Last night went to see Bad Religion at Manchester Academy 2. As they are doing a longer tour this time round, they didnt play Academy 1, which meant a more intimate environment. The sound wasn't particularly loud or great, and Greg complained about this during the set. I had arranged through Goldstar Agency (who look after Epitaph in UK) to meet Jay Bentley at 7pm for an interview. All I got was some shit from a jobsworth doing the merch stall about how they were busy and 'shit was happening'. I know Bentley is a sound guy, and this jobsworth twat, probably saw Bentley taking a shit or fucking with a guitar and thought "No I better not disturb him", thinking he was a guardian angel for the band or something. Twat! Anyway I fucked off that idea and started to get drunk and enjpy the gig. Greg was pulling of his usual pedagogue of hand gestures during the set, Brian Baker looked overweight and going through the motions. He struggled on some of the solos that Guerewitz would have nailed. Note: Mr. Brett was not playing with them. Hetson seemed to rock out, and the new drummer seemed to hanmdle it OK, but didnt seem in as good a form as his recordings on Empire Strikes First. Greg pulled off some usual banter, complaingin that they weren't playing Academy 1, and mentioning Man Utd too. Upon arrival at the encore he said he had to go get a limosuine, which attarcted boos from the crowd, he was just joking around though. All in all, 26 songs is a good set, with lots of new songs thrown it to make it not seem like a nostalgia trip. ALthough at times it seemed like they were going through the motions. Bentley had the best costume, wearing a kilt and sporting a porn tash. Again, Bad Religion proved why they are the best band around, and really showed that they transcend the genre of punk music, by being a tight band with a huge catalogue of songs spanning 25 years, and still keeping fresh. Hetson was also spotted after the gig trying to chat up girls at the merch stall. Great gig, cant wait to see them again at Leeds Festival


Setlist:

Overture
Sinister Rouge
21st Century Digital Boy
All There Is
Supersonic
Prove It
Cant Stop It
Los Angeles is Burning
Sorrow
Do What you Want
The Gray Race
Suffer
Anasthesia
Stranger than Fiction
Epiphany
Let them Eat War (With Jay Bentley doing the Sage Francis Rap Part)
Flat Earth Society
No Control
Gods Love
You
Recipe for Hate
Generator
Fuck Armageddon this is Hell

Infected
Punk Rock Song
American Jesus

Thanks to Luke WaterIntoBeer for this news!