Tiger Army at Irving Plaza
Tiger Army/Street DogsIrving Plaza, New York City
October 11, 2007
Last time Tiger Army played New York they sold out BB Kings. This time their back with a new album, a subtle new look, but more of the same overdriven psychobilly rock. However, it was the opening act, The Street Dogs, that took the spotlight (and the show) away from Tiger Army mastermind Nick 13.
The Street Dogs, fronted by original Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan, took the stage at the newly rechristened Filmore at Irving Plaza and proceeded to beat the shit out of the audience with an hour of ferocious punk anthems. I kinda figured these Boston bruisers would sound like a dirtier version of DKM, but instead this band of misfits pound out tunes that sound more like The Casualties than Flogging Molly. The crowd went buck wild through most of the set, slam dancing to every note and screaming along to McColgan as if he were the messiah.
Tiger Army had their work cut out for them as the crowd thinned a little after The Street Dogs called it a night. The psychobilly trio had just switched up its lineup when they last played New York and it was interesting to see how the songs have matured with the release of their new record. Too bad it was nearly impossible to hear the rest of the group as Nick 13’s amp was cranked so high that all you heard was ear-splitting twang.
Gone is Geoff Kresge’s percussive slap bass that echoed through the venue. The new bassist plays a more traditional rockabilly style that gets lost during the band’s earlier songs. The set consisted of a nice mix of old and new stuff, but the band only shined on some of the newer, more memorable work. Older punk songs were a distorted mess, and the sound was just awful.
Trump it up to a bad night but this wasn’t Tiger Army’s night to shine.
