Crazy Town

opening for Buck Cherry

The Cotton Club, Atlanta, GA • November 16, 1999

Andrea Thompson

There’s a band. Call them crazy – I don’t think they’d mind, because it’s doubtful they’d even hear you. Five kids – tattooed, faces painted, Marvelous 3 eyeliner, shirtless, and wearing pants big enough to swim in – you’ve arrived in Crazy Town. Rapping words only they could understand, paying homage to their heroes, Limp Bizkit or Korn – not sure which. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, but after seeing this band, I beg to differ. It’s a tough gig when a band is trying to do what’s already been done – by artists that know how to do it.

The two guitars that backed them blared underneath all the confusion; however, I must admit that in between leaping and internal body slamming, there were a few moments that flowed seamlessly. They gave thanks to KRS 1, and were audience friendly – although the thirty or so people that were closet to the stage barely seemed to notice. Most of the crowd was just securing a spot center stage for headliner Buck Cherry.

Crazy Town’s last song, “Only When I’m Drunk,” was a sloppy rendition, with scattered bridges of “Iko Iko.” The only thing that could have been worse would have been a sing-a-long of “we don’t need no water, let the mother burn.”

When it was all screamed and done, ears rang and chests heaved in a collective sigh of relief from the crowd. The kids from Crazy Town fought the good fight, but they were fighting it in the wrong arena. ◼