Pennywise\/Circle Jerks\/Ignite
\nFeb. 1 @ Sunset House of Blues<\/p>\n
show review by Bradley Schweit<\/p>\n
A mere glance at the line snaking around the corner at the Sunset House of Blues and one could easily ascertain one of two things: A) either the venue was hosting a MotoXXX party, or B) a band whose loyal following just so happened to be attired as if attending (A) were anxiously awaiting the opening of the venue doors. On this particular evening, the occasion happened to be the latter of the two, although the plethora of flat-billers could just as easily have indicated the former.
\n\tThe Los Angeles-based punk\/metal band 2Cents kick started the festivities, and successfully managed to rile up the near-capacity crowd with their raucous, gritty sound.
\n\tNext up on the bill was Ignite, who had recently returned from a South American tour, only to hop back on the touring train for a 13-show stint with Pennywise. By the time they hit the stage around 8:30, the multitude had swollen to capacity, as both the upper and lower levels of the venue creaked and groaned with a palpable air of anticipation.
\n\tPowering through most of A Place Called Home, Ignite also peppered the set list with a few newer songs from Our Darkest Days, which fans seemed to wholeheartedly embrace. The band closed their set with \u201cRun,\u201d a lyrically poignant powerhouse off A Place Called Home.
\n\tThe self-proclaimed geriatrics, AKA Circle Jerks, took to the stage around 9:30, and as a true testament to old school meets new, lead singer Keith Morris is still rocking the dreds despite a tinge of baldness on his crown. THAT, my friends, is punk rock. And really, who better to carry the torch than one of LA\u2019s oldest and most influential punk bands?
\n\tIn-between rants criticizing people, politics and the plastic, disposable nature of society, Morris not only managed to impart more than a few pearls of wisdom, but also flawlessly perform tracks such as \u201cAnxious Boy,\u201d and \u201cI Wanna Destroy You,\u201d much to the delight of the shoe-throwin\u2019, s@#t-kickin\u2019 floor dwellers.
\n\t\u201cWe manage to pop boners every now and then,\u201d Morris joked during a rather comical discourse about being an elderly band in an aging scene; after which he seamlessly segued into an introduction of Mr. Dix Denney of The Weirdos. \u201cWe have a friend that\u2019s gonna play with us tonight,\u201d Morris said, \u201c\u2026the Jimi Hendrix of punk rock guitar.\u201d
\n\tDenney took the stage and the now five-piece musical outfit launched into a phenomenal rendition of The Weirdos track, \u201cSolitary Confinement.\u201d The only sight more refreshing than witnessing 50-plus-year-old punks tear the roof off a sold-out House of Blues show was watching leather-clad pre-pubescent teens sing along with \u2018em.
\n\tThen it was out with the old school and in with new, but not before an appropriately-attired \u201cbro\u201d could take the stage and \u201cbro\u201dpose to his girlfriend in front of the anticipatory crowd. A sweet gesture indeed, had it not already been done during the recording of the Dropkick Murphys Live on Saint Patrick\u2019s Day album.
\n\t\u201cBro\u201dposals aside, mayhem subsequently ensued as Pennywise took the rock reigns and blasted through a set incorporating songs spanning their entire musical career. Despite the lackluster sound, the crowd kicked, spit, punched, and screamed their way through tracks such as \u201cFight \u2018Til You Die, Can\u2019t Believe It, Perfect People, Society,\u201d and the anthem for flat-billers the world over, \u201cBro Hymn.\u201d
\n\tAs a welcomed respite from the musical monotony, Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, and Jay Bentley, all of Bad Religion, in addition to Greg Hetson (Bad Religion\/Circle Jerks), made a guest appearance long enough to blast out \u201cNo Control,\u201d and \u201c21st Century (Digital Boy).\u201d
\n\tKeith Morris also returned to the stage to cover the Black Flag song \u201cNervous Breakdown,\u201d and the band\u2019s front man of yesteryear stayed true to form, exhibiting both the youthful vigor and vocal prowess of his late-1970s self.
\n\tThe crowd appeared all too intent upon the headliner, however, and seemed entirely unappreciative of the accomplishments and history inherent to Morris\u2019 mere presence.
\n\tThus, when Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge exclaimed, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna be producing albums that sound the same over and over again, \u2018cause that\u2019s what you want,\u201d it came as little surprise the fans responded unanimously with fervent screams.
