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