Date: July 15, 1993
City: State College, Pennsylvania
Venue: VFW

Band Members:

Michael Knott: Vocals, Guitars
Brian Doidge: Guitar
Erick Coomes: Bass
Ed Benrock: Drums

Review:

Review by Todd M. Nelson, copied from rec.music.christian

7/15/93
VFW, State College, PA

First let me say that this is the first time I have ever heard LSU, recorded or live. So I didn't get all of the song titles.

There were two opening acts: a grungy, thrash type band from Elkton, MD called Dodavahu and a solo act by a guy named John Blair, just him and his acoustic guitar.

I talked with the guitarist from Dodavahu after their set. He told me their name comes from the father of a prophet who is mentioned in 1 or 2 Chronicles. The name, translated from Hebrew, means "for the love of God." Dodavahu was very typical grunge. They weren't terribly original, musically or lyrically.Though they did seem to enjoy themselves immensely on stage. These guys have one self-produced album.

John Blair was incredible. He was the single most exciting one man act I've ever seen. Lots and lots of energy. He has a very unique playing style. His first four songs were played using a slide on his pinky. His fourth song being a really wild cover of "Somebody to Love," might even be better than the original. His lyrics were humorous and thought provoking. John told me after his set that he has a few albums that are out of print since his record label went under, but he is trying to get them reissued on another label.

On to the main event... LSU played to a small, but enthusiastic, crowd only about 30 people were there. Very poor advertising in the area was the primary cause. Most of the people who were there were from a high school youth group in Bloomsburg, PA (about 40 miles from State College). There was lots of moshing in front of the stage (as much as you could expect from the 15 or so people who participated). I was a little disappointed about one thing, though. Mike didn't do any stage antics that I've heard so much about. Though Mike did wear a three piece pin-stripe suit w/o the shirt and tie.

They opened with "Apocalypse Lips" after that I don't remember a lot of the titles or the order, but I'll list the ones I do know. Their next to last song was their first live performance of "A Pound of Flesh" which is off of their next album, which Mike said would be out next month. Then they closed with "Wino...Red...Stain" (I didn't catch the whole title, but that should be enough to identify the song). The audience cried for an encore, but the band had left the stage, so Mike sang the intro to "Shaded Pan" himself and then waved to us and left. They came out a little later to talk with those of us who stuck around. I got a chance to tell Mike about rec.music.christian. He thought it was a nifty idea, but I don't think he really got the concept. I also talked to Brian, the guitarist, he wasn't very talkative. Brian told me that the band is trying to cut a deal with a secular label for their future releases.

The bassist and the drummer are new to the band. The bassist's name is Eric. I didn't catch the name of the drummer.

These guys really thrashed the house. They played fast and loud for almost two hours and only slowed down a couple of times. It was a really good show, even if the VFW hall is not the greatest acoustic environment.

I also would never have found out about the show except for some kind soul posting LSU's tour schedule. Since this is LSU's first venture to the East Coast, I don't think Mike & Co. were to discouraged. Brian said that he enjoyed the gig and didn't mind that the crowd was small. The group that was there made up for size with enthusiasm.

Well that's about all I have to say about what I can remember.

Peace,
Todd M Nelson