Watch Silent Majority reunite, pay tribute to Rich Jacovina, praise the new hardcore scene at LI VFW

After giving their classic and insanely influential 1997 album Life Of A Spectator a long-awaited reissue on the re-launched Wreck-Age Records, Long Island melodic hardcore/emo veterans Silent Majority played two rare reunion shows in and around their hometown: one at Brooklyn Monarch on April 15 and one at the Massapequa VFW Hall on April 16. At the Long Island show, they had a giant picture of guitarist Rich Jacovina on the wall, as he passed away shortly before that show. Vocalist Tommy Corrigan also opened the show with a tribute to Rich, and he praised the current Long Island hardcore scene, of which both show's openers currently participate in--Koyo, Stand Still, Dead Last, Victory Garden, Private Mind, and Rose Parade.

"I just wanna say that my guy Rich, after we stopped being a band, Rich never stopped," Tommy said. "Rich took his spirit for hardcore music into a few other bands after that, and Rich really took the spirit of what we had in the '90s hardcore scene and brought it into the 2000s, and it created generations of hardcore kids that are here in this room today."

"I just wanna tell you guys--this is strictly for the young people here--your scene on Long Island right now is fucking sick. No matter what bullshit you hear, you know people in their 40s or 50s, like 'yo in the old school bro, we'd fuckin' stab you with a fuckin' knife' or whatever... it wasn't that great. What you have right now is fucking dope, and don't let any other old piece of shit tell you that your shit ain't dope. This kind of music is not for fucking old people and middle-aged people, it's always about the youth and whatever the fucking young people are into. That's the fucking spirit that [Rich] fucking had."

He also added, "We're privileged that you guys still remember who the fuck we are," before shouting out all the openers that played both shows. After that, the band kicked into their set, and as you can see in the just-released full-set video by Feet First Productions, they sounded as tight and urgent as ever and they had the crowd going absolutely nuts. You'd never guess the band hadn't played in seven years. Watch the full-set videos from both Brooklyn and Long Island below.

Next up for Silent Majority: This Is Hardcore in Philly.