I was reluctantly indifferent to the thought of seeing the band again after being less than impressed by their last album. The show in contrast to the previous nights under sold Slayer show was sold out. So not liking crowds and hearing the horror stories of how packed the Scion Fest was few years ago , there was even more inner resistance. My fiance had already gotten her ticket, so the problems to over come became the Refused management who was less than responsive and the venue wasn't much help either despite having a previous working relationship with them, so I was getting prepared in my head to walk home. I had left my phone at home and my iPod is MIA, so along with being taken off one of my medications the inner world was getting bleaker by the minute. However our friend who bought a ticket from a scalper pitched in with my fiance and helped me gather funds to do like wise. We stood around in the humidity which was every thing you could expect from Georgia in July, the over cast sky did not empty. The crowd was a diverse mix generally older than not, some hipsters , some metal heads some fringe punks, the shirts worn ranged from black metal bands to Jawbreaker. The p.a. began playing 60s pop as the road crew dress like they were in a cult decorated the stage with flowers.
The band took the stage and opened with the first single of their new album, which came across better live than on the album. Then I got two songs from "Angel Dust" the playfully perverse anthem "Be Aggressive" and "Caffeine" which packed a little more of a punch though when compared to music of today Faith No More doesn't strike me as a metal band or even that heavy. Sure they rock and have an explosive edge to their dynamics which gave the show plenty of momentum. They were quick to switch gears on this jerking you back into the soulful " Evidence" where Patton's voice showed little signs of his age and proved him to be one of the best vocalists to come out of the 90s scene. Sure " The Real Thing" came out in the 80s, but the bulk of his career was realized in the rise of the alt rock movement. Speaking of the 80s "Epic" was next. He really nailed the nasal tenor hook in the chorus. The first moment that was less than perfect for me was when they dipped into their new album and played"Sunny Side Up" one of the new albums less ballsy and not quite as focused songs. They bounced back from this with one of the shows better moments "Midlife Crisis" and "Everythings Ruined" from "Angel Dust" at one point Mike Patton asked the audience what they like to do since they seem to be able to do every thing in the Georgia heat, he reported back from the crowd response that some one said twerk, which lead to a him trying to twerk and mention his enthusiasm for twerking. In "Midlife Crisis" they broke the song down into a more disco version. Then from "Album of the Year" came the well executed "Last Cup of Sorrow" . The slow jams vibe was followed by their cover of "Easy" the first of two covers, the second being the cover of Burt Bacaharach's "This Guy's In Love With You", another b-side that is a live staple for them. After "Separation Anxiety" off the new album came came the "King For Day Fool For a Lifetime" songs, "The Gentle Art of Making Enemies" and "King For A Day".
Much like "Mother Fucker" , the song "Superhero" went over better live making it seem like it belonged along side Faith No More's other work. They closed with "Just a Man" which was dynamic enough of an ending, I would have preferred one more off " the Real Thing" perhaps "Surprise Your Dead", but that didn't happen. After beginning this Top 100 albums of the 90s I became rather sentimental and Faith No More was at one point in time one of my favorite bands, so it was good to have some of my faith restored in them after the disappointment their last album caused.
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