COVERAGE

When the Ergs! and Hunchback broke up, I did not expect to see either band play together again for years. They were bands I was used to seeing in basements frequently and the breakups really hit me hard. I attended both shows, enjoying the final bittersweet moments I’d get to see my two favorite, yet completely different, bands play. Little did I know that two years later they’d be reuniting for one phenomenal night.

The show was a benefit to raise money for Jackie Nixon (J. Hunchback’s mom) who was recently diagnosed with cancer. 100% of the ticket proceeds went to help her out, along with money from special merch, a bake sale, and auctioned-off signed and framed photographs of the bands with gift baskets.

The Lanes was packed, people from all over the country had gathered together to celebrate the bands one final time. Jackie Nixon got on stage just before Hunchback was about to start to thank everyone for coming, hugging every member of the band before they started to play. They opened with “The Last Man On Earth,” her favorite song of theirs. The songs were full of as much life as they used to be, with Craig jumping around with his harmonica and mic stand during “Heart of Gold,” and Mike tearing up his guitar while letting the music move him across the room during several songs. They closed with “Red is the Color,” a song that was never released until this show, on 250 limited-edition red vinyl copies.

Not long after that set, the Ergs! were ready to go. Prepared for them to start with “First Song Side One,” the crowd was ready to rock out. To everyone’s surprise, Mikey jumped out from behind the drum kit and grabbed a mic. Opening with “Books About Miles Davis,” it was a nod to the end of the last shows and a reminder that there will always be surprises up their collective sleeves. Quickly, they jumped into “First Song Side One” and “A Very Pretty Song For A Very Special Young Lady Part 2.” When it came time for Joe Erg’s rant over the drum fill, he informed the audience that Christmas had come early before “Introducing Morrissey,” when they broke into the song of the same title, before “A Very Pretty Song…” was even finished.

The set contained a little of everything, songs from every one of their major releases and even releases as small as “Sneak Attack,” which was released originally on a 3.5″ floppy disk. Playing 40 songs, the set was over 85 minutes of pure pop punk ecstasy. They closed with a cover of “Tommy Gun” by the Clash with New Brunswick staple Jay Insult on vocals. After a short break, the encore included another cover, “Tush” by ZZ Top, and “Pool Pass.” A photo of the entire setlist can be found in this thread over at the Pop Punk Message Board.

Finally, before the show, I asked Mikey Erg a few questions. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Two years ago when you played your last show, did you think that a reunion show would happen so soon?

A: I honestly didn’t think it would ever happen.

Q: What was the best show you ever attended at asbury lanes?

A: Hmm. Wow, I’ve seen so many great ones. I think the best would have to be the Butthole Surfers.

Q: What song are you most excited to play again?

A: All of em. We’re playing a lot. The rehearsals have been a lot of fun. We went through every record and played all the songs. It was really fun to play Bike Shoppe again.

Q: Do you have any exciting plans in store for 2011?

A: I’m playing a lot of solo shows so that really exciting. I got asked to play the Asian Man anniversary fest and I think that’s the most exciting thing so far.

Q: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

A: I’d probably be a cat cause cats rule!