LIVE: Sick Of It All And Madball Bring True Hardcore
Wednesday February 06, 2008 @ 10:00 AM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Sick Of it All's Lou Kollar Photo by John Papamarko

Feb. 2, 2008
The Reverb
Toronto, ON
By Pete Richards

There was a buzz of excitement in the air outside of The Reverb on this chilly Saturday evening. A lot of people had been looking forward to this show, with message boards and Facebook groups buzzing about it for months. And after being cooped up inside during the snowstorm the night before, it seemed people were ready to let off some steam.

This, after all, was a pretty big event as far as Toronto hardcore goes. Madball and Death Before Dishonor did a stint together in Southern Ontario this summer, but capping it off with the legendary Sick Of It All makes for an amazing lineup. With Toronto being the only stop in the region for this tour, there's no wonder why people came from all over to completely sell-out the venue. The fact that this was an all-ages event didn't deter the older crowd from coming down and supporting hardcore either.

Pennsylvania's Wisdom In Chains kicked things off, serving as a precursor to the old-meets-new style of hardcore show this was going to be. Wisdom In Chains, featuring ex-members of Krutch and Out To Win, were definitely the most punk-influenced band of the night. Next up were Boston's Death Before Dishonor, who helped balance out the bill with a bit heavier. Kids started going apeshit in the pit as soon as they took the stage and moshed along to the thick, breakdown-heavy metallic hardcore.

Madball got right into it from there. If there was anyone in attendance who didn't know the words to every song from the band's 19-year career, I don't know why they bought a ticket. No Madball show would be complete without performances of the title tracks from their classic Set It Off and Demonstrating My Style albums or the NYHC anthem "Pride (Times Are Changing)," to get kids piling on top of each other and singing their hearts out. They're still one of the best bands making true hardcore music and Freddy Cricien's lyrics are as relevant now as they were two decades ago. It seems the crowd didn't want to let Madball get off the stage and when they did, a few people left the building.

Still, as far as classic New York hardcore goes, Sick Of It All are about as popular and long-lasting as it gets. Though a lot of people were turned off by their Fat Wreck Chords years, you can't help but respect their longevity. With classic singalongs like "Built To Last," "Scratch The Surface" and the perfect pile-up opportunity "Step Down," the hardcore unity was in full effect and you could feel the old school spirit spreading to everyone.

This was definitely one of the best hardcore shows I've seen in this city in quite some time. I hope things start changing and promoters bring more shows like this to Toronto and the rest of Canada.