A concert or festival that exhibits a diverse lineup of bands and/or solo musicians is always going to make some noise. The 1996 Lollapalooza concert, held on July 23, 1996, at the Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana takes the Metal prize here for diversity! Just take a look at the concert poster below, listing some of the acts that took to the stages of Lollapalooza in ’96: METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, WAYLON JENNINGS, RAMONES, RANCID and SCREAMING TREES. I revere the Ramones, listen to Rancid on a regular basis and could never be more proud of it… Tim Armstrong just amazes me with his song writing, vocals and musical multi-talents. Soundgarden I took a liking to from the start, definitely my favorite Grunge Band ever… Black Hole Sun… ’nuff said. Screaming Trees, (quiet pioneers of the Grunge style in their own right), I will give an open ear to from time to time still. Waylon Jennings, a country legend… he passed away too damn young at age 64, back in 2002. Metallica, a core band of mine. Thrash Metal giants, icons, regardless if Load from ’96, ReLoad from ’97 and St. Anger from 2003 were not up to my Metallica standards. (Hey, any Metalhead or fan of any music genre has their unique personal standards). I never gave up on Metallica… Death Magnetic proves Metallica never gave up on their fans either.
Looking back on this Lallapalooza concert in ’96 is Heavy Metal history. No, not everyone on the bill was/is Heavy Metal, nonetheless… this event was Heavy Metal history. The same can be said that Lallapalooza ’96 was Punk Rock history too. Country and Grunge history at that. If I had attended this Lallapalooza Concert back then, I have a funny feeling, I would have had a tremendous time. Musical diversity was found at this concert and that is not a bad thing at all… in my Metal opinion. (Throw in the fact that Lollapalooza did not have any televised talent show contestants/winners on stage… and you have instant credibility).
This is a very plain and unexciting looking concert poster. Still, these posters were hung up on telephone poles, handed off to passers by and maybe hung inside convenience store windows as well? I cringe at the thought of just how many of these historical posters were ripped down, torn up and thrown away, once this concert came to pass. The bottom Metal line is that this poster represents a moment in time, a moment in Rock history, Heavy Metal history.
I am listening to Rancid today, all day. In my house, in my car, it does not matter. Rancid is my band of choice due to the slick and groove saturated Punk Rock style they bestow. They are Street Punk at many turns, yet they are so much from the Old School Punk Rock mold of the Ramones too. Kickin’ and fun, (gasp), did I just use the F word there? In my area today, the weather is miserable – rainy, semi-cold, of course cloudy and dank. What better band for me, than Rancid… to get my energy level back on high and to kick start my day and attitude. I am actually going to settle on one Rancid CD to crank today – …And Out Come The Wolves. The richness and foundation of Rock and Roll 101 is so evident in the Punk Rock of Rancid, especially on this album. My adoration for Rancid grows each and every time I listen to their Punk Rock. Out of the nineteen songs on this album, there is not one to skip over. I apologize to no one for being a rabid Rancid fan. Life is too short, I love the music I listen to – end of Metal story. Uh, not really… Rancid rules.
I just can’t explain it though, there are those certain bands that just make you feel like everything is cool and alright. Rancid is just that band for me. Over the weekend, I just hung up the very large Rancid poster that comes inside their new CD – let the dominoes fall. The front of the poster is the front cover group photo on that CD, (pictured to the left of this paragraph). On the back of the poster are all of the songs lyrics – real cool. I put this poster inside a very large, thick plastic sleeve for protection too. It is hanging up in my Rocked out basement. It serves me right. Plus, my daughters dig Rancid like there is no tomorrow and this poster being hung makes the basement that much more homey for us all. Rancid is a Punk Rock Band that you should give a try, especially those who are sitting on the fence about wanting some Punk Music in their life. The social commentary and relevance of Rancid’s lyrics are entertaining as they are legitimate. In my most honest of Metal opinions, I just cannot resist the damn credibility of Rancid. The overall realness of …And Out Come The Wolves and any of the other Rancid albums overflows. I can’t ever jump onto that dreaded word – Pop, and attach it to this band… never. Rancid is not Pop Punk – period.
Rancid – “let the dominoes fall” took me by surprise as I walked the CD aisles at Target today. Why is this? Well, for one, it was actually there, in stock. Secondly, the humane price of $7.98 was screaming out at me to – buy now! $7.98… that is cheaper than buying two happy meals for my daughters. Talk about value… there are also 19 songs on the new Rancid CD as well. It is a cool treat to finally not get ripped off by the retail CD prices… when I find a great deal, I tell people. The liner notes in this Rancid CD are a bonus – it is a very large Rancid poster (depicting the CD cover of band and logo). This poster is so large, it is suitable for hanging on your wall of choice. (Sorry, I did not take an actual measurement of this poster, take my word for it, it is large). On the backside of the poster you will find all the lyrics to the songs. 
