Reatard Doesn't Punch Anyone In T.O.

Sneaky Dee's

Toronto, ON

on Oct 16 2008

Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

10/17/2008 4:06pm

Much ink has been spilled about Jay Reatard's punch-up at The Silver Dollar in Toronto last spring (my original play-by-play is available here).

In the months since, many of the key parties involved have taken to the World Wide Web to discuss the kerfuffle, with most agreeing that the broomhead in the Hartford Whalers cap deserved to meet up with Reatard's fist. To his credit, Reatard never feigned any kind of vendetta against Toronto, and better still, he held true to his promise of playing a free make-up show (an in-store appearance at local record shop Sonic Boom) as a peace offering.

It was a nice gesture to be sure, but the real test would come on Thursday night when Reatard went head-to-head with a craggy assortment of fans and fiends at Sneaky Dee's. Reatard hit the stage just before midnight, and was both in-the-zone and zoned-out as he wasted no time thrashing away at his trademark Flying V guitar and picking up the onslaught from where he left off.

It was a customarily frenzied performance, but one that showed a considerable amount of restraint from the crowd. This was perhaps due in part to the po-faced security guard stationed stage right who glared menacingly at every opportunity and shot daggers with every glance. Whatever the case, the assembly managed to mosh without incident, even when Reatard and friends unleashed such potent headbangers as "My Shadow" and "Oh, It's Such A Shame." Even the potency of the thrash fave "Blood Visions" couldn't offset the balance as the performance really went off without a kick, punch or hitch.

And now, a few comments about crowd surfing. We've all levitated atop a mosh pit at one time or another, but seriously, when you've got 10 feet of clearance tops in a room with weathered pipe ends protruding from above, maybe it's best to leave the crowd surfing for next year's installment of Edgefest. This goes double for the toe-headed goofball who rode the wave not once but twice over the course of the evening.

Reatard himself effectively capped the half-hour set by deftly diving into the throng, risking life, limb and crotch in the process. The crowd carried him halfway to the back of the room where he righted himself and headed downstairs to College Street, effectively capping the performance. The p.a. music kicked in shortly thereafter and that was it.

While the show was completely uneventful, it was undeniably awesome. Reatard proved that he's carved himself a special niche, and in spite of the brevity and perceived insipidness of his music, he really is a very talented songwriter who manages to excel in a garage/punk genre that has undeniably seen better days.