Okay, so you can't review a Kill Your Idols ten year anniversary show without first commenting on how fortunate the hardcore scene is to have been graced with ten years of this band’s existence.

How many bands last ten years without a break up and a comeback? In New York alone we have maybe five bands who have done this prior to Kill Your Idols (Murphys Law, Sick Of It All, No Redeeming Social Value, Inhuman, Merauder (who did have a bit of a hiatus) and...??). This alone makes it a rare milestone.

And then you have Kill Your Idols - who outshined even their own selves by releasing From Companionship to Competition. How many bands put out their best release so close to their tenth anniversary? This record is absolutely flawless. I can remember the first time I listened to it and I was just blown away. I had no idea it was possible to raise the bar, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that if anyone could raise that bar, it was the KY-Idols.

So here we are - ready to celebrate ten years. There were birthday hats and lots of smiles all over the place. Thats another thing to add to the very long list of why i love Kill Your Idols, when they play, you actually see people smiling while watching them. how could you not? It’s a guaranteed fun time.

The set list matched the crowd - both young kids and newer songs, mixed in with old dudes and plenty of older songs.

The set list is a bit hazy (hey, give me a break, it was PACKED and i surely had some brain cells knocked out of my head from being kicked in it so many times). Definite highlights:

Falling - if you have ever seen Kill Your Idols - you know what seeing this song live FEELS like live. It starts and normally you have the crowd running back and forth. You feel your heart begin to pound. You watch this happen and you wait for the explosion of people and you are never disappointed. I have observed this so many times and it always FEELS so good to watch it.

The Path/Miserable and Satisfied - Wow. Miserable and Satisfied is tied with Epilogue for my favorite Kill Your Idols song. I'm so thrilled they have added it to their set list. In addition to two great songs, you get the stage presence of ron. Ron now fronts DEATHCYCLE. When I was told Ron had a new band, I was instantly excited to see them without ever having heard them. Judging from his on stage freak outs during Kill Your Idols, I knew he would end up being the best frontman. and I was right. But thats a different review for a different day.

Walk Away - I love the singy part of this song. I love this song. I love this band.

Young at Heart - having spent the first 20 or so years of my life being told how my life should be, this song hits home. Now that I've managed to escape all parental criticism, I am stating the truth when I scream long "I DON’T WANNA BE RICH, I JUST WANNA BE HAPPY".

Autumn - I dare you to find a Kill Your Idols fan who has not walked around the block with dead leaves rotting beneath their feet, with this song blasting on their headphones while in the midst of dealing with a broken heart. We’ve all been there. We have all sang along to this as loud as our voices will go, in an attempt to convince ourselves that we really are okay with being alone.

I Told You So - whenever I listen to this song, I have a mental image of a very long and draining period of my life. It puts into words every single thing I felt during that time. I flash back while listening to the lyrics that I associate with that time of my life. I KNEW what the outcome of my situation would be. I TOLD YOU SO. Why must I compromise and live a life that makes me sad? Just don’t seem fair. At least I can say I tried.

Epilogue -. they played Epilogue. They could have written only this one song and they’d still be worthy of the title "best band".

There were also plenty of other songs. Enjoy the Show, Green, Dread, Cousin Fred, Right Now, Stop Comparing Us to Negative Approach, Chesterfield King and Propagandi, Funeral for a Feeling, From Companionship to Competition and Can't Take It Away. And of course, the covers It's Clobbering Time, Here to Stay and Do You Still Hate Me. I'm glad they weren’t too cover-heavy. Covers are always fun, but this was a celebration of ten years of Kill Your Idols. Even though I love hearing Vengeance , I'm glad they didn’t substitute one of their own songs for it.

I look forward to another ten years of this band being a huge part of my life. "Because when that feeling’s gone, it shows up in a favorite song."

-ryan diaz

Photos by Billy