At long long last ... November 23rd could never arrive soon enough. Hell, the album had been taking its own sweet time as it was, so now I had to wait another month to catch the concert. It was all too unbearable for this unabashed fan of the greatest rock band today: The Donnas.

Having been a veteran of a few shows of theirs at Fitzgerald's, I opted to leave for the show a little extra early for two reasons: parking in that neighborhood is a nightmare and getting a prime spot to not worry about towing or vandalism is next to impossible. Secondly, since the show was on a Saturday and the band has had all kinds of success with the latest release, I didn't want to risk being on the outside of a sellout. I was in luck on both counts. I got a pretty good spot, my truck wasn't towed, and I was early enough to never realize a mob was there until the second act got ready to perform. If I dare say so, it was all too masterfully planned by yours truly.

I'll fast forward a little through the opening bands. Your Enemies Friends was a bit on the lame side for my tastes. Sortofa typical mad-at-your-dad kinda vibe was what I got. The drummer and singer were pretty good. S'bout all I can really say about em. The Campfire Girls (which, it should be noted, have no girls in the band) were next and I thought they were a little better, although more of a melodic band, almost Nirvana-ish if I can say that while still thinking its a compliment. I knew the band would at least be able to crank out a good set when they played some riffs from Rush's New World Man during sound check. It was a rather slow set, but I have to admit I didn't think they were all that bad.

So now, the real show sets in motion. Right from the get-go, this was to be no ordinary Donnas show. Torry, the drummer, was basically working out a little anger-management therapy on her drumkit. I gotta admit ... I'm truly head over heels for a woman that can beat the holy crap out of a drum set like she can. It was truly a thing of beauty. The band opened with Are You Gonna Move It For Me, which has really grown on me as a show opener. The first show I saw them in went with Skintight as the opener and for my money, that's a clear winner of a tune right there ... its also the first song I heard and fell in love with the band to.

Among the better points to note with The Donnas is the growth of Allison as a guitar player. I've got all the CDs and to be quite honest, I can no longer listen to the early stuff despite a few catchy tunes in the mix. I just cannot fathom that its the same guitar player based on her latest work. She adds a few things live that I didn't hear on any recording, so its nice to see that she's really going forward as a musician. Performance-wise, she has a pseudo-Joe Perry thing going in her performance style. As much as it works for her, and as little as I can complain (she does, after all, play guitar with more balls then most guys out on tour today), I'd love to see if she could ditch the Les Paul guitar for a sleeker design and stretch her legs as a performer some. Still, I can't even think of complaining, and seeing ANY guitar player go out there with a Gibson and a dual short stack of Marshall Amps is always refreshing. I'm hoping if they do bigger venues, she'll whip out the old 80s standby of 4 full dual stacks of Marshall amps. Hell, I'd pay to see any performer do that today. Its just the way a guitar was meant to sound.

I wish I could comment a little more on Brett (singer) and Maya (bass) but I had my hands full with the mosh pit and lifting some young things into a crowd surf. It was all I could do to get out of there alive. Seeing one particular patron in attendance: a tall blonde female in *maybe* her early twenties ... very attractive, cute as hell, but she darted into the mosh pit with such reckless abandon that I half expected her to come out bruised and battered. She kept it up all night, and I have to admit, I'm damned impressed. I'm sure I proposed marriage to her, but who could hear such musings when The Donnas had it cranked up loud.

The stage diving was a bit much for a plain ol party rock band like The Donnas. I'm sure that's a carryover from the days when they were considered punk, but once it gets going, its impossible to stop. It took about 10 minutes into the show when a trio of teenyboppers next to me asked for a hand to lift one of theirs into the air. Brett even announced for all that they were not a ska band and even flipped off one guy who got a little too carried away and a little too close to either her or Maya. They also had to bring out a little hired muscle to help keep center stage clear. It made for a better show, IMO.

Having been to a Bouncing Souls show and fearing for my life, I can't help but notice that the stage divers there had more of an unwritten code of conduct to not interfere (too much) with the band. Then again, who wouldn't want to get next to a Donna, I guess? Needless to say, it was a different sort of stage diver witnessed on this night than for a more pure-breed punk rock band. Nevertheless, watching the moshers in action and witnessing the unwritten etiquette in action was pretty amazing, even among these kids.

Another item worth noting: Was it me, or were there more than a few moms there? Well, moms and older rock fans such as myself, that is. Just that it was what I presumed might have been a mother-daughter combo near the front that caught my attention. That just seemed a little new. One of the funner things for me to do at a Donnas show is finding people who are identifiably older than me. Kinda reassures me that I'm not the biggest outcast and no kids run away from me, calling me a narc. It didn't take long as the average age of this crowd seemed to go up somewhat more than the calendar would indicate based on their last performance. Heck, I didn't even see as many cars out front to drop off and pick up little kiddos. Could it be ... The Donnas are finally getting a more appropriate audience for their music?

I did also notice a few people there that you could take one look at and tell they were at the last heavy metal concert that came through town ... or that they stole a car to make it to the show. You know ... the TRUE heavy metal heads that make the further committment to base their life on the teachings of Iron Maiden album lyrics. Yeah, I counted a few of those, and it was likewise refreshing to see. Its refreshing because it means the band is reaching out and connecting with the audience that should appreciate their music AND that old farts like me are finding bands that are out there rocking the planet and not playing some crappy flail-&-scream crap from Ozzfest or any of that boy/girl-band crapola that passes for music today.

A good time was apparently had by all ... I can't wait to do it again cuz I know I didn't get enough quality time watching Torry play drums. These chicks rock and everyone should buy about a dozen of each of their CDs.