Ahead of solo Tampa set, Down By Law’s Sam Williams shares the best gig he ever saw

Sam Williams is a guitarist and songwriter in a surf-rock project Black Valley Moon , but also Tampa punk band Down By Law. He shared the best gig he ever saw ahead of a solo show this weekend.

Certainly one of the most memorable gigs I ever saw was a show featuring the hardcore bands The Accused (Seattle) and SNFU (Canada). There were a couple of other bands on the bill, as well.

This was in 1988, I believe. It was probably the second or third punk show that I’d ever attended. It was at Beacham Theater in Orlando, and I was around 14, at the time. It was a very well-attended concert, for that type of music. Right off the bat, the mosh pit was dominated by a large number of large skinheads. They were being pretty aggressive with anyone that got near.

Not long into the show (after several fights had already occurred) the security guards and police officers kicked several of the skinheads out, which led to almost all of them leaving in solidarity, defiantly Seig Heiling while they marched out. I had never seen anything like it. Both headlining bands were mind-blowingly great. The Accused were non-stop high energy. And SNFU’s frontman was one of the best I’d ever seen. He kept complaining that the dressing room had been broken into, and his passport was stolen. But that didn’t stop him from jumping several feet into the air and throwing candy into the audience.

The night ended with yet another large-scale fight between audience members and cops. One of my friends (also a minor) ended up getting hauled away for the night after punching one of the officers. It felt like a scene from “The Outsiders.” My youth and lack of experience paired with the intensity of the events and music that night left an impression like nothing I’ve ever witnessed. I often cite this show as one of the major sparks that fueled me to continually be in bands, my whole life.

There’s no cover to see Sam Williams play the Biergarten at Tampa’s New World Brewery on Saturday, July 27.

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