The Cramps

The Galaxy Theater
House of Blues, Anaheim

I've always liked The Cramps, ever since I was a wee little boy. I like them better now. So I've seen them twice to date. Once at The Galaxy in Costa Mesa and once at the House of Blues. I saw them first at The Galaxy. I went with a couple of other guys and we sat in the back drinking and sucking up some chips. The crowd was great. Lots of girls, lots of black, lots of latex, leather, and all that other good spooky-kid stuff. The show was good to boot. Lux and Poison Ivy looked great as usual, and the band performed well. They played a good selection of old stuff, plus a bunch of stuff off of Flame Job. It was a good long night, with a good crowd, good sound, and a terrific band. 

Then I went to see them at the House of Blues. This time around they were touring to support their newest CD, Fiends from Dope Island. For whatever reason, I decided to go up front. So I made i up there and spent the night at the foot of the stage. Holy shit! I never would have realized what I had probably missed at The Galaxy show by not being up front in the pit. While the sound was painfully loud at times, Lux's performance made it sooooo worthwhile. The band looked great, performed admirably, and got the crowd totally into it. I was told that the place only sold 500 or so tickets, but it felt up front like the place was packed. I didn't see too many empty spaces in the hall that night either. Lux had his freak on and kept it going for their entire 90-minute set. You couldn't really ask for too much more than that. If I was a fan of theirs before, I probably am a raving fanatic now. I had seriously considered seeing them in San Diego the night following the HOB show, but was too exhausted and bruised to make it on a weeknight. You have to understand The Cramps to enjoy them I think, but if you get it, go see them ... they're worth every penny.

November 6, 2004 Update
They're still the same. Performing again at the HOB Anaheim, they once again tore down the night at another sold out show. Same mass quantities of wine for Lux, the total disinterested look for Poison Ivy and her bandmates and enough moshing and crowd surfing to get a few people kicked out or hurt. From my vantage point at the rail, the pit seemed a lot more violent than it I remember it being when I was in the middle of it last time. But maybe it's just me being older or more sober or too tired from watching some horrible metal bands the night before. The crowd was a lot more interesting this time than the previous HOB show with enough latex and hair spray to make it a feast for the eyes. Other than that the show was pretty much the same with the band pulling from their older selections more than from their latest release. 

You can find The Cramps' homepage here.