Madball, Outbreak: October 12 @ The Crazy Donkey, Long Island NY

On a stormy night in October, a mid-size crowd braved torrential rains to see New York hardcore heroes Madball perform at the Crazy Donkey, the overpriced gumba nightclub that (more and more frequently) hosts metal and hardcore shows under the name Club Loaded. During their short string of dates with Outbreak, this was the closest Madball would get to New York City, and yet it didn't feel like the homecoming show the band may have anticipated.
Again and again they implored the room to dance and make more noise, but a couple of devotees up front were left trying to pick up the slack for an unusually subdued crowd. Maybe it was the miserable weather, or the huge barrier set up four feet from the stage (the Crazy Donkey, er, Club Loaded takes itself very seriously). Maybe it was the fact that the band's latest album, Infiltrate the System, released in August, hasn't generated a great deal of interest (though, to their credit, Madball played only a few tracks off the new disc, concentrating largely on classic material, including a half-dozen cuts from 1994's fan favorite, Set It Off). Maybe it was the crowd's makeup--compared with the typical attendees at an NYC Madball show, the Long Islanders probably averaged 10 years younger and 80 lbs. lighter, with less than half the tattoos. (Commenting on the "tough guy" label often applied to the band--a reputation inexplicably linked to the group's diehard fans--singer Freddy Cricien said disdainfully, "If telling the truth makes you a a tough guy, then so be it.") In any event, for a band (really a whole musical genre) that thrives off the live atmosphere, playing so close to home, there was a noticeable absence of energy in the room and you could see the disappointment in the band members' faces.
During their final song, the hardcore anthem "Pride (Times Are Changing)," a massive (think biceps the size of your head) member of the band's crew began tussling with one of the club's obese bouncers right in front of the stage. Cricien simply stared at the scene in disillusionment; it was just one of those nights.
Opening for Madball was Outbreak, a young, energetic outfit (with great guitar solos--really!) from Maine, whose blisteringly fast hardcore songs owed more to punk rock than heavy metal. The room was half empty for most of their set, but looking at the eager, angry quartet, you'd have thought they were rocking for a packed house.