Last time I saw these guys I was still in high-school and the show started n' ended at the same time when they came out on stage n' announced that they literally just broke up and they weren't playing. A huge bummer that turned out to be one of my wildest memories in live music history. Count how many times one of your fav bands came to town to tell you they were done. No soup for you!
I learned a lot tonight. It didn't take a lot to learn it. Phil, the guitarist and sharing lead vocalist of the band is the only remaining member of the original RESET. He is truly what this whole article is about. He showed me along with everyone else, who knew it or not, what devotion was all about. The show was awesome enough to please a sold out crowd, but there was a bare minimum crowd there. I think Loop counted about 22 people, like the deadest I've seen it after ten o'clock. But they still gave it.
Afterwards we helped em' move their shit into the van, supplied the papers and smoked an "un-filtered, no ta-back" joint with Phil and I think the drummer, Marten. Loop n' I realized pretty soon that compared to Phil, the other two dudes in the band were still pretty new to living in the counter culture, but they were on their way . Only a matter of tours, a matter of time. Meanwhile Phil broke it down to us, exactly what the hell he'd been doing to resurrect the once stellar punk band, and how he's now a goddamn phys. ed teacher. He's a smart cat who some would say got left behind, but I would argue the opposite. For reasons I don't totally understand, yet I still respect, he chose to remain. Playing music he wants to hear. Music he loves as much as we do. Probably more. Either way, he showed us some true colors and I still haven't hit my point here. When RESET broke up, some of the old members emerged as new band that made us all throw up in our mouths. They were called A Simple Plan. I'd like to think the die hard RESET fans got their angst out when we peppered Pierre with garbage while Simple Plan played their first warped tour and he called us all "racists" because we didn't like their whiney pop-punk bullshit. Some people would argue that Simple Plan does have some catchy guitar riffs n' licks despite all sucky lyrics. I had good laugh tonight when I found out that they paid Phil quite favorably to write the majority of awesome guitar parts. They couldn't even do it themselves.... wankers.
As Loop and I walked to the show through the galleria parking, which is free after midnight now, we talked about the tempting difference between the moral majority culture, which makes up about 80% of our population and the counter culture (20% beauties) who fill in the rest with a sweet vengeance. Phil is one hundred percent part of that twenty percent. He's been on big tours, he's tasted how good it could be. A solid band on the forefront of Canadian punkrock and beyond and he didn't brag about any of that shit. He didn't slag off in the hotel room and talk about how much better it used to be. He hung out like it was happening for the first time... all over again. And he still dug it. He was on a mission to bring it all back. And although the crowd at the office tonight was crushing to the ego, well, he read one of those Ekhart Tolle books and said fuck the ego!
I guess in the end, I didn't exactly lay down in great savory detail what tonight was all about for me. But that happens sometimes. You get inspired. It leaves a mark, but you can't give it back quite yet. I don't know.
