The capitol mall area was filled with activity Friday Night. A cool breeze was a nice relief after the hot weather from earlier in the week. At Cesar Chavez Park the Concerts in the Park crowd began to gather for an evening of energetic music. The headliner for the night was The Secretions, one of the area’s best punk groups, and a favorite of many who gathered at the park.

The Enlows was the first band we saw tonight and they warmed up the audience pretty quick. They seemed to have had a much too quick performance. After The Enlows played their set it was time for the first mandatory beer of the evening. Right after I got my drink (remembered to patronize the vendors at the park) I heard some drumming and noticed a bunch of soccer players kicking a ball around a Budweiser logo mat. It turns out that the Budweiser Fútbol Kings were putting on a soccer skills performance show while the Samba drumming kept a steady pace in the background. The Budweiser Fútbol Kings are a bunch of international soccer players who are out promoting the South African World Cup. It turns out that Budweiser is the official beer of the FIFA World Cup. Players on the Kings are from Brazil, Chile, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, and Cuba. Their tour manager Jeff Davis, Cynthia Harding (a Budweiser Community Outreach Manager), and a couple of pretty models were there to help promote the exhibition.

The Four Eyes, another great band, took the stage. Their act is a little hard to describe but it included a dancing Transformer and white gorilla looking thing. I forgot what they called it. Needless to say their act was great mostly though because of their punkish sound. A couple, Alicia Whetstone and Robert Faison, sat by the side of the stage as the Four eyes played their set. After the Four Eyes closed their set, another Fútbol Kings exhibition followed.

The Schruggs took the stage and I caught a couple of their songs but had to leave and go to the West Steps of the State Capitol to catch Aurora playing at the Dyke Nite event. This, I believe, was the start for Saturday’s Pride Parade. I met my fried Melissa and her friends and enjoyed Aurora’s show. They had a Kittie like sound. This was the first time I’ve heard them play but after listening to them they’ve made another fan.

We all rushed back to catch The Secretions at Cesar Chavez Park which was only a couple of blocks away. The park was packed by now and the mosh pit in front of the stage started and stopped several times. At one point Mickie came down to play his bass in the mosh pit for a little while. The Secretions’ set was great, as usual, and am looking forward to their next show.

Photos: