ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 14, 1995 TAG: 9512140020
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: CONCERT REVIEW
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
It wasn't a gushy farewell.
Of course, nobody really expected one from the Ramones as rock's oldest punks, who are calling it quits early next year, played one of their last concerts Tuesday night at the Salem Civic Center.
Instead, the Ramones did what they've always done. They played fast and loud and stupid and didn't fall into any kind of drippy sentimentality whatsoever. Not even a nod goodbye. They were the consummate snot-nosed delinquents to the end.
Watching them up there, clad in their trademark leather jackets, as most of them approach their 50s, two questions came to mind.
As they age into retirement, do you think they will feel an enduring pride in the form of music - punk rock - that they helped unleash on the world?
And how in the world have they been able to do it all these 20 years? (Hopefully, they did it for the money.) The same rapid-fire drone night after night, year after year, offering about as much musical quality as a freight train derailment - it's kind of cool; it just isn't very entertaining.
Tuesday night, even their most recognizable songs, ``I Wanna Be Sedated'' and ``Rock `n' Roll High School,'' could only be discerned after careful consideration, and even then, there wasn't much to distinguish them from anything else they played. It made you wonder. Why not just play the same song over and over? Or better yet, why bother playing at all?
Which brings us to the concert's headlining act, White Zombie.
Next to White Zombie, the Ramones were like Mozart. And where the Ramones were like a freight train derailment, White Zombie sounded more like the inside of a jet engine in the middle of an artillery range.
About the only thing remotely interesting was the band's hyperkinetic light show. It was almost as hard too look at as the group's noise was to listen to. Why 2,515 people would pay money to see this band is beyond comprehension. And to you parents who let your children go to this, well, shame on you.
What a waste of life.
The opening act was Into Another, a band that fit the bill perfectly. Enough said.
LENGTH: Short : 46 linesby CNB