I I
By Cliff Hicks
Generations
identify with
movmg events
There is a proverb (or a curse,'
depending on who you talk to): May
you live in interesting times.
As of today, I have lived through
two full decades, an estimated
fourth of my life, and yes, they have
been interesting times.
The world is on high speed, fly
ing by almost too fast for us to com
prehend. Events thought inpossible
happen daily.
Most people have one event that
they can attach to their lives where
they know where they were. My
parents’ generation has the John F.
Kennedy assassination. Our genera
tion has several such incidents.
The one that everyone can iden
tify with is the Challenger explo
sion. 1 was in the third grade, and
thev called us across the hall to
watch the replay of it. I remember.
This single event set the space
race (and the arms race) back fur
ther than anyone thought possible.
Expansionist America stopped ex
panding for a time. We were too
afraid to iry and: leave the
planet, let alone start a war with
anyone.
An entire decade was defined by
this event, which happened in Janu
ary 1986.
Then, in November 1989, while
I was planning out my 13 th birth
day party, the Berlin Wall was dis
mantled and Germany reunified. I
remember.
Everyone had thought that Ger
many would remain divided be
tween East and West forever, and
wfi&i ffie"waU dSfiiS cfewvh; the world ' "
shook as millions stood in awe
struck silence.
In January 1991, the world
shifted again; this time, at the sound
of our bombs. It was the beginning
of Operation Desert Storm and the
Persian Gulf War.
i was uuiung wiui a menu
of mine on the telephone, who was
terrified the conflict would become
another Vietnam. I remember.
Later that same year, the Soviet
Union collapsed. Because of the
gradual decline before the total col
lapse, the exact time and place are
unclear to me, but 1 remember the
change’s subtle effects.
In Bellevue, Strategic Air Com
t' mand and the people working there
relaxed. America breathed a sigh of
relief. The enemies were, for the
most part, gone. Communism had
fallen.
The music changed from the
loud rock of the late ?70s to the new
wave of the early ’ 80s to the grunge
of the’90s.
And today, on my 20th birthday,
I am in Minnesota laying my grand
father to rest. He passed away last
Thursday.
These are 20 years, yet they have
passed in an instant. I have seen
countries fall, wars fought and the
world change.
May you live in interesting times
—I know I do.
Hicks is a sophomore aews
^ editorial and English major aid
a Daily Nebraskan staff reporter.
Legendary
punk band
pleases fans
By Bret Schulte and Pat
Miner
Music Critics
OMAHA—You wouldn’t believe
how difficult it is to take notes in a
mosh pit, but it can be done.
At Sunday night’s Descendents
concert at the Ranch Bowl, the capac
ity crowd of local youth gathered to pay
tribute to one of the country’s most leg
endary living punk bands.
The Swingin’ Utters ware the first
to take the stage, and the crowd ex
ploded at the sound of the first chord.
Although the band played too long, its
frantic, bouncing energy proved to be
an excellent prelude to the slightly ska
tinted punk show.
rsexi to iaxe me stage were me sui
cide Machines. The band opened with
[ the song “Our altnprjbft its debut al
bum “Destruction by Definition.” Lead
man Jay Navarro periodically swung
from the rafters while he spit out lyrics
with constant fury.
Bassist Royce Nunley, though in
dicating had the flu, still thrilled the
crowd as he was quite active, especially
during the latter portion of the show.
The highlight of the performance
had to have been the band’s rendition
of “I Don’t Wanna Hear It,” a song by
Minor Threat. The tune got the mosh
pit going at a furious pace as the gui
tarist ripped through chords.
After the initial chorus, the Suicide
Machines started hopping around and
the song was suddenly ska. A half hour
and several audience injuries later, the
band finished its set with the song
“Break the Glass.”
l ne catcny cnorus aian t satisiy tne
crowds however. As the Suicide Ma
chines were getting ready to leave, the
crowd yelled for more, anticipating the
song “New Girl.” The band, obviously
worn out, did not oblige and exited.
Their performance definitely set a stan
dard that the Descendents would have
to live up to.
After a grueling wait as the stage
was set up for the Descendents, vocal
ist Milo Aukerman suddenly ran onto
the empty stage. The band followed
and they immediately broke into the
frantic “I’m a Loser.”
Several popular cuts immediately
followed, including “Everything Sux”
and “I’m the One.” The pit swirled in
a manifestation of punk-rock chaos as
Aukerman generously shared the mi
crophone with the screams emerging
from die floor.
After an hour of incessant move
ment, rock and giddiness, the show
abruptly ended. The band muttered
‘Thanks’ and exited. The crowd
quickly mobilized and began chanting
“Milo...Milo” at the empty stage.
He graciously burst forth once
again, with the band on his heels. The
Descendents strapped into their hard
ware and the show took off once more.
Aukerman, who has obviously been
spending too much time in the biology
Please see PUNK on 14