My only show of 2018 took me back to Asbury Park to see Full Speed Ahead. It’s about an hour from where I am living now back to the shore, but my GPS brought me in a different way that had me a little confused. The venue, which is actually a brewery, had a small lot for cars, so I had to drive around town a little bit before noticing the city office center had paid parking on the week. Huh. So I paid my $7 or whatever it was, checked with a cop walking by to make sure it was okay, and walked over to the venue. I caught up with a lot of old friends at this show, including one who was about to move out of NJ, so I’m glad I ran into him. I didn’t watch a lot of the openers because I ended up on my phone texting with a few friends for awhile, one of which was having a bit of a personal crisis and needed advice. Full Speed Ahead were great. They played 10-12 songs, burned right through them, added a few covers, and finished up. That is how every hardcore band should play. I’m not a big fan of Blind Justice, but I liked them at this show. They really shine, like FSA does, with a local crowd instead of at a bigger show. The crowd really got moving for a Raw Deal cover. This is a cool venue and I hope there are more shows at it.
