No Use for a Name
with One Man Army and Homegrown
The Sapphire Supper Club, Orlando, FL • October 13, 2000
As I sat in one of those famous rush-hour Orlando traffic jams that are created solely by the city’s need to collect a toll, I marveled at the genius of the guy who set up a punk rock show for five o’clock on a Friday night in downtown Orlando. It’s a good thing because it allows the lawyers and bankers who work downtown to walk right over and get into the show, while those people who work in the shit jobs outside the city get to miss the opening band. I especially enjoyed the traffic jam because I was heading to the show specifically to see the opening band, One Man Army.
Things have a way of working themselves out, though, and as I drove past the Sapphire on my way to park, I heard a half-assed punk version of “St. Elmo’s Fire,” and I knew it couldn’t be One Man Army, so I knew that there had to be one more opening band. And from that brief drive-by, I actually, genuinely appreciated the traffic jam.
“1ma1”
I did get to see the whole set of One Man Army. They were drunk (and remember, this was five o’clock in the afternoon). They were sloppy. They fucked around a lot. They didn’t seem to care that the Sapphire was only half-full, and most of the kids there were just waiting for No Use For a Name. One Man Army just pumped up the pogo machine and played a wild, healthy set of San Fran street punk. And, damn, they were impressive. My only complaint was that they got me all worked up, then cleared the stage for Homegrown.
“1ma2”
Homegrown played next. I don’t want to make fun of Homegrown, so I don’t have much to say about them. The kids at the show seemed to like them. They knew all of the words to all of the songs and they sang along. There was a lot of heckling going on, too, but most of that came from my girlfriend. She made me very proud. I was also very proud of One Man Army for showing all these kids what punk rock really is before Homegrown got a hold of it.
No Use for a Name finished off the show. I know that they’re an incredibly popular band, and punk rock girls love them, but I’ve never been a fan. I’ve never disliked No Use. I just have never really gotten into them, so I was surprised at how powerful they were live. They were tight and fast and energetic, and the energy was compounded by all the fans in the place going nuts. I was swept up in it. I was suddenly a No Use fan. I packed up my camera and joined into the insanity. All my rock critic snootiness dissolved into a sweaty mass and a lot of fun. And that’s the best kind of show. ◼
