On Monday night, the population of the Avalon ballroom was dramatically transformed. The usual trendy dance club patrons drinking cosmopolitans gave way to an array of Mohawk haircuts, cut-off jean jackets and metal studs featured on the bodies of curious, sometimes confused teens. The audience had all come to see Anti-Flag, a politically-minded hardcore punk band, and seemed to be composed of people desperately seeking acceptance, community and a way to discover their identity. The band Against Me had already taken the stage upon my arrival. They seemed to have a solid and involved fan base. The group featured a tri-vocal style with each raspy voice contributing to an overall sound that was fairly unique and not over-produced, but played clearly enough not to frustrate one's ears with that "garage band" sound. In the middle of their set, the band called out to the audience for requests. When the audience proceeded to scream songs the band could not understand, they instead chose to attempt a cover of a Creedance Clearwater Revival song as opposed to one of their own. Moments later, they returned to their own music, finishing off their set with an exciting instrumental swap in which the band's bass player took a seat behind the drum-kit and the drummer made a head-first stage dive into the crowd.

At this juncture, I began to fight my way to the front of the crowd in anticipation of Rise Against, the next band to play and the reason I was attending this show. To my surprise, as the band opened their set with "Black Masks and Gasoline," the whole audience-including myself-was singing along word for word. However, the audience was so loud that lead vocalist and guitarist Tim McIlrath could not be heard. Still, the electricity in the crowd and the presence of the band were great. The band's hardcore punk music mixed with melodic vocals and raging screams kept the energy of the show at top level. Towards the end of their set, the band played their song "Broken English," which contained a deep message in easy to follow lyrics that encouraged the whole crowd to participate. McIlrath sang, "Let the blind lead the blind / cause it's eye for an eye / we all fall down..." He then pointed his mic towards the intent crowd for the expected response of, "But we get right back up again." This audience certainly did not disappoint him.

The lights went down low as headliner Anti-Flag's political message began via stereo. Recordings of American perpetrations of violence reverberated throughout the club. The anti-Bush sentiment was clear from the outset as the bands disdain for the current administration was summed up in the phrase "Fuck Bush." The lights came on and the band kicked into their popular anthem "Fuck Police Brutality;" the crowd went absolutely nuts. As the first song wrapped up, Anti-Flag's lead vocalist, Justin Sane, made his first of many addresses to the crowd citing a provocative, yet out of context, statistic about American weapons distribution. The words "Fuck Bush" were uttered again before the band continued.

The young and impressionable crowd appeared to appreciate the band's message, which included an insistence on not only voting but making an educated vote. At the climax of the show, the band insisted on the "death of the nation." But they were quick to explain that they were not talking of the U.S., but of the "current nation of hypocrisy" and encouraged an uprising of the young to make a new and better country. The show wrapped up with "Die for Your Government," another popular punk-rock anthem concerning the prospect of young lives being lost in unnecessary wars. Fearful mothers must have been covering their ears and asking why their sons and daughters were going to a show where "Fuck the flag" was a common theme. In the words of Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, "parents just don't understand.