Photo credit: Deb Frazin
The night I’d been dreading for a few months had finally arrived. One of my favorite punk bands, The Gears, had called it quits, and played their last show in L.A. at Cafe Nela on Friday night. After a few dates in Europe next month, it’s OVER.
Everyone had been salivating for this show for weeks. The line-up was pure fire: Rosemary Reyes Band, Baron Bandini, Pedal Strike, Legal Weapon, and The Gears. Sadly, Kat Arthur passed away on Oct.14, so it was just the four remaining bands (it just wouldn’t have felt right to replace Legal Weapon, so the line-up was left as-is).
Cafe Nela was packed with all the familiar faces, everyone was in a festive mood, and all the bands blew the roof off the joint. The Gears recruited punk rock guitar legend Rikk Agnew to play the final shows with them, and as expected, his playing gave the band a full, crunchier sound (makes me sad we won’t get to see any more Gears shows with Rikk). The band was having a blast running through all their songs, feeding off a crowd that was going wild through the entire set. It was the perfect ending to an incredible 40 year run. The Gears were special. I’m gonna miss the hell out of that band.
Video courtesy of Hilary Russell
