1993 was the year that Saigon Kick went from being an obscurity to a commercial success because of the cheesy ballad “Love Is On The Way.” For people like myself who had already been Saigon Kick since their self titled debut, this meant that our band would be embraced by the commercial culture but we knew something that they didn’t. We knew that beneath that “one hit” facade was a truly brilliant and heavy band that was totally capable of kicking ass and ripping some faces off. When Saigon Kick pulled into Atlanta to play at The Masquerade, you could tell right away who the fans were and who the people showing up to hear “Love Is On The Way” and let me tell you. Those folks were in for a rude awakening.
Saigon Kick took the stage and slammed right into “The Lizard” which right away had the nearly capacity room swaying and singing along but it was the next song, “Freedom” that had the room moshing and going rabid. The look on the faces of the “Love Is On The Way” fans was priceless as they scurried to the side of the venue to escape chaos. This was my 2nd time seeing Saigon Kick live and I remember just being completely floored at how amazing they were. Lead singer Matt Kramer was kind of like a hard rock version of Jim Morrison with his captivating stage presence. The harmony vocals of Kramer and guitarist Jason Bieler were spot on and the energy was just off the charts. Saigon Kick was a band who not only prided themselves on having great songs but they had an even more amazing live performance of those songs. This was a band that gave 110% and it showed.
The nearly two hour show was a great mix of songs from their self titled debut and the follow up album The Lizard. Every song in the set list was a hit with this room full of diehard Saigon Kick fans. Songs like “Coming Home”, “Peppermint Tribe”, “Hostile Youth” and “New World” showed that dark and psychedelic side of the band while the “All I Want” and “God of 42nd Street” showed their more mellow and melodic side. The band closed out the night with a killer cover of “Love Me Two Times” by the doors and then ripped off our faces with “What Do You Do?” from the debut album.
Looking back on this show makes me really miss Saigon Kick. They were a band who was sadly underestimated and completely taken for granted. One of the things I loved about them was their ability to mesh all kinds of various styles into one cohesive style that was all their own. They were a little bit metal, a little bit alternative, a little bit psychedelic and a whole lot of awesome. They were just who they were and that’s what was so awesome about them. They were Saigon Kick and they are sorely missed.
Saigon Kick Setlist
The Lizard, Freedom, All Alright, Coming Home, Colors, Suzy, Body Bags, Drum Solo, Down By The Ocean, God of 42nd Street, What You Say, Sleep, All I Want, Peppermint Tribe, Love Is On The Way, New World, Hostile Youth
Encore: Space Oddity, Ugly, My Dog, Love Me Two Times, What Do You Do?
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