The Queers Live in Edmonton June 3rd 2023

This show I had no intention of going to as I didn't even realize they were playing here. No postering done for the show and very little advertising. A week before the show I was offered free tickets, that's when I made the decision of going. That was after checking with my brother Captain Citrus if it was worth going to. My Brother has been a fan of The Queers since he was a teenager. I remember him listening to them way back. He said "you gotta go". So my buddy Nazz and I were off to see this old punk band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire that got there start back in 1981. The show was at Union Hall, not a venue that I'm a big fan of, but for free, what the hell.

The first band of the night was Edmonton band The Devil's Sons. A band that plays a rockabilly style of music. Not my kind of music, and didn't much care for them.

The Devil's Sons.

Next band up was another Edmonton band called Forester. Again, another band I didn't much care for. My buddy Nazz and I were really starting to wish we hadn't come to the venue so early. Because once you enter the venue Union Hall there are no in and out privileges, so you're stuck in the venue, which is bullshit in my opinion.

Forester.

After suffering through the first two bands and lots of smoke breaks in the smoking pit it was finally time for The Queers. The Queers had been touring western Canada on this 40th Anniversary Tour with another good punk band Teenage Bottlerocket but for the Edmonton show they weren't on the bill as from my understanding the band were playing a gig in Northern Alberta, which is a shame because it would have made for a better bill. Nonetheless, it was time for The Queers. There wasn't a very big crowd for this show, but you would never know it with the performance that The Queers put on. I'll admit I had really never much listened to The Queers before this show. Because my brother and my buddy Nazz have been fans of the band for years, Nazz had seen them before, but not me. I listened to a bunch of their albums leading up to the show. They remind me of a mix of the Ramones and a touch of the Beach Boys, ya kinda weird but so good. And their song titles are hilarious too. One of the songs I really wanted to hear was a song called "Can't Stop Farting", and ya, they did play it and it was awesome. There hour long set was awesome playing such songs as "Night Of The Livid Queers", "My Old Man's A Fatso", "Kicked Out Of The Webelos", "Granola Head", "Punk Rock Girls" among many others as their songs are not much longer the a few minutes each. Lead singer/guitarist Joe Queer was sounding great and was full of energy and in good spirits. A very very fun show. Good times!!!

The Queers.

 There was a funny incident in the smoke pit during the show when a couple of teenagers came up to my buddy Nazz and I and said, "sorry to bother you guys, but may we ask a question to you two", we were like ya sure, ask away. There question "how long have you guys been going to concerts?" we both looked at each other and did the math, answering "about 40 years", they were both blown away and said "we wanna grow up to be like you guys", fuck did we ever get a good laugh about that. Thanks for making us feel old!