Fresno Famous

Let me start with this:

The show had a capacity crowd. That's right. Capacity. As in, 500-plus. As in, I couldn't get through the door because there were already too many people inside (though eventually, someone played the "he's-with-me" card).

This proves a few things:

1.) Fierce Creatues broke the code. They put together the entire package (good music/aesthetics/hype/business sense) and it worked. The giant spread in the Fresno Bee didn't hurt I am guessing. Can that be sustained for the long haul, or parlayed into regional (and national) exposure? God, let's hope so.

2.) Fulton 55 is a more-than-viable venue with staying power. This is what Frank's Place could have/should have been. The show proves that if the draw is there, people will come, parking issues and "danger" be damned. And no, they don't need to sit down. Couple that with consistancy (good shows every week) and Fulton 55 is a game-changer.

I arrived late and missed a few of the openers, but I did see:

The Silent Comedy come at you with an infectious style of '70s stomp rock that's big on groove and makes it hard not to like them. As a unit they are tight and cohesive. They rock, what can I say? And that was mostly my problem with them. I caught them at Audie's earlier this year (or was it late last year?) and I remember thinking, "this is the reason people started playing punk in the late 70s." Yes, the Silent Comedy are big and bombastic. But it's a little too tight, too clean. It's ballsy, but a bit sterile.

All of this reads more damning that it should be. 

Fierce Creatures started with someone playing guitar out in the crowd. Not that I could tell who from my spot up stairs. Eventually he (Mather?) pushes his way to the stage and the real show starts. There were some sound issues right off, though for the people swarming around at ground level it probably mattered less than it did to me. Eventually, things settled and the band seemed in top form.