It’s easy to be cynical of a band like Rancid performing a run of acoustic shows. Multi-millionaire punk rockers taking their greatest hits package Unplugged. But this is not an MTV show, not a vip lounge at a festival, it’s just four nights at a sweaty little venue in LA. The first of the 4 Tuesday night shows took place in March 7th, under the guise of a Hellcat Night. Hellcat being the record label Rancid own, and while they are a constant, each night a different band from their roster took the stage in full plugged-in form.
 
Lined up across the stage, all four members holding acoustic guitars and bass, no drums tonight, it’s basically superstar busking. It’s also very obvious that Lars is the real frontman of the band, engaging in banter when there are technical hitches, introducing the songs, and also taking the lion’s share of the lead vocals. Having said that, it’s when the sparsely used Tim Armstrong steps up to the mic with his snarl that ultimately defines Rancid. He’s still the star of the show.
 
They helpfully told everyone to come back each week as they’d be playing a different set each time. Helpful if the whole series didn’t sell out in hours. On this occasion some of the chosen hits were Sidekick, Rejected, Ruby Soho, and Maxwell Murder. Oh, and don’t forget the bass solo prompted by one of the many references to Matt as “the best bass player in the world”. He is pretty damn good, nice to see him in action again after a recent battle with lung cancer. His trade-marked growl was bordering on ridiculous, and whilst it may be a bit close to the truth, it almost had a Stephen Hawkin-esque voice-box feel to it.
 
The crowd lapped it all up throughout, and though a few of the Mohawks couldn’t resist trying to start a pit on a few occasions, it was with very limited success. I can kind of relate to their attempts though. Like a busker on the underground playing Dylan, it’s almost the knowledge of the original version that appeals with the inferior version in front of you serving as a backing track in your mind.
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