MAY 3rd, 1997
BORRIS THE SPRINKLER
AT THE DRIVE-IN
All Ages@ Safari Nite Club
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OK this was one of those shows I was looking forward to. I had seen Borris play Iowa City in the fall and just loved that whole Dickies-like sound and stage show. I had heard much about At the Drive-In and the CD really didn't do it for me at first but I was in for a little surprise.
There was some Ska show before hand and all I remember was not really digging the whole moon-ska thing. So by the time ATDI hit the stage I was about to fall asleep. They jumped into their first song and put all trays in the upright postion. The club went from 0 to 60 in 1.5 seconds. They play a combo of I guess you call it emo but with a great deal of darker emotions. To say they explode on stage would be a bit of an understatement. Jumping, twisting and ripping with Spainish style panamine dance, that tells the story that hides between the lines of the lyrics from beginning to end. Easy to say that by the end of their set they were my new favorite band.
Rev Norb and the boys hit the stage next with their fast pace power Dickies like punk. Sure they're sloppy, sure they have dumb costumes, sure Norb is a geek, sure their songs are dumb but that's what makes them stand out. They brought out the old and the new and made their bathroom and PBR jokes. All the while Norb spinning on one foot and adjusting the helmet.
