Ex-Black Flag
Rips It Up at
Amoeba Records

by Roggie McFadden

HOLLYWOOD -- December 3, 2002 -- Rollins Band and former members of Black Flag put on a rousing show at Amoeba Records on Tuesday, with stirring renditions of 1980s musical classics.

An all-star cast took the stage and tore through 15 Black Flag originals in an act that lasted a little over 20 minutes. Henry Rollins, Keith Morris, and Chuck Dukowski appeared to promote the new benefit CD Rise Above. Proceeds from the record go to support the legal costs of the "West Memphis Three," a trio implicated in the 1993 murders of three 8-year-olds in Arkansas.

In opening the show, punk godfather Keith Morris told the crowd that the "West Memphis Three" were railroaded because, "they looked the wrong way in the wrong place." With Morris on the mic, the band plunged furiously through Black Flag songs from the early years. Though Keith gained his greatest success later with the Circle Jerks, his stint with Black Flag in the late 1970s is equally important for punk rock historians.

After playing four standards with Morris at the helm, the band commenced with the semi-automatic machine gun snare beat and plummeting buzzsaw guitar lick of "Rise Above," the lead song on Black Flag's 1981 LP Damaged. Henry Rollins, the main attraction this eve, burst upon the stage and launched himself into a series of classic rock 'n' roll songs.

Rollins put on an excellent performance and confirmed why Black Flag was so renowned and revered as a live act. I had never been a big fan of Hank, but after tonight, I am. Hank Rollins throws his entire weight into singing, and mind you, he's got that mighty physique he developed a while back that's now maturing into the sturdy form of an elder statesman (à la Huell Howser).

As for the band itself, the guitarist made an excellent effort to recreate the chaos of Greg Ginn (especially on "Jealous Again" and "Damaged") and the bass and drums were rock solid as is necessary for 'heavy' music.

This reviewer has seen many punk reunion acts over the years but this show was one of the best. Rollins' graying hair is the only sign of aging as the raw energy he radiated was much greater than lead singers 20 years his junior. Henry Rollins is his own greatest fan on stage, and the vigor he demonstrates up there serves to invite the crowd to join in with as much zeal.

From Wilshire Gazette (January 2003)

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