Bad Brains - Live Fender's Ballroom, CA 1985

[DOUGDONUT]

Death Sentence, Canada. 

[DOUGDONUT]

Holiest of the holy, I played this gig when I was 19. Daryl Jennifer watched our set laying down on a table behind the P.A. stage right and was totally staring at me. Like really this show changed my existence. H.R. get's up on the mic and says ''fuck everything except UNITY'' Skinheads everywhere. When they played ''Banned in D.C.'' during the lead I had probably one of the most spiritual moments of my life. Elevated and still PMA. Can't believe someone filmed it.

[gkooooz]

hell yeah this is rock and roll at its finest.. i know alot of people that say that little richard is the start of rock and roll---but i will say ---PERIOD POINT BLANK---that BAD BRAINS IS ROCK AND ROLL.

[gkooooz]

i agree. this was the best show i ever saw. fuck zeppelin fuck the beatles fuck the rolling stones --this was the best rock and roll show you ever saw. and i was there.

[samruiz0000]

i think this is the first time i  heard a crowd cheer and give applause for anything at a punk show 8-O

[schleprik]

i see they were adding thrash metal influence to their already fiery hardcore punk. awesome!!

[gkooz4life]

YES I was at this show trying to preach the word of our LORD SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST but to no avail. Everybody at this show seemed more intent on worshiping SATAN and all that SATAN entails. By the end of the show i was getting drunk, taking drugs and having premarital sex with hot punk rock females. All I can say is " LONG LIVE SATAN AND PUNK ROCK".

[edgregor]

back when HR still moved around

[historicalrecords]

@ Godwad - no, this show was with SNFU

[Godwad]

@historicalrecords Thx sir. Thinking about it, the show with MDC must have been in '86. For me, just like the other guy said-------the greatest thing I have ever seen.

[historicalrecords]

This is 1986. I shot this but had to give the tape to there manager (the dude in the hat @2:22 . Said he would return it but never did. Now it is here.

[Godwad]

@historicalrecords Do you remember if MDC played at this show?

[PaulKersey108]

Damn I get chills just watching this, I could imagine witnessing it firsthand

[mondocrat]

I was at this show too. Wasn;t my first time seeing the Bad Brainws though. Saw them at the Whiskey in 81 at their first L.A. show. Dead Kennedy;s headlined. I chipped my tooth.

[crazyjoe8686]

looks more like the Nov. 86 show....I lived 4 blocks from fenders at 521 Pine St....went to all these shows as a kid......

[MrBrianlowdown]

I WAS AT THIS SHOW TO I STILL HAVE ALL MY FYYERS TO YOUNG TO GO IN THE BACK TO DRINK WE DRANK IN ALLEYWAY ..THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE

[smhick]

This show kicked ass!

[DerSwine]

didnt the Crumbsuckers open this gig? Fenders was hot and heavy back then w/lots of brawls..good times.

[rkdaley]

me too and I can't believe I'm 40 and get to drink beer in my house and see it all again. God bless in those AV geeks who taped these shows.

[ickeyjoey]

I know not all skins are Nazis, but I heard there were Nazis skins at Fenders. Wouldnt surprise me if they went to this show to act tough and cause trouble.

I heard the Suicidals would kick the skinheads asses everytime. My friend went to many of these shows and said he never saw a Suicidal lose a fight with a skin.

Any comments from those who were on the front line, Fenders Ballroom, Long Beach, California would be appreciated.

1/5/10

[TheSkunker]

Nice, dude. As the great Propaghandi one said, the only good fascist is a very dead fascist.

Of course any given punker can beat the hell out of a neo-Nazi in a fair fight. Unfortunately, they're not exactly known for fighting fair.

[djmack8]

@ickeyjoey It's true the Sui's would brawl with the Skins and L.A.D.S. at Fenders. It got real ugly when they linked up with the Sons of Samoa. I remember walking into Fenders and seeing some 35+ year old samoans and thinking,"I don't think these dudes are here for the music!" Sure enough they just walked through the crowd randomly beating down basically any whiteboy with a shaved head. It made it really hard to watch the band and your back at the same time.

[ickeyjoey]

@djmack8 I heard that the Samoans were the hired security. Sounds like the skins were given major beat downs at this place..thanks for the story djmack

[MrKharrington]

this was their best tour. i was up front between Darryl and HR. You will never see a band that played with such intensity ever again. they will never be matched.

[banjopete77]

Yes, I saw them at this time in DC--summer '85 at WUST, now 930 Club--astounding show, transcendent, peak experience...

[cffnmkr13]

I was here at this show, they played with the Adicts. Great show. On my list of ALL TiME FAVS! Thanks for posting!

[rydoggog]

God i miss that place

[DoctorRobertBobby]

probably gonna be a long ass time before a band this thunderous, this tight, this fast, and this hard comes along again.

[DoctorRobertBobby]

WOW, never seen this video before

[harirumrum]

I'm in that crowd,high on drugs and I don't regret a second of it...

[queenofdrones]

I've seen the Brains at least 5 times throughout the years,(unfortunately w/ various lineups) and this gives me chills! I remember the energy!!!!!!

[UnitedNutmeg]

This show seemed safe.

Great fucking video.

[fuzzymode]

Define "safe" please UnitedNutmeg?.....Let me assure you that the only reason it might have seemed safe from this POV was because we were all looking out for each other that night! If not then the Bad Brains would have simply stopped playing mid-song and told us to cease and desist! (;o) Anyhow, an old buddy Jeff still sports a scar across his forehead from this show. We drove him to hospital after the set and he received 14 stitches from a downward slash of a punk rock boot! Safe? (hee hee hee)

[UnitedNutmeg]

I was being sarcastic grandpa. I know the rep Fenders had in that era.

[favoritethirteen]

at the dover showplace in 1985 it was like this they were really great they had gotten back together again and i against i wasnt out ....awesome. in my heart always

[kenvh6]

one of the greatest shows ever. another awesome one was 82 santa monica civic with bad religion, discharge and circle jerks. It cost $6 to get in. that changed my life forever. 82-85 was their best years.

[FlamingCannibal]

Does anybody have a video for a the Bad Brains and Discharge show or shows??

[PaulKersey108]

I hate how these herbs yell out names of songs they want to here, just let them blast that electricity

[Keenum]

Awesome. Best band ever.

[rockywasabum]

well you lucky mother, you got to see HR before he lost all that charisma

[bayardhartz]

I was at this show, and it remains the greatest thing I have ever seen.