Third Force, who are really just another incarnation of Forced Behavior, opened up and displayed improved songwriting skills but with a weaker live sound, although they received a decent crowd response. I've heard the tape they recently made and it sounds soooooo much better than they do live. If they would have turned up the guitar I would have liked them a lot more but they were still fine. Cool sing alongs, etc.
Duh-Ta-Duh-Ta-Duh played next and opened up with their self-titled theme song. That one and another new one, "Sir Jamalot," were my favorites but the crowd really enjoyed their thrash fare like "Meat on a Cross" and "Society's Slave." Great band, I wish they'd release something.
I don't think anyone in Immaculate Reception skates but it was still good to see them again. They played a few too many covers and weren't particularly original in their selection ("Ace of Spades", "Somebody to Love", "Paranoid", etc.) but their talent really showed. Later in their set they had an Immaculate Reception "reunion" of sorts with former bassist Todd Risely (now in Duh-Ta-Duh-Ta-Duh) and former drummer John Dohrman (who is currently bandless, which is really a crime since he's so damn good ...he's only 15--but he's been playing drums for about 6 years...) joining Scott and Nick on stage. The highlight of their set was "I Hate Ducks" and maybe "I Wanna Be A Zip-Loc Bag."
Brompton's Cocktail played next and showed off their new, faster material to the crowd who, though responsive, seemed to think it was a football game or something. Slamming was getting thicker and thicker so I left for a breath of fresh air. I returned in time to hear their mutated version of "Serf's Up," which they changed to "Skate's Up," and "Hypocritical Success," which ended their set.
The Micronotz played next and immediately continued their tradition of mechanical problems when the bass amp blew a fuse. In order for them to continue the show, Jay had to do without his guitar so David could use his amp head. The bass sounded terrible as a result but it was actually a blessing in disguise; Jay was free to climb all over the rafters of the ceiling, jump around on stage and just generally make their performance five times as exciting as it usually is. (Many people, myself included, wish he'd play without a guitar more often. It doesn't really add that much to their sound and it seems to restrict him from moving to the point where their entire act is much less interesting than it could be, as evidenced by this show. Towards the end of their set they played "Feels Like," one of their oldies from the Dean era, with Scott Born of Immaculate Reception filling in on vocals because Jay didn't know the words. Although I didn't like his vocals much, it was cool to hear the song again.
Overall, this was a really good show that proves again the amount of talent we have in our local bands.
The show raised over $400 for Heartland Skaters' new ramp, which will replace the historic, old Micronotz ramp that sat out west of town for three years and was disassembled for its wood February 22nd. The new ramp will be built closer to Lawrence and construction should start as soon as the weather is favorable. The organization hopes to sponsor both a pro and amateur competition of sorts on the ramp in the future. A benefit T-shirt with their logo and a picture of a skater doing a handplant on a cow can be purchased at Uptown Bicycles in Lawrence. Donations of wood or money would be greatly appreciated. Those who would like more info should call Eric Schira at (913) 843-4361.

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