Rain On The Parade did not play this show. They had played their “final” show, before getting back together the next summer, a few weeks before.
This was the record release show for the Floorpunch LP. The record had come out maybe a month before and we had been listening to it non-stop. I went on a date the night before (with someone who ended up being best friends with the sister of a friend of ours) and could not sit still during the date because I was so excited for the gig. I worked all morning and when I got home a bunch of people were already at my parents house playing football. We ended up going in a few cars, which included my younger brother and some of his friends. I think a few of us went and got subs beforehand…at the time there was this great shop by the Shop Rite in Manahawkin, but it only lasted a few years.
Fast Times and Full Speed Ahead opened up this show. Locals in my town loved FSA. I think Fast Times still only had a demo at this point? I am pretty sure they covered Life’s Blood at this show? That sounds familiar.
The time line in my head is a little screwy, but I am pretty sure this is the first time we saw Reach The Sky. I would see Ian at shows a lot. He was tight with Floorpunch. Dana from the NJ band Bound was playing drums for them at the time. I interviewed Ian a few months after this. I don’t remember a lot of specifics about Fastbreak or In My Eyes, but I am sure they were good. Fastbreak had just been down to NJ a few weeks before. During this era, before they got shitty, people in NJ absolutely loved Fastbreak. Not even a year later I would see them and they were horrible.
We packed it up front for Floorpunch. I got hit in the face really hard by a friend during the first song and was pretty woozy for awhile. I slid up to the right corner of the stage and sang along there for most of the set. My brother moshed during their Cro-Mags cover. This was also the show they had the Raw Deal ripoff shirts in grey for the first (?) time. I loved that color scheme the most out of the ones they did in that design over the years.
Ryan and John up front with me off to the left. Floorpunch loved Ryan’s homemade “Worker and Parasite” shirt.
