Show Review: Black Flag on a Fucking Boat.
August 5th, 2024.
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“All Aboard!”
August 6th, 2024
Last night we boarded a boat at Manhattan’s Skyport Marina for a float down the East River to say hello to Lady Liberty on Liberty Island. Our voyage had us ducking under the stone and steel of the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges. A million city lights reflected off the dark rippling water. Oh yeah, and Black Flag was unleashing a musical mutiny on the main deck. We were on a punk rock dreadnought. Here’s our account:
The boat was a small two level cruiser yacht with a seven foot ceiling main deck and an exposed upper level outdoor deck. The band was set up at the bow of the main deck. Waves and wakes from other boats would constantly send some of the 200 or so passengers toppling over. To stay grounded many people braced the ceiling with a free hand for a third point of contact.
Black Flag’s double set started with Can’t Decide from their 1984 album My War. Funny choice considering they named their current tour the “First Four Years” tour, highlighting their early work from ‘79 to ‘83. Maybe they couldn’t decide what song from the compilation to start with. The energy was electric. Two people in the very front aggressively made out with each other during the first song, right in front of Greg Ginn, which made him smile. A boat mosh pit formed. Half the people sang and hollered along to the songs.
They ripped through Wasted, Six Pack, Black Coffee, Swinging Man, Rise Above, and many other two minute torchers. For a boat, the sound system was incredible. Greg Ginn, the only original member still in the lineup, was mesmerizing on guitar, shredding from his endless abyss of riffs. Mike Vallely sang every song with everything he had. Charles Wiley, with black drumsticks, wielded the stamina to maintain a manic energy for hours. We can’t confirm who was on bass but they rattled the windows.
The band took a break as the boat pulled up alongside the Statue Of Liberty. Her torch golden, her crown as sharp as knives, spotlit in the cloudy night, she was beautiful.
On the way back Black Flag let it all out. They played an epic ten minute version of Slip It In and another extended version of their Louie Louie rendition. Towards the end they were straight up jamming, freestyling riffs, lyrics, and drum fills. Free form punk rock. We docked at the end of the night sweaty, drunk, and transformed.
At the end of the year we're going to do a recap and call it "Our Ten Favorite Performances of 2024" or something. This will certainly be on it. It was hosted by Rocks Off NYC, they do a lot of boat shows so check them out if you're interested! We'll see you on the ship, Rrrat Pack.
