Against Me! Fans Skip Out On Foo Fighters

03/14/08 3:00pm

by Alyssa Noel (CHARTattack)

Against Me! have hit the big time.

Gone are the days of sporadic meals purchased from whichever restaurant is closest to the concert venue where they're performing that night. Now, they have caterers as part of the road crew. That means three balanced meals a day, complete with a salad bar.

Well, at least until they part ways with their current tour mates, the Foo Fighters.

"I don't know that I prefer it necessarily, but it's definitely convenient," says drummer Warren Oakes from a tour stop in Albuquerque, N.M.

Such luxuries could be in the Florida punk band's future if they continue with the momentum they've gathered since releasing their major label debut, New Wave, last summer. While punk purists have loudly protested the corporate backing, mainstream crowds have perked their ears in response to catchy singles like "Thrash Unreal" and "Stop!"

"There are people that had never heard of us before this album, people who aren't tapped into the underground who find out about bands from the radio. That's awesome," says Oakes.

But they still keep their longtime fans in mind as well. Recognizing that not all of them can afford Foo Fighters tickets (or would want to see them, for that matter) they've taken advantage of their days off to play shows at smaller venues. They even turned a few into fundraisers for Harvest Of Hope, an organization that supports migrant farm workers.

"For us if we're out on the road, we're not out to hang out and go to the mall," says Oakes. "We're out to play shows."

Some especially loyal fans have turned up to their shows with the Foos and left after Against Me! played their set.

"(We) meet a few people every night that will be outside after (we) play and say, 'You guys were awesome. We came just to see you,'" he says with a hint of disbelief. "They paid $50 to see the show and then watched us and left. It's flattering."

Upcoming Against Me! tour dates:
March 17 Montreal, QC @ The Bell Centre
March 18 Quebec City, QC @ Imperial Theatre
March 19 Ottawa, ON @ Soctiabank Place
March 20 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
March 21 Kingston, ON @ The Ale House
March 22 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
March 24 Thunder Bay, ON @ Kilroy's
March 25 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
March 26 Regina, SK @ Connexus Arts Centre Convention Hall
March 27 Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
March 28 Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
March 29 Calgary, AB @ The Republik
March 30 Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum