Menzingers visits Stone Pony: Show review
Written by Erika Szumel
ASBURY PARK—On a hazy summer night at the Jersey Shore, fans lined up at The Stone Pony for one of Philly’s most iconic bands, The Menzingers.
Inside the legendary venue, fans warmed up for The Menzingers with another Philadelphia band, The Holy Mess. The Holy Mess formed in 2006 and has released 3 full-length albums and several EPs over the years. The band came out strong with Easy on the Pepsi Fuller! (The Hideaway Bed), a song from their self-titled album, released in 2011.
The Holy Mess is a traditional gritty, raspy, thrashy, punk rock band. From the jump, both fans and newcomers were dancing and moving to the music. The band played a variety of songs from their discography, including a few of their most popular; Within the Range of a Raven, Goodbye 3713 (Must Have Been a Good One), Crazy Horny and more.
This was not an ordinary Menzingers show, it was an album release party for their eighth full-length album, Everything I Ever Saw. Greg, Tom, Joe, and Eric set the tone for this special night opening with, “So sick of being lonely, do you want to get to know me? I'm a zero, I'm a weirdo, I'm a struggling superhero,” from the single, Chance Encounters, released in April. The sold out show was packed from front to back with fans of all ages singing, dancing, moshing, and even crowdsurfing in the legendary venue.
It was a strong, well-balanced set, with a mix of brand new songs from the album and classics like Lookers, I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore, Gates and more. From the beginning, the band expressed their gratitude to the fans, the Stone Pony, and their love of Asbury Park, sharing how it has become a second home to them. They sing about Asbury Park in a couple of their songs, including Lookers, “Julie from the Wonder Bar I still wonder where you are” and Your Wild Years, “I drove you home while you slept in the front seat, after a show at the Stone Pony”.
This band is incredibly energetic—singer and guitarist Greg Barnett is ripping vocals, while singer and guitarist Tom May is jumping so high in the air it looks like he might touch the ceiling. Coupled with the constant energy from drummer Joe Godino and the strong bass playing by Eric Keen, this band holds a special, unique place in this genre of music with distorted guitars and lyrics about everything from aging to nostalgia. The crowd cheered endlessly this Friday night in July. The band closed the show with it’s most popular song, After The Party, singing the words, “After the party, it's me and you”.
