
Continuing, the series, we remember the time that television was kind enough to bring At the Drive-In to the world. It was 2000 and the soon to be legendary post-hardcore band had put out the album “Relationship of Command”. It was their most successful album, both creatively and commercially and it proved to be their last.
ATDI had built a reputation for extremely intense live performances. The video for “One armed scissor” chose to focus and showcase this while the song and video got large airplay. Success was a long time coming and the band had built their audience all the way from playing basement shows, to being big attractions at large festivals.
At The Drive-In’s stage destruction on live television
With the album featuring on almost all music magazine’s “Best of the year” lists and the video being played on music television, ATDI scored two of the most memorable performances as musical guests on late-night television. First they trashed their gear on American television with David Letterman hosting (as a comedian he seemed to have a knack for picking these kinds of guests to be fair).
Then guitars and chairs went flying on British television, with the energy level raised seemingly as far as it could go. The look on guest host’s Robbie Williams face says it all.

Relationship of Command and At The Drive-In’s break-up
The band continued to tour to ever-larger audiences. At the end of the tour promoting “Relationship of command” they went on indefinite hiatus, after walking off stage at the Big Day Out festival in Australia when audience members moshed and crowd surfed, while the band expressed concerns over the audience’s safety.
After the band’s break up, the group splintered into two successful other bands, the alternative rock of Sparta and the progressive influenced The Mars Volta. ATDI reunited in 2009 and have recently announced plans to tour into 2016.
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