Pegboy, The Bollweevils, Butchered, The Brokedowns, Drilling For Blasting, Vacation Bible School, & Little Dave Merriman in Chicago, IL

Editor’s Note: Patrick Houdek thought it best to be even lazier than usual with his writing and combine photos from two separate shows into one review. Also, while we have encouraged Mr. Houdek to write traditional reviews so as that we can help promote new bands and new music to our readers, per his contract with Bad Copy, he is not required to mention anything he actually witnessed while at any of the shows that he reviews. If you continue to read the text below you will be subjected to yet another story about something that happened decades ago.

A couple of months ago I agreed to photograph L7 at the Metro here in Chicago, but that was before I realized that The Brokedowns would be playing a show at the Burlington the same night. Before I had this information though, I already knew what I would write for my review of the L7 show. I don’t know if I’ll get another chance to see L7 and write that review. So you know what? You’re going to read the review I had planned to write!

In 1997, L7 played the Metro in Chicago and local favorites from Des Plaines, Sidekick Kato was one of the openers that night. Not only was Sidekick Kato one of the best bands around, they also loved to drink and more importantly, they loved to drink Budweiser.

I stopped drinking before all this craft beer shit came about so I don’t know why everyone likes to drink out of cans that look like some child’s drink or something (unless of course this is so you can walk around in public with an open container. In that case, continue on with your flowery cans). Please don’t tell me how much better it tastes. Blah blah blah, you’re drinking to get fucked up because I don’t see you going on and on about how great some non-alcoholic beverage tastes. So it’s a higher alcohol content? So what? Is this some kind of race to get drunk? That’s right, you’re old and can’t stay awake past 10PM so you only have time for a few beers before it’s bedtime. Remember, drinking is a marathon not a sprint (unless you’re one of those aforementioned people who need to go to bed by 10PM). Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Budweiser. It’s the King Of Beers! I remember that we’d have to drink Bud Light (the Queen Of Beers) if they ran out of the King at Fireside Bowl. I should probably get back to the story I intended to tell in the first place…

When you are the opening band, you get there early to load in, sound check, etc. You know what also happens? They give you beer at 4PM and you start drinking. Since this was an early show, it didn’t matter if the guys in Kato were drinking all the way up until they had to play. They loved to drink and they could handle it. I forgot to mention, Apocalypse Hoboken went on after Kato and then L7 ended the night, but that only matters because Kato continued to drink through the whole show. Well, actually they hit a little bump in the road while L7 were onstage; they ran out of beer. Not being quitters, they did what anyone else in their situation would do. (no, they didn’t pay for drinks). They thought they would just go steal L7’s beer since they were onstage. Really, what band hasn’t done this? You know the headliner can just ask for more beer and they’ll get it, so no harm, no foul. Well it seems that L7 had actually locked their room backstage… what to do now? Climb over the wall and steal their beer! I don’t know if it was the drinking or the climbing but once they were in L7’s room the urge to urinate happened upon our heroes. With nowhere else to go (though I guess they could have just gone down the hall to the bathroom) SIDEKICK KATO PISSED ON L7’S LEATHER JACKETS!

And that, dear readers, is how one gets banned from playing at the Metro (until you somehow get put on another show where you are blamed for a small fire that you really didn’t start).

PS – For those of you keeping score at home, while I did see Pegboy, The Bollweevils and Butchered at Cobra Lounge and The Brokedowns, Drilling For Blasting, Vacation Bible School and Little Dave Merriman at the Burlington – I was not actually at the L7, Apocalypse Hoboken, Sidekick Kato show in 1997 that I just wrote about. I was on tour with the Traitors, most likely pissing somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be pissing. Thank you Budweiser.

Pegboy, The Bollweevils and Butchered at Cobra Lounge, Chicago, Illinois, April 17, 2018