Suicidal Tendencies
Live At Olympic Auditorium

February 2010
Released: 2010, Fontana Distribution / Suicidal Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Robert Williams

Recorded live at the Olympic Auditorium in October of 2005; Suicidal Tendencies offer forth their first DVD release LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM. On LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM; the band's "Sui-cyco" fanbase are treated to a seventy five minute set featuring over two decades worth of Crossover Thrash from this Los Angeles, California five piece.



LIVE AT THE OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM begins with a camera panning through the attendees waiting in line at the venue with feverish anticipation. The punk rockers in their mohawks and studded leather jackets, cholos in their wifebeaters and headbands, and of course metalheads decked out in their ST gear. Mike Muir in his signature flipped up baseball hat, is briefly interviewed about what makes ST a unique and very distinct force to be reckoned with. Apparently the Olympic Auditorium played a big part in establishing the band in the early days of their careers; so it was only appropriate that they returned to this venue twenty some years later to film this DVD.



But what about the performance? Mike Muir; aged forty two at this performance orders the crew to "Turn the fucking lights down!" A good number of fans surround the band onstage and seem to be gearing up for an apeshit-moshpit. Now, here is where the old school meets today's vanguard show their differences. Unlike fellow crossover thrashers D.R.I. - who had a crowd of circle pit bezerkers going crazy on their classic "Live At The Ritz" video, today's fans, safely behind a barricade a good distance from the stage, are mostly content to stand and headbang, fists pumping with the occasional crowd surfer. "I Shot Reagan" and "War Inside My Head" look to loosen up the crowd and by "Subliminal" there seems to be a good amount of interaction between the band and their now awakened fans who have started to finally beat the shit out of each other and move around.



Mike Muir gives a speech to the audience about first playing the Olympic in 1984 and returning in 1985 and what it means to once again be performing there before launching into a rowdy version of "Ain't Gonna Take It"



It's a trip watching drummer Dave Hidalgo make a three piece drum set make so much noise. He's just busting out with some crazy drum fills on a kit so tiny. The band slows thing down for the bluesier "Suicider Failure" and "We Are Family". Party classics like "Born To Skate" and "I Saw Your Mommy" from the self titled debut release; add some light hearted humor to the proceedings. "Waking The Dead" sounds like a thousand pound of bricks live. "Institutionalized" sounds as frantic and manic depressive as ever as the crowd just loses it. The band works the crowd with "ST" chants on "Pledge Your Allegiance" the evening's final number.



This would be a cool addition to the collection of any fans of Suicidal Tendencies. This kind of thing has been long overdue from ST; the only thing that would make it cooler would be to have a second disc spanning all of the classic Suicidal Tendencies music videos that used to be a staple on the original Headbangers Ball.