For being 39 years old, lead singer Fat Mike and the rest of NOFX still know how to put on a great punk show. Monday night at Nation, NOFX rolled into town and slammed out some of their most classic tunes, as well as some of their newer political songs. It's rare for NOFX to be caught here on the east coast, and for the thousand or so fans who made it to the club, no one left empty handed.
For over an hour, the crowd circle-pitted and crowd surfed to punk rock music that was performed with admirable energy, as if NOFX was on a goodbye tour. Also notable was NOFX's infamous, in your face, no-holds-barred sexual humor. When a bra was thrown onstage, there were no questions asked as Fat Mike quickly picked it up, put it on and continued to play. Guitarist Melvin quickly solicited the crowd for a bra of his own and his wish was quickly answered.
Fat Mike mentioned that Washington housed a "big idiot" in the White House and went on to play "Idiot Son of an Asshole," referring to George W. Bush. Evidently there were no CIA members attending this show, otherwise the band would have been in trouble. NOFX also wrote a ballad customized for their Washington audience that suggested Washingtonians have big "packages" while California has better cocaine.
El Hef?, guitarist and horn player, entertained the audience with Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" and led NOFX with a classic mellow tune that fans have come to love, "Radio." El Hef? mentioned that he had a hard time picking up chicks, and the only way he seemed to remedy that problem was by meeting young fans on Myspace.
After about 15 songs, NOFX ended their set with the classic song "The Brews," which satirically celebrates Fat Mike's Jewish heritage. The band members thanked the fans for providing them an energized atmosphere to play to and left the stage. The roadies began clearing the equipment, which usually indicates that the band is done performing for the night, but that didn't deter the fans from staying put. To the chant of "one more song," the band members finished their beer and liquor and hit the stage for another one of their west coast punk classics.
Fat Mike didn't seem to be hampered by the fact that the previous night he had tripped on stage and sprained his ankle. He doped up on painkillers and alcohol and gave the crowd what they paid for. For $20, Washington punk fans, ranging in age from 15 to 40, were thoroughly entertained by what they have come to expect from NOFX: honest, sincere and pedal-to-the-metal punk rock.
After 23 years of existence, the boys of NOFX continue to defy political norms, and it doesn't look like they're slowing down. They have a new record which will be released in April called "Never Trust a Hippy," with the front cover depicting Jesus drinking a 40-ounce bottle of beer and holding up a peace sign. It goes to show that with age a band can still rock, and with quality music becoming harder and harder to find these days, that's a good thing.
