Hard rock, political messages and frenzied fans made their presence known last night at Rec Hall as Living Colour and Urban Dance Squad performed to a less-than-capacity audience.

About 2,000 unfilled seats were showcased along the back bleachers as only about 2,400 fans filed into the gymnasium for the start of Living Colour's national tour.

Urban Dance Squad kicked off the show after the lead singer briefly mentioned the war in the Persian Gulf. The singer said he was honored to play here in order to make it more tolerable for the members of the audience with friends and relatives in the Middle East.

Living Colour stormed on stage about 30 minutes after the opening act as they exploded into their first song, "Type." The fans than proceeded to show their appreciation for this hard-rocking band by slam-dancing in the first five rows.

They were a captivating band to watch, with their neon-colored threads and dread-locked hair bobbing in every direction. The band members followed up some songs with anti-war messages which provoked cheers and boos from the crowd.

Muzz Skillings, bass-guitarist, asked the crowd to repeat, "no blood for oil," which was the first of many critical messages by the band.

After guitarist Vernon Reid -- who wore a shirt featuring an American flag and a slogan of "Burn, baby, burn" -- spoke of his feelings towards the war, a fan suddenly lashed out "Fuck Iraq!" Reid replied, "I got a cousin in Iraq now, so fuck you!"

The crowd then screamed in approval of Reid's comment as Living Colour continued into another song.

Because of the low attendance and the bold attitude of the audience, fans didn't stay in their assigned seats. The moment Urban Dance Squad took to the stage, fans who dared to brave the tight squeeze in front of the stage piled between the first row and the stage.

The security proceeded to clear the area for Living Colour, but that was to no avail. The crowd took it one step further and proceeded to stack the first five rows of chairs until they resembled a log pile.