Old School Punk Finds Fountain of Youth

The Business at DC9 Thursday was the third old-school punk show I've seen recently and the first to truly deliver.

The Damned sounded great at the Black Cat when they played the classic material, but their extended jams and punk-operaesque new stuff let the mind wander.

The Meatmen were a trip -- great to see -- but Tesco Vee's once controversial and decidedly un-PC stage performance seemed decidedly PG-13 in this day and age.

But The Business delivered the anthemic street punk they helped jumpstart in the late-'70s with precision, energy and a fountain of youth. They looked like they could be the house band on Steve Guttenberg's boat if ever there's another sequel to "Cocoon." But they rocked out as well as any teenager might.

Opener Flatfoot 56 was a revelation, too. I have an appreciation for Chicago's entry into Celtic punk, but I could really do without the Celtic part. Nevertheless, they don't delve into ethnic music as much as The Dropkick Murphys, to whom they're often compared. But when they did, it was unnecessary. Seems to cheapen the sound, which is Business-worthy anthemic punk. Strip the mandolin and bagpipes and maybe tighten the guitar leads and you've got a great modern street punk that doesn't need to fall back on gimmicks.

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