\n\tThere is indeed much to be said for both loyalty and consistency, however, the latter fell far short of making for an exceptional show. Were it not for the Circle Jerks phenomenal performance, a guest appearance by Bad Religion, and a speed freak who spoke gibberish and danced about the stage in a skirt, who Fletcher claimed was a friend whom he pays $10 to pick up dog s@$t off his lawn \u2014 no joke \u2014 the show would have been entirely mediocre. But then again, mediocrity doesn\u2019t appear to hinder either album or ticket sales, so go figure. BS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pennywise\/Circle Jerks\/Ignite Feb. 1 @ Sunset House of Blues show review by Bradley Schweit A mere glance at the line snaking around the corner at the Sunset House of Blues and one could easily ascertain one of two things: A) either the venue was hosting a MotoXXX party, or B) a band whose loyal following just so happened to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[367],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-pennywisecircle-jerksignite-show"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":589,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2005\/10\/18\/say-hello-folks-to-the-most-must-have-excellent-independent-news-and-reviews-journal-ever\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":0},"title":"Say Hello, folks, To the Most Must-Have, Excellent, Independent News and Reviews Journal Ever.","author":"admin","date":"October 18, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"In issue 30: Brian Jonestown Massacre Pennywise Guttermouth GoGirlsMusic.com at Hard Rock Cafe 2005 Hot Ladies Fine Women Hollywood Celebrity Great Music Reviews Reviews of Great Music Shameless Puffery Rock Art Avant Gaurd Photography Film and Literature Extreme Archetecture Totally Free Titty Bar Passes Find issue 30 Of Reviewer magazine\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":507,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/09\/10\/long-beach-blues-festival-review-by-jim-steinfeldt\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":1},"title":"Long Beach Blues Festival review by Jim Steinfeldt","author":"admin","date":"September 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/reviewermagazine.com\/long-beach-blues.htmlThe 29th Annual Long Beach Blues FestivalRainbow Lagoon Park Saturday and Sunday 8\/30-31\/08 Chuck Berry, John Mayall, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Roy Young, Pinetop Perkins, Roy Rogers, Taj Mahal, Booker T. Jones, Charlie Musselwhite, Eddie Floyd, Ana Popovic and 2nd stage artists.Story and photos by Jim Steinfeldt Everyone was having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":483,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2008\/05\/31\/the-national-with-ferraby-lionheart-show-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":2},"title":"The National with Ferraby Lionheart show review","author":"admin","date":"May 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"http:\/\/reviewermagazine.com\/the-national-and-ferraby-show.htmlThe National with Ferraby Lionheart@ House of Blues San Diego on May 28 Show review by Matt Powers With its ornate carpeting, wooden architecture, and tiny stage the House of Blues feels more like a Shakespearean courtyard than a traditional rock venue. And that worked fine for opener Ferraby Lionheart.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":272,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/04\/01\/jj-grey-mofro-show-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":3},"title":"JJ Grey & Mofro show review","author":"admin","date":"April 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"JJ Grey & Mofro @ Belly Up Tavern, 3-30-07 Show review and photo by Natalie Kardos JJ Grey hails from the part of Florida that most people never think about. Not the Florida where old people go to retire, to drive their Buicks and Cadillacs at mind-numbingly slow speeds down\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/pics.livejournal.com\/reviewermag\/pic\/00016qbp\/s320x240","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1795,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/01\/13\/sonic-youth-show-san-diego-hob-1710\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":4},"title":"SONIC YOUTH SHOW – San Diego HOB 1\/7\/10","author":"Kent","date":"January 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Sonic Youth - House of Blues, San Diego January 7, 2010 [Unattended] review By Kent Manthie Something finally great rolled into San Diego on Thursday night: Sonic Youth played at the San Diego House of Blues. SY now are officially a quintet with the addition of producer\/engineer extraordinaire, Jim O\u2019Rourke,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":90,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/06\/30\/les-claypool-at-hob-sd-show-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":5},"title":"Les Claypool at HOB SD show review","author":"admin","date":"June 30, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Les Claypool @ House of Blues, SD \u2013 6\/25\/06 Review by Kent Manthie Photos by Reviewer Rob I remember years ago, in the early 90s, on one of MTV\u2019s myriad programs that have come and gone, I think it may have been \u201cBuzz Bin\u201d, wherein they spotlighted some up and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image hosted at PICTUB.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pictub.com\/users\/2006\/03\/26\/reviewer\/albums\/rvur_32\/photos\/lesdsc_0066.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pictub.com\/users\/2006\/03\/26\/reviewer\/albums\/rvur_32\/photos\/lesdsc_0066.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pictub.com\/users\/2006\/03\/26\/reviewer\/albums\/rvur_32\/photos\/lesdsc_0066.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}