Touch and Go Records 25^th Anniversary – Negative Approach Reunion

Chicago, Ill, September 7-9, 2006

The two simple words “Reunion Show” are probably among the most feared words that can be uttered in a conversation about a great band that has split up years ago.  We’ve seen everybody from the Sex Pistols to the Stooges get together for one last ride through the rock & roll wilderness.  The results are usually uneven and mixed, but it gives the old fans one more chance to see and hear the band that was such an important part of their lives.  So, when I heard that one of those bands that I fondly remembered from those hardcore days in the Cass Corridor was playing again – it was a simple decision to get ready for another road trip.  I won’t rehash the story of Negative Approach – for a few years they were one of the greatest and most intense bands that you were ever going to see.  Those days are long gone, but the influence of Negative Approach on today’s kids is as strong as ever.

The Negative Approach reunion was (at least for me) the highlight of the 25^th Anniversary show held to honor one of the most famous and enduring record labels of the whole independent music industry.  If you had any taste in music – then there should be plenty of Touch & Go records in your music collection.  I packed up my car and headed west to my old hometown that I had left years ago.  When I was a kid growing up in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood in Chicago, we were always told of the great poet, Carl Sandburg, who called Chicago the “city with broad shoulders”.  Today, Chicago may still have those broad shoulders, but you can also amend the description to include the “city with no parking and too many toll roads”.  Every time you drive into and around this city, it seems that new toll booths are popping up every where – it’s almost like having a Midwestern version of highway system in New York or New Jersey, where motorists need to have bags of change in order to drive a few miles on the aptly-misnamed “freeway”.

After I negotiated the “pay as you drive” route into Chicago, it was time to actually try to park my car and see the band.  In Chicago, parking your car within a mile of your destination and within an hour of arriving there is a cause for celebration.   While trying to park and walk to the concert, I managed to receive multiple phone calls from my friend Brian informing me of the following  facts:

·        Hurry up, Killdozer is coming on next!

·        Where are you, Killdozer is awesome !

·        They’re almost done!

·        You’re an idiot – you missed them!

As I finally digested these messages and ran it breathlessly in the middle of the Didjits set – it was time to relax and enjoy the bands.  Negative Approach came on about 6:00 pm in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,000 or so and I figured that they have probably just played in front of more people than all their other shows put together.  This wasn’t strictly a NA reunion; joining vocalist John Brannon and drummer O.P. Moore were Ron Sakowski (ex Necros, Easy Action, etc) and Harold Richardson of Easy Action.  Either way, this was as close as I was ever going to get to the Freezer Theater and NA ripped through a typical set.  We even had a mosh pit spring up in front of the stage and it was fun to see a whole new generation of kids bouncing around.  As usual, the set was way too short, but Negative Approach packs more of a wallop in 30 minutes than most bands do in a couple of hours.  I’m really not sure if this was a one-off reunion just for this festival, but as somebody who’s seen and raved about this band for years it was a very welcome sight…. I guess that some reunions are just worth having !!!!