Alex Brown - Side By Side, Project X, Gorilla Biscuits

This is part of an ongoing piece where we asked various people from bands over the years what they recall as the most memorable show they ever played (or attended, if they were never in a band), and why. What is posted here is only a sliver of what is to come, so be sure to check back. -DCXX

A few come to mind. Side by Side at CB's opening for GB and YOT, AKA the shutdown show. That was amazing more for what followed than our set itself, although we set it off after the Pagan Babies laid a stink bomb on stage. They fucking sucked. The singer wore a Flyers jersey and tried to taunt the crowd...about hockey! The sound of no hands clapping.

Project X at the Superbowl of Hardcore. That was like the first or second one of those shows and we somehow got the opening slot totally last minute. I doubt we even practiced for the show. So, we're backstage getting psyched and there's Chris Williamson (rock and roll douchebag/business dick) telling us we have 10 minutes to play and if we don't go on right this fucking minute, we're not going to be allowed to play at all and Porcell is all like "Dude, just chill out guy, let's wait a few more minutes." I was shitting bricks just to be playing on that huge stage with all those people watching, let alone the fact that Porcell is fucking with the promoter. We finally go on and I think on the first chord of the first song, I try and pull some radical move off the drum riser, completely eat shit and have my guitar cord fall out. I was using Porcell's Les Paul and he failed to tell me that it had a really loose input jack and I was too nervous or stupid to loop it through my strap. I spent the remainder of the four-song set chasing my chord around that kept getting unplugged. The best part about it is that there exists somewhere a video of that embarrassment of a performance. I think about that once in a blue moon still feel embarrassed about it.

The GB show that stands out in my memory was at the Greyhound in London, 1989. We met these strippers before playing, maybe at soundcheck, and ended up putting them on the list for the show. During our finale of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," we had them dance for us. I think they might have showed some titty but that was it. We were really proud of ourselves until we got backstage and people were ready to riot, they were so pissed at us.