Surplus 1980-The Golden Bull, Oakland CA; 8/24/17

Not one note had been played at this show before some really disappointing stuff went down. Baltimore band Multicult, out West on tour, had their van broken in to. They bummed heavily and split town for Eugene, leaving everyone saddened. I don't understand why people would rip off musicians that are pretty clearly not living the "good life". Didn't they ever learn the Golden Rule? I guess it will come back to them in some way, so no need for me to pontificate about it.
Surplus 1980 had a bit more time to fill in our set, so we started a bit later than expected and hit. Right off, it felt to me like one of those sets where good things were happening, and that there was no stopping us. That delightful "on" feeling where even errant stick patterns cannot stop the groove and vibe. I don't know if the rest of the group felt that way, but bassist Nelly was smiling grandly: a good sign.
We performed our most epic tune, the ten minute Temporarily Present, for the second time live. Its changes seemed to fall in place really well. Things progressed from it, our set opener, in a rockin', manic way. On account of space issues at The Golden Bull, Moe! did not bring his drum set, and we stuck to songs on which he plays guitar: Failure of Commitment, Question After Ended Question (well, bundt pan on that), Morale Is High, 99 Is Not 100, an improvised piece, and a surprise Ed Saad. That last one because we had more time to fill. Things flowed, guitars chimed, it all just seemed to click. The kind of set where its ending has me wishing that we could rehearse tomorrow.
Reptoid slayed. Definitely seek his gonzo Noise/drumming mashup out.
Hopefully we'll get another chance to play with Multicult.
Many thanks to ace sound engineer Justin at The Golden Bull for dialing it all in.
Below: my drums; Surplus 1980 preparing to hit

Above: best surreal shot of Nelly; a bill torn asunder by thievery