Tiger Army invades the New Oasis
This past Friday brought northern Californian “psychobilly” rockers Tiger Army with opening acts The Memphis Murder Men and Civet to the New Oasis for a fittingly raucous performance.
“Reno’s always a good time,” Tiger Army lead singer Nick 13 said. “The crowds tend to be on the rowdy side, which is fine. There’s usually an ‘anything can happen’ kind of feel, which means it’s never dull. There’s an energy that comes from the best crowds—you can feed on it and give it back to them. I don’t remember the last time we played Reno that I couldn’t feel that energy.”
The crowd was already responding enthusiastically as The Memphis Murder Men began their set. The group is a punk rock band with influences ranging from Little Richard and Chuck Berry to G.G. Allin and the New York Dolls. A section of audience members started dancing as they played catchy songs like “Sometimes They Come Back” and “Drive Into Darkness” that were clearly influenced by early Misfits. As their set progressed, the dancing transitioned into the beginnings of a small mosh pit.
The Memphis Murder Men exited the stage after repeatedly expressing their undying gratitude to the fan in the front row who had already purchased some of their merchandise. Following them was Civet, an all-female band from Los Angeles.
Civet managed to play their set of heavier punk rock songs from atop dangerously high platform shoes. The band frequently praised the crowd for its enthusiasm and willingness to participate: “That’s what makes you cooler than the over 21 crowds we have to play for in bars,” lead singer Liza Graves said. “Kids like having fun.”
Tiger Army finally took the stage to play one of the few final shows of their tour before embarking on a break to rest and work on new material.
“We’ve done so much overseas travel this year with four separate trips to Europe and one to Australia and Japan that I’m definitely appreciating playing the West Coast right now,” Nick 13 said. “There are definitely times when it all wears you down. At the same time, doing these weekend dates on the West Coast in preparation for finishing this cycle is making me miss touring already! I just want to recharge the batteries mentally and physically. At that point, the new songs will come to me.”
As Tiger Army began to play, the crowd exploded with energy. People came running from all directions to join in on the mosh pit. Two little girls around the age of seven were hoisted up onto their parents’ shoulders near the front of the crowd, and the band dedicated the song “Devil Girl” to them.
Before playing “Outlaw Heart,” one of the band’s country-inspired songs, Nick 13 proclaimed his love for classic country music and explained that he often associated Reno with country music because of the Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis shows he attended in Reno during the ‘90s. During the band’s break from touring, he plans to work on a solo album featuring more of his own country music.
“Early country is something I got into as a result of getting heavily into ‘50s rockabilly years ago,” he said. “It would’ve been a huge jump from punk back to ‘50s country, but it makes more sense when you take punk back to rockabilly, then rockabilly back to hillbilly and bluegrass.”
While the band was performing the song “Pain,” there was a large commotion near the door featuring some scuffling, rolling on the floor, and apparently something very serious because the offending group was escorted out by security guards and by the end of the concert, there were six police cars—including a K9 unit—outside of the venue.
However, Tiger Army finished their set and returned to play their encore, featuring “American Nightmare,” a Misfits cover that they hadn’t performed on tour in nearly 10 years, and “Never Die,” a crowd favorite. Before they left the stage for the evening, the band thanked the audience for “taking it up a notch” and expressed the desire to come back to Reno again before long.
“I’ve really gotten into the TV show Reno 911! lately, which I know doesn’t necessarily represent the real Reno, but seeing all the cutaway shots of Reno makes me think about all the times I’ve been there,” Nick 13 said. “I’ve had some great times there.”
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on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 am and is filed under Arts & Entertainment, Concert Reviews, InsideReno.
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