Breakdown-Ensign-Fastbreak-Floorpunch-Full Speed Ahead @ Casino Skate Park In Asbury Park NJ 5-15-98

My first year of college was finally over and to celebrate this show happened on the final day! Brilliant, right? I went to campus in the morning, took a math final (which also had a few Brick Town crew people in it), and then drove back down to Manahawkin for dinner and then to pick up everyone for the show.

After stopping at a rest stop (for some reason I have a vivid memory of this) we headed up the show and made sure we got there on time. We had seen Full Speed Ahead the previous summer and spent the next year obsessing about their demo tape. They played every so often, but none of us quite caught them. When they began playing, a bunch of us went off and other shore kids who seemed to know who they were did as well. Awesome!

Fastbreak had just put out their “Fast Cars” record. What is up with the cutesy picture on the back? They were great at this show, but right after this they really began falling off and would be touring with emo bands by the next year.

I do not remember anything specific about Floorpunch’s set. Weird, huh? Ensign had just come home from Europe and we would see them the next day as well in Princeton. We also interviewed them that day.

Breakdown were the big draw at this show of course and were great too. I packed in up front and sang along and dove to my heart’s content. They were one of the best live bands of this era and played so many good shows around this time.

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