't really accurately explain it. It's just...total power...I can't even find the words to describe what I'm hearing in Gavin's guitar, and that is through shitty computer speakers and a fourth generation VHS tape ripped to YouTube.

Oh, during this part...Alan Cage. From a drum perspective, you couldn't play this part any better, any harder, any tighter, any louder, any heavier. It's simplistic tribal bashing, a sound and pattern that was probably played by people covered in hair and no teeth thousands of years ago, and it still makes me want to smash everything in my path with complete disregard for my own well being. Fucking Alan Cage, man.

1:24 - I don't think he could have just sang the last few lines in a weirder more off-time fashion, and yet it sounded absolutely perfect.

1:30 - cool SFA shirt and dive.

1:40 - pretty sure Tim is in here diving somewhere. He pointed it out before but I can't find him now. Translation: I'm extremely jealous that he was here partaking, and I was fast asleep after a night league baseball game.

1:51 - Gavin...more power.

1:57 - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1:58 - You do realize the whole band just entered this final part via the cue of Chaka doing probably one of the sickest dives ever into the crowd (in time), right? If not, and you don't understand the greatness of this, then I have nothing for you. Even Napeck, who really is about as subdued as possible during this whole song (while playing flawlessly I am sure), seems to just be caught in a trance of bass groove...he's so over the whole thing and in another dimension he just looks at his cabinet during this. The next few seconds see Gavin basically owning the stage...the whole vibe is like "yeah I wrote this part just so all you motherfuckers would lose your minds. How do I know this?! BECAUSE I AM LOSING MY FUCKING MIND!!!"

2:07 - Michael Jackson style spin move while Gavin pulls out some weird guitar bend that sounds like the voice of God.

2:10 - Song closes, and I'm sitting here shaking wondering if maybe it's a good idea after all to go do sprints through the neighborhood while throwing cinderblocks through people's windows. -Gordo DCXX

21 comments:

freakydeaky said...

I was at this show.. wasnt it not Supertouch but Engine.. Mark Ryan and the guitarist from the CT. band Within? Maybe he wasnt from Within but IM almost certain the band was called Engine.. and Burn never failed to satisfy..

freakydeaky said...

And was this the one that BDP played also .. I know they had a few of these Amnesty International Shows around the same time..

Anonymous said...

I think this show was with BDP, Sick of it All, and "from the darkest depths of Queens...Rest in Pieces!!!"

DOUBLE CROSS said...

I was at this show and it wasn't Engine or BDP that played. I know Supertouch played the last GB show, but this wasn't that show. Pretty sure SOIA played, maybe Eye For An Eye. I gotta look for the flyer to be sure. -Tim DCXX

Jessica Hunt said...

Wow. Thanks for posting this. Made me so happy.

Damaged said...

I see we are all having the same problem: getting the different shows at the MArquee (W. 22nd St) confused. I think it was Burn with Engine which was MArk Ryan with Ian love who once played with Within (from Pittsfield MA - I saw Jon Wilson in Boston over ten years ago but heard a rumor that he has dies? Is this true?) These was another show at the Marquee with BDP, SOIA Merauder and others. Did Eye for an Eye play? I don't think I ever saw them in NYC. Those were incredible shows, I remember taking the MetroNorth trains in from CT or riding with friends into the city... I think it was the Burn show that was an Amnesty Benefit put on by Rory Krevlin... Wow, I am 'Drowning' in memories... "When I figure out what's wrong with myself..."

BernieWeaver said...

Your blow-by-blow video analysis are as ever brilliant and hilarious (though feel this one falls short of the Cro-Mags Richie Underdog stage dive breakdown). It was too late in the game for Chaka to be dusted, that shit went out in Queens in like '86 but I can't speak to any other substances. Burn shows were always a dangerous place to be as you had the legacy of the Absolution dancers (whom included Chaka and Sergio before he joined) who were always trying out some new way to back flip out of the pit and into the crowd. Good times though I never dug that dudes bass.

adam said...

I believe this show was the burn/supertouch/eye for an eye/soia show at the Marquee and that it was one of Rorree's Amnesty benefits. I'm at work and don't have the flyers to check out in front of me.

Engine was Mark Ryan and Ian Love and some random NYC guys (maybe someone from Shift or LI or something)... Ian Love was from NYC and played in Within (who were from New Milford CT) and later went onto playing with Burn and then Rival Schools and other bands.

Jon Wilson (their singer) passed away about 5/6 years ago.

The black skinhead guy was from upper westchester or poughkeepsie ny... he was friend's with Howie McNutt and those guys who used to go to the Anthrax..

Retqs said...

I remember this show being with Killing Time. It was a school night because I had to retake algebra for summer school that summer before senior year.

Retqs said...

....or maybe not. June 21 1991 was a Friday.

Killing Time def played at the Marquee that summer too where they sold the gray shirts with the big clocks on them.

... said...

hey there guys, im looking for some sort of contact with that band WITHIN. would you be able to email me with some way of gettin in touch with a WITHIN member. id really love to get their demo. that song, the strength and the strong is too fuckin cool.

mikethemosher@gmail.com

doesnt hurt trying...thanks in advance.

Fabien said...

Hey I'm NYHC old school and I love this blog for the most part but Gordo's homosexuel-type comments are not good... Don't blow no bubbles dude!!!

MOSH ON YOU said...

UHHH YEAH IF TALKING ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF BURN IN DETAIL MAKES YOU A HOMO THEN I WILL LEAD THE GAY PARADE MYSELF. FUNNY SPOT ON VIDEO BREAKDOWN OF THE NYHC LEGENDS. YOU POSE 'FABIEN'.

Anonymous said...

blogged and quartered blogspot just posted a great burn set from CB's...
http://bloggedquartered.blogspot.com/2009/09/burn-live-at-cbgb-101490.html

Anonymous said...

this video caught me off-guard. Thank you homie!

Anonymous said...

BTW,..good one Mosh On You.

Anonymous said...

i really need to follow this webzine daily from now on---a video that shows this band at their best---and i was lucky to see them many times---great commentary to go along with it and i couldnt have broken it down any better meself---i suggest a double cross dvd collection with narration from tim and gordo---would buy. keep it up boys, and i gotta tune in on the reg!!!

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Anonymous said...

if i saw any of the Burn shows back in the day, i would've set myself on fire and run at people. these guys were the best, along with Absolution. saw abosution's reunion with atlas shrugged and i fucking went bat shit. i love watching burn shows on youtube, but it makes me wish i was able to see them, back in the day and at the reunions. i did get to see orange 9mm twice, which was fucking bat shit crazy. thanks for the commentary. i love the play-by-play analysis.

Daniele said...

Hey Guys!! Has anyone the Engine demos to share ot do you know if i can find it somewhere??

Thank You

Mark said...

Gordo, hook me with a link on your Blog... www.youtube.com/corejunkie
People act so shocked this type of crap is out there, I have an entire page stuffed with vidz.

PS: Not the BDP show, was at both.