The biggest live-show beatdown I ever saw happened during New York hardcore heroes Sick Of It All's set at the 1997 Warped Tour in DC. One guy came running through the crowd past me, gushing blood from his head, while a bunch of other dudes chased after him. One guy had his wristwatch over his fist, and he kept punching the one bloody guy in the side of the head. Sick Of It All weren't exactly known for the most peaceful live shows in the world, but they weren't having that. This thing happened right next to me, and I was too slow to react. But right away, SOIA stopped the song they were playing, and frontman Lou Koller made his disdain clear: "Ten guys on one guy? Ya got no heart!"
On Saturday, Sick Of It All announced that Lou Koller had passed away at the age of 59. Koller had been fighting esophageal cancer, and people had been donating to his medical fund. It's a heavy loss, and I expect to hear a lot of Koller tributes at hardcore shows in the future. As it happens, the revived Warped Tour came to Long Beach over the weekend. During their set, current California banner carriers Drain saluted Koller with a Sick Of It All over.
Drain have their own history with cancer; their 2025 song "Stealing Happiness From Tomorrow" is about drummer Tim Flegal's fight against cancer. In Long Beach, they covered "It's Clobberin' Time," the 45-second mosh classic that Sick Of It All used to open their first 7" in 1987. It won't take you long to check out the Drain cover and the SOIA original below.
