The night started in a line about 50 people deep, outside, in the pouring rain.
Once inside, M99 kicked the night off with an OK, if a tad over-long, set of typical 90s post-feminist white-trash grunge.
After that was Pond, pulling off one of the most under-the-radar rock band reunions I think I've ever been a part of. They brought in the largest crowd of the night, with people packing the club from wall to wall -- old fans, new fans, scenesters of yore, folks out for the nostalgia trip, and people like myself who never got a chance to see them perform during their initial reign.
The songs have aged quite well (the "grunge" sound was very much of its time, but there have been a few bands whose output can stand on its own), even if the guys in the band were struggling a bit. With a band that hadn't been on stage in nearly a decade, who was performing with only three practices recently under their belt, perfection isn't expected. And with all of the excitement and energy of the crowd, the warts and flubs were easily overlooked in exchange for the rare opportunity of seeing these guys on stage together once again.
After Pond, Quasi took the stage to close the evening.
Going into it, I had kinda hoped that, in honor of their early days playing 2-3 nights weekly at the Satyricon of legend, it would be a throwback show of sorts -- Sam and Janet reverting back to the keys-and-drums duo they once were and playing a ton of old shit. I got about half of that one.
Quasi is officially now a trio, and that's how they played their set. A few newer tracks, but mostly material pulled from far back in the past. Lots of fun, and even a few surprises. I was sad that they didn't play "It's Raining" (especially given the night's weather, but more appropriately my own mood these past few weeks), however they certainly made up for it by closing the night with a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," complete with the electric piano filling in for the guitar.
