Live Shows: The Rat Reunion featuring Nervous Eaters, The Dogmatics, and Tree, Bellforge Arts Center, Medfield, MA 9/22/24

Here's a confession that might make me lose all of my Boston music scene cred: I never went to a show at The Rat. By the time I was going to shows regularly (1996/1997), most of the bands I wanted to see were playing clubs like The Middle East and TT the Bears. And then The Rat was gone in 1997. I've always wished I had gone to that legendary establishment, so once the fiftieth anniversary celebration of The Rat was announced for Bellforge Arts Center, I knew I had to go.

Originally scheduled for Saturday but moved for rain, the event took place on Sunday afternoon and was hosted by Boston radio legend Oedipus. A reunion for Boston's premier punk club taking place from 3:00 to 7:00 in the afternoon in the middle of a field where people usually hang out on blankets and folding chairs may seem like a strange location, but considering the average age of the crowd skewed well above fifty, it was probably perfect. 

Tree
Photo by Ken Sears

The day's music moved back in time, with each decade the venue was open represented by a band. They started out with the 90's, and the band that probably defined The Rat in the 90's: Tree. I haven't seen them since various Hempfests on the Boston Common in the 90's, and after seeing them Sunday afternoon, I'm officially kicking myself for not seeing them more often. As most people know by now, Tree are a great live band. They were by far the heaviest of the three bands playing Bellforge that day, and they brought it. It might have been the first ever Tree show without anything resembling a mosh pit, but that fits with the venue and the vibe of the crowd. They're the kind of hardcore band that can win over music fans not into hardcore. The band busted out a hardcore/Boston centered version of "This Land is Your Land" which obviously included the verse not taught in schools. This was a reminder that I need to see them in a dingy, dark club ASAP.

The Dogmatics
Photo by Ken Sears

The 1980's were represented by The Dogmatics. The Boston garage/punk heroes may have slowed down a bit, but truly not much in the past forty years. Songs like "Thayer Street," "Sister Serena," and "King Sized Cigarette" still rock live. We also can't forget their newer songs like "Drop That Needle" and how well they hold up to the classics. Not too many bands out of the 80's Boston punk scene could pull off songs that include a mandolin, but The Dogmatics did it. They fit the laid back but still punk vibe of the afternoon perfectly, and were a bunch of fun live. As much as I loved my 90's Boston music scene, a band like The Dogmatics makes me wish I could have seen them in their prime.

Nervous Eaters
Photo by Ken Sears

The Nervous Eaters closed out the show and represented the 1970's. I believe this was my first time seeing them with new-ish bass player Carissa Johnson, who fits right in with a band formed long before she was born. Nervous Eaters are another band whose newer songs fit right in with the classics. Their garage rock with a touch of glam sound has aged impeccably, and songs like "Loretta" could have been released any time in the past fifty years. A song like "Rock n Roll Your Heart Away" may be more relaxed than their classics, but they more than make up for it in melody. Plus, it's a song that's a tribute to The Rat and Kenmore Square, so it was perfect for the evening. 

It's rare that I get to be on the younger end of a crowd, but The Rat Reunion was one of those rare events. It was a perfect afternoon of nostalgia, even for those bands that existed well before I was paying attention to any music that wasn't on cartoons I was watching.