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Band:Bad Religion DVD:Live at the Palladium Released by:Epitaph Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

Bad Religion is one of those bands that I have always enjoyed a ton, but for some reason never got around to buying a bunch of their albums. Not a clue why, because I love pretty much everything I have heard over the years. Back when I had a video show I played the shit out of their videos, but never bought the damn cds. Shame on me for that! In fact, I haven’t even bought this DVD. I got it through Netflix instead. Damn, I do indeed suck. Bad Religion however does not. This is a band that came out before punk started to really suck. For you younger kids, many of the independent thinking that fuels metal today is what true punk was started with. Now Punk has become way more corporate then metal ever was, but that is why I bash so much of the current crop of watered down clichés that the suits slap the punk name to now. This DVD is a great introduction to this amazing band that is still more punk today than most.

The way this DVD is set up is about as good as it gets. The menu is one of the best set ups I have run into. You have an option to view the entire main feature. This has live footage, interviews, and thoughts on the band from their fans. Now most of the time fan interviews piss me off because the producers of the DVD do their best to dig up the most retarded fans they can. Here the fans’ reactions seem well thought out, but not to the point where you question if it is from a script. You also have the option to skip all that and just watch the live show. Then there is a third option to select a specific section of the main feature. This is done with a menu that reads like a family tree chart that has been tipped sideways. Everything is so damn easy to navigate it threw me into shock! Why can’t everyone make it this easy? On top of all of this, you can even turn on Closed Caption to get the lyrics printed across the screen! Laugh all you want, but as Donny Osmond once said on the cartoon Johnny Bravo, “Everyone wins with a sing along”. Ok, maybe it’s just me that thinks that’s cool.

The extras are done with as much care as the main feature. Again you have that tipped over family tree where you can pick a specific section or just “play all”. A play all button on the extras? I feel spoiled. The person who did the authoring of this DVD needs to really be thanked because of the thousands of DVDs I have watched and reviewed, this has got to be the best set up I have ever seen.

So who should buy this? Anyone who thinks they know punk. Sure Bad Religion has catchy songs that you can sing along to, but it’s all about attitude. When I was a very young Christian metalhead in the early 80’s I used to go to these anti-rock seminars where they would always talk about “Lyrics, Lifestyles, Goals, & Graphics” as a way to judge if a band was ok to listen to. Well, just to piss off any religious whack job that might be reading this, I have to say that those same rules can be used to judge good punk. Are the lyrics about something important that can be used in real life? Are they at least about real life issues? Do the band members live a lifestyle that is helpful to the changing of our shitty society? What does the goal of the music seem to be? Are the graphics supporting all these ideas? No, punk doesn’t always have to be about some big social message, but it needs to be about something a little more deep then the stuff heard from 99% of the bands on the last Warped tour. This is not only good for fans, but also a great introduction for those curious about the band.

Band:Bad Religion DVD:Live at the Palladium Released by:Epitaph Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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