Crucial Track for April 21, 2025
"Innocent" by Outspoken
Describe a concert that changed your perspective on music or life. Pick a song from that artist or band.
The most impactful concert I ever went to was in the summer of 1993 and it was one of the first big hardcore shows I went to, headlined by Outspoken and Endpoint. Seeing those two bands sold me on the genre and changed the rest of my life.
Prior to that show, I had only been to local hardcore/punk shows over the previous couple of years – mostly ones that featured friends bands and a few from the surrounding area. This one, however, featured Outspoken from Southern California and Endpoint from Louisville, Kentucky.
Both bands had a unique sound for the time (and really since), with amazing lyrics that were politically forward and at times emotional and poetic. Both bands were energetic on stage and musically proficient, so the combination just blew me away.
Beyond the music, hardcore gave me lifelong friends (and a wife), trips all around the Northeast to see bands, and the scene really solidified my liberal belief system: compassion, empathy, and critical thinking skills that I couldn’t get from a formal education.
Alone. He doesn’t want to face the prejudice.
Afraid. While the fear lies in the ignorant.
All love is legitimate. It is hatred that is the enemy.
An innocent man portrayed as being guilty.
What crime is love between two people.
The crime is hatred caused by ignorance of difference.
Have to open my eyes to see a wider range.
Have to open my mind. I’m the one that need to change.