Night 3 of Hometown Throwdown #15 with Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sam Black Church and Rebuilder

Night three came quick and entirely too fast.  I always feel the last night of any marathon shows (whether it be Dropkick Murphys, the Street Dogs, or the Mighty Mighty Bosstones), tends to creep up way too fast.  I personally felt night three was easily the best Throwdown night of them all and they were nothing short of amazing.  In general, Hometown Throwdown Sixteen was easily the best Hometown Throwdown I have yet experienced.  Between the people, the energy, the experience staying at the Buck Hotel in Kenmore square, the set lists, and much more, you just can't fucking beat it.  Another feeling for me was the easy transition from Wreck The Halls to the Throwdown as they are just within just a few days of each other.  With that, I am still able to catch up with more friends who may not have made it to the shows the weekend before.  The diverse amount of supporting acts made it a memorable experience because you have so many different options given to listen to, it easily makes everyone happy.  Anyways, onward with the review.


The night started out with a brand new band called Rebuilder which features members of Dead Ellington.  The last time I saw these guys perform was with the Dropkick Murphys on St. Patricks Day last year.  Rebuilder possesses the energy that many bands do not and the willingness to pour out everything they have on stage.  To my ears, these guys have an influence that is along the lines of NOFX with a little melodic hardcore edge to them.  Rebuilder is certainly a band that cares about crowd interaction as they were not afraid to get the crowd warmed up.  I also recently learned that the band also puts their material out on their own label called "Refuse, Rethink, Rebuild" which also really states the band puts forth a true Do It Yourself work ethic.  The kind of mentality is something that seems to be fading these days. I noticed during the  performance that these guys are no stranger to the stage and are no stranger to trying new things.  If I noticed correctly, the band was using some sort of piano or synth which I feel adds to the unique sound Rebuilder has made for themselves.  Overall, I enjoyed their set and look forward to watching them perform again.

Next was Boston hardcore legends, Sam Black Church.  I really looked forward to seeing these guys play because out of all of the reunions I have seen of Boston hardcore bands, Sam Black Church has stayed on the down low. The band certainly brought their own fans as you could see the energy on the floor and in the pit was much more aggressive than it was for the Bosstones.  For a band that hasn't played much at all, they really brought a lot of energy with them.  SBC tore through roughly a forty five minute set without stopping much at all.  As mentioned earlier, I really enjoy how the headlining act really likes to bring support acts of all shapes and sizes, including their counterparts from the 80s.  My first Hometown Throwdown in 2008 at the Middle East, Slapshot was invited to play which was an absolute blast.  Here we are five years later, the legendary Sam Black Church is playing.  The crowd (which the majority were Bosstones fans), really responded well to the performance and the fans they brought.   At the same time, the fans who were primarily there for Sam Black Church did the same.  All in all, I thought it was a great performance and it was a blast to watch the energy they kept their entire set.  Perhaps another reunion of theres will come again soon.

At last, it was time for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  Night three came like a whirlwind and despite the exhaustion, I wasn't quite ready for the fun to end.  The lights went down, and "Ball of Confusion" by the Temptations came over the P.A.  At the height of the intro, the curtain fell one last time, and out came the boys in white tuxedos.  The band launched right into "Noise Brigade" (which I called as the opener) from their 1997, "Let's Face It" album which set the crowd off instantly.  The 'Tones kept the trend going with filling the setlist that included all kinds of gems.  The band immediately ripped right into, "Mr. Moran" and that had been awhile since I have seen that live.  A personal favorite, "Jump Through The Hoops" came in third which was a pleasant surprise as well.  Of course, a show isn't a show without an asshole (usually intoxicated) begging for any kind of attention as somebody giving either the band and/or a security guard the bird.  Dicky Barrett instantly called him out on it with, "Dude, we get the point!  We get the point!" which resulted in the patron darting for the back.  I admire musicians who aren't afraid to call somebody out for acting like a schmuck.

The Bosstones made it a point to mix the setlist with old and new material to keep the crowd guessing and entertained.  They really made it an effort to throw the crowd off and keep everybody on their toes.   From their album "Pin Points and Gin Joints", it was great to hear "Wasted Summers",  and "You Left Right?".  Meanwhile, the band happened to bust out, "Rascal King", "They Came To Boston", and "You Can't Win" very early in the set, as well.  During mid-set, Dicky made it a point to dedicate "The Horseshoe and the Rabbits Foot" from "The Magic of Youth" to his daughter.  It was a pleasure to hear "Common Decency" live once again, as well as "Hell Of A Hat".  To please the early diehards, "Devil's Night Out" and "Haji" made the setlist toward the end which was a lot of fun live.  The main set ended with "Holy Smoke".

Lastly, it was a very special night for two friends of mine!  My friend, Gina Venz proposed to her partner, C.E. Skidmore at the beginning of the encore which resulted in a yes! The encore included five songs instead of the usual three.  If my memory serves right, this was only the second time I heard "Favorite Records" which was great to hear live.  It also included the famous, "Toxic Toast" from the "Question The Answers" album.  Next, former Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist, Nate Albert came out and joined the band on "Kinder Words",  which lead right into "the Daylights".   Another major highlight included Tim Brennan of the Dropkick Murphys sitting in on a few songs at the beginning of the set and toward the end.  The very last song of the night and of Hometown Throwdown #16 was "Pirates Ship" which as the perfect way to end it.  The ending verse, "Keep the spirits up with a smile, as we walk another mile, cause when the journey ends, we'll still be the best of friends!" and concluded with a exuberant "Thank You" from Dicky Barrett himself.  Right then, I realized that was the end of yet another amazing Hometown Throwdown.

Til Next Time!