Review: First Jason at Station 4

Sometimes, good things just sneak up on you when you’re not expecting them.

I went to Station 4 to see First Jason because I thought it would be interesting. Ari Lehman, the dude who played the young Jason who emerged from Crystal Lake at the very end of the first Friday the 13^th movie (arguably the scariest moment in the entire series and one of the most powerful “gotcha” style scares in any horror movie since) fronting a band that does songs about the legendary slasher. Fun, right?

I arrived in time to see Mommy Sez Know cavorting on stage with a bizarre assembly of mummies and monsters, cranking out their dirty brand of punk ‘n’ roll, knowing that, no matter what happened, Impaler wouldn’t let me down.

Next up came Ripsnorter, who played the best set I’ve ever seen from them. I think they’re rad, but sometimes their sets seem to go on forever. This time though, it was all muscle and no fat. The best tunes from their new album and a Misfits cover.

Impaler didn’t let me down. I’ve seen their blood-spewing act at its violent best, so it was refreshing to see a quick, no nonsense set that included one of my favorites, “Assassin,” from their first album, and the triumphant “King of the Freaks.”

By the time First Jason hit the stage, I was thinking of clearing out. After all, the band would just be a goof, right? I wasn’t the only one thinking it, because the already sparse crowd had dwindled significantly. When Ari Lehman picked up his keytar, I thought it was a joke. Actually, it wasn’t a keytar at all. It was a small keyboard attached to a long sword prop. A keysword. Ridiculous, right?

Nope. Not at all. Like young Jason rising from the deep to take his prey, First Jason caught me by surprise. Lehman didn’t just play the keytar, he melted that motherfucker. He didn’t just sing songs about Jason, he sang them with a passion and a power that was above and beyond what the subject matter called for. When, toward the end of the set, he threw a Jason mask my way, I put it on and started banging my head, smiling like a maniac. I was glad I stuck around.

(First Jason played at Station 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota on 3/21/09)