In previous years, the Deconstruction Tour was based in de IJsselhallen in Zwolle, complete with half pipes all over the place. This year they relocated it to the Melkweg because acoustics and atmosphere aren’t all that great in a hall where they normally sell cattle. This year they figured out that in the Melkweg the sound is a lot better. This meant that the half pipes had to go. So more focus on the music, which is always a good thing. The fact that it really is all about the music and nothing else is proven by the backdrop of last year’s Deconstruction Tour that had the 4 of 2004 duct taped over with a 5.

First up were Only Crime. Although the early kids present at the venue were still standing there a bit shy, later during the set they seemed to have lost that somewhat luckily. With members from Bane, Descendents and Good Riddance, of course that was to be expected.

They didn’t play all that long, though, and soon it was time for Smoke Or Fire. Their music is punk with screaming vocals here and there. Same standard songs if you ask me, but still entertaining. They got a good response from the crowd and even the people who had just gotten there started getting in the mood.

So when the members of Capdown entered the stage, the growing crowd was already warmed up and ready to go. The four young English lads were just having a good time with their pretty standard ska punk. Not groundbreaking material or highly innovative songs but a lot of energy and enthusiasm made up for that.

From Autumn To Ashes was trying to compete with Capdown’s energy but sadly I don’t think they were able to match them. When I saw them headlining the Vagrant Europe Tour, they were much better than they are now. They were willing and trying but just not quite reaching as high as they could’ve. Their show was okay even though they weren’t at their best.

Then there was a 2-minute silence out of respect for WWII, our Memorial Day. That really was impressive, just seeing everyone and everything in the Melkweg silent to pay their respects.

Next up was Strike Anywhere who showed everyone how it’s done. With aggression as well as passion and love for the music, they put on a great show. With enough differences in their songs, something which some of the hardcore bands seems to lack these days, they managed to keep people interested for the entire set.

Opening with “After the Eulogy”, Boy Sets Fire made a promising start for their show. Their original guitarist wasn’t with them on this tour which would’ve been fine if his replacement was able to replace him properly. He just played the parts and that’s it, no sparks or anything special to it. The backing vocals or rather backing screams were taken care of by F.A.T.A.’s front man. Despite the change in line up, Boy Sets Fire was musically at their best. I really liked the show even though the singer couldn’t seem to get enough of complaining about the cups being thrown on stage. What happened to the political speeches? Still it was a good performance, and everyone had fun.

Last but certainly not least were Mad Caddies who had no problems finishing up for the night. With a lot of old ska punk songs, they proved to be a good closing act of the Deconstruction Tour. They had the same enthusiasm and energy as Capdown but they were just a bit more together and focused. For a long afternoon and evening with short shows and a lot of bands, it certainly was a good ending.

Review by: Laura