Gordon Gano and THE VIOLENT FEMMES capitalized on early Reagan-era angst a full decade before the stuff became a major-marketing ploy under King George I, and the proof is in one of my favorite greatest hits encapsulations ever, the Femmes’ glorious Add It Up (1981-1993). Want evidence? Try the dopey-kid mope of “Waiting for the Bus.” The three-piece classics that follow run from the instantly recognizable “Blister in the Sun” and the Johnny Cash-on-acid bewilderment “Country Death Song” to the tongue-in-cheek overproduction of “Dance, [Mofo], Dance!” and the agro-angst sexual frustration of “36-24-36.” Expect it all. Consider this the peak of the first Budweiser Raleigh Downtown Live summer series in Moore Square. A worthy slate of openers kicks off at 3 p.m. with Iconic, Port Huron Statement and Sponge. And, better yet, the climax is free.
