It was the Daggers' first show and we wanted to make a splash. My friend Mike, who runs Beer City Skateboards and had put out a couple Lunkhead records, was putting on a skaterock festival at The Rave in Milwaukee and had asked us to play. It was a big room and gonna be a big show, so we wanted to do something memorable. I was just coming off almost a decade of playing, booking, promoting, writing, recording, and travelling with Lunkhead and told Rob I just wanted to play guitar, trade off vocals Rancid-style and write about half of the songs and that was it. He was gonna be in charge of everything else. Rob was really into bands like The Dictators and the Toy Dolls, confrontational-type stuff, and he came up with the onstage assault idea (a gag that would become unfortunately real like 5 years later, but that's a different blog for a different time).
The idea was this: we'd get a breakaway bottle like they used for movies and stuff, and have Rob and Christian argue throughout the set, culminating in Christian breaking the bottle over Rob's head as the last song ended. What could go wrong?
Christian found the bottle at a prop supply house and got a couple blood packs for good measure. It was a quart-beer style bottle and looked exactly real. We soaked a Budweiser bottle in water and got the label off, sticking it to the fake to add authenticity. It was also super expensive, so we wrapped it blankets like a baby made of china to transport it around.
We got to the show and loaded in. It was super crowded and we were giddy with the excitement of our impending shenanigans. And also our first show. But mainly our shenanigans. The U.S. Bombs were also playing and we spent a few quality hours in the bar with those guys getting acquainted. Their singer is skateboarding legend Duane Peters, and Duane was really stoked that we'd fashioned our band after the evil skateboarder gang from Thrashin'. "The Daaaaggers, maan, thaaat's cool...!" he kept slurring. Everyone was getting more and more wasted, it was one of those all-day type deals and we were both at or near the end of the bill and I started to worry about everyone being able to maintain until we took the stage. I went outside to collect my thoughts, but could still hear Benzer howling in the bar.
My head had reached sea level by about the time we were set to go on, so I headed back in to tune up and whatnot. Rob and Christian were already on stage setting up, with wry smirks on their faces while Dan yelled at the audience. I set up and plugged in while surveying the crowd. There were a LOT of people here. Sweet. Rob and Christian had already started bickering amongst themselves but I think that part was legit.
We started the set and ripped through the first couple without stopping in between, and when we did, on cue Christian and Rob started jawing at each other. I sorta played onstage peacemaker, while Dan screamed at the crowd.
We played a few more and Rob and Christian started yelling at each other in between songs. I told them to can it, only half-joking. They were really starting to go at it, and I was scared they'd either oversell it or actually start fighting. Dan screamed at the crowd.
A few more and another break, applause from the crowd (who seemde to be digging it at this point), and more Dan screaming and more arguing.
We went into the last block of songs and I saw Rob slyly slip the blood packs into his mouth as he grabbed his beer off his amp. Now they were actually yelling at each other DURING the songs, really going after each other. It was uncomfortable and awesome at the same time, like when you see two drunks fight really violently, but you hate them both, so you don't care that one is putting the others head through a window. Like that. And Dan was screaming at the audience.
We got to the last song and hit the last note and as Rob turned to the mic to say his goodnights and goodlucks, Christian leapt over his drum set quick as a cat and blasted Rob across the back of the head with the bottle, shattering like real glass all over the people in the front. There was a second of silence, then an audible gasp as Rob slumped violently to the stage, while security (unaware of our hijinks) and Dan (screaming) pulled Christian off the stage. I went over to check on Rob. He staggered to his feet blood pouring from several places on his face and he was woozy. Turns out, his overly-realistic 'passing out' led to him smashing his face on the stage monitors. So, in addition to the fake blood running from his mouth, he had real blood pouring from his forehead. I grabbed my guitar in one arm and him in the other and dragged him off the stage and pushed out the door through a confused, mortified, and angry crowd, all the while I could hear Duane in the background screaming above the din, "The DAGGERS, maaaan! The fuckin' DAAAAAGGERSSS!!!!!"
