Veteran hardcore and metal bands including Life of Agony and Vision of Disorder rallied together over the weekend to fight for Sick of It All vocalist Lou Koller at the “I’m in the Fight With Lou” benefit concert, which raised funds for the hardcore singer following his recent cancer surgery.
As previously reported, Koller had been battling esophageal cancer since receiving a diagnosis earlier this year. He underwent surgery in October and is in the process of recovery. Lou’s brother Pete, who plays guitar in Sick of It All, helped organize Saturday night’s (November 23rd) benefit to assist with medical costs and other expenditures, and invited out the likes of VOD, LOA, NYHC crews Killing Time and Crown of Thornz, and crossover act Municipal Waste.
Notably, the night was headlined by Vision of Disorder, marking the Long Island outfit’s first show since 2018. Nearly half of their 12-song set focused on cuts from their 1995 self-titled LP, though they closed out the night with a cover of Sick of It All’s legendarily heavy “Scratch the Surface.”
Life of Agony’s performance marked their first show since vocalist Keith Caputo announced that he’s currently going through the process of detransitioning. LOA’s set was a cavalcade of Nineties-era singles and favorites, from big-time River Runs Red cuts “This Time” and “Through and Through,” to Ugly’s “Lost at 22” and Soul Searching Sun’s “Weeds.”
Lou Koller was not in attendance at the benefit, but Pete thanked the crowd for attending the event and then introduced a pre-recorded clip of his brother thanking family and friends for supporting him.
“When I got into hardcore, I had this ideal that it’s a big family — it’s your chosen family,” Lou said. “And when you stay in it, you kind of get a little jaded down the line…but when the chips are down, you guys proved it [ed. that hardcore is a family]. We prove it all the time. It’s not just hardcore, but in this underground music scene: [When someone] is in dire straits, everybody steps up. It’s been amazing.”
You’ll find fan-shot footage from throughout the night below.