For one brief moment in the ’00s, The Darkness ruled. In 2003, their debut album “Permission to Land” was released and in a land where The Strokes, Britney Spears and Dashboard Confessional rules, guitar solos, cat suits and falsettos were absent from popular music. But no more.

Upon learning that The Darkness would be making the trek not only to the United States, but stopping by our town, tickets were secured as if the President was coming to town, if the President at the time hadn’t been a raging douche bag. I don’t recall if there was an opening band, and quite frankly don’t care to remember – this was all about The Darkness.

As hoped, the band put on a classic rock show – lights, smoke, showmanship, but there was definitely a different edge. I didn’t go to many (or any) rock shows in the 80s, but my friends who did explained that for the most part, the crowds were laid back and mostly interested in having a good time. Maybe the 90s wreck that vibe with most pits and slam dancing and angst and nu-metal, because that good time vibe was not present at The Darkness show.

Any song that got above mid-tempo, a most pit would break out, which felt totally out of place for the music style. Even though we were in the back of the standing room area, a few a-holes starting pushing and shoving, especially hard during ‘Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman,’ which happened to be my favorite tune at the time, but turned into a near fight than thanks to over aggressive moshers.

It also didn’t help that at one point late in the set, frontman and guitarist Justin Hawkins hopped onto the shoulders of a roadie and was carried around the standing room section in front of the stage, soloing all the way. Unfortunately, the security flanking the roadie and Justin were way too aggressive and instead of acting in a professional manner, just shoved everyone out of the way, including my friend Keith who was steamed enough to exchange heated words with some of the security.

The show itself was fine, but the knucklehead crowd combined with the knuckledragging security put this one in the not so enjoyable column.