There might have been another band before them, but when we got there, the opening band was Poorsport, whose CD, No Hitter, had just been released. They had a great stage presence. All in all, a great opening band. Matt Morginsky, one of the original surviving members of the O.C. Supertones, came out an said, "You're not hardcore unless you act hardcore. No elbows in the mosh pit, and let's dance." With that Christmas tree start, the Supertones were off and running. Everyone pogoed a lot, and it's one of the few concerts I've been to recently where stage diving was OK. Matt made sure that big guys were in front of the designated stage area to catch the divers. "Introduce yourself to the guy on your left," Matt said, "that's who you'll be in the pit with." "I introduced myself, and the other guy said, "Now we'll know who we're taking to the hospital." All of which shows how Matt and the band went out of their way to make a great show everyone could be part of, and that his upbeat spirit and sense of humor was catching.

Someone probably has a better song list. It was so enjoyable that I forgot all the songs and nearly forgot to take pictures. A few tunes I recall are: "Jury Duty," "The Shepherd is the Lamb," and "There's No Life Away From You," with the audience singing the chorus. Matt also quoted St. Francis, "Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words."  He invited everyone to contribute to Bloodwater Mission, started by Jars of Clay and endorsed by Bono of U2.  There were leaflets on the Supertone's table in the foyer  that explained: "clean blood: freedom from HIV; clean water: the foundation for health," and about their goal of building 1,000 clean water wells in Africa (www.bloodwatermission.com).

I had the privelege of attending this concert with rock writer Chris Estey, whom many people know from his writing in HM magazine, Counter Culture and other publications. His remarks on the show probably summed up what a lot of us were feeling. "Matt really spoke from his heart," Chris said, "and how correct and coherent he was about the topics. The mad energy and excited playing doesn't hurt to get that message across." For my part, I certainly appreciate the willingness of Matt and co. to play an all-ages club like the Paradox (co-located with Mars Hill Church in the Ballard district of Seattle), and to step up to the plate and be role models, not because they're perfect, but they're willing to dive into the mosh pit of life. Before the concert, Chris and I had the opportunity to visit Seattle's best-kept secret, the George and the Dragon pub, a great British restaurant tucked away in the Fremont district, and to sample their killer Shepherd's Pie. Fremont bills itself as "the Center of the Universe", and the George and Dragon seems to substantiate the claim. -Gord Wilson.