The Scene: An eclectic group of people showed up to Summit Music Hall Friday night. The fans ranged from very young Gutter Punks there to support opening band Strafgod, to the aging fans that still love Good Riddance after almost three decades. There were lots of leather jackets and a few Psychobilly up do’s on the women, and of course, an abundance of band shirts.
Opener: Strafgod. The Denver band Strafgod opened the show, playing for a small group of fans in an almost empty venue. Although the crowd was sparse, the cheers for the band were tremendous. The band is made up of young kids (late teens, early twenties. Note the bands’ name is dog farts spelled backwards), and are relatively new to the Denver Punk scene, and they seem to improve with each performance. Strafgod’s songs were about making minimum wage, changing the world, and staying true to one’s self, sung with youthful passion. The boys played a great cover of “Sonic Reducer” by the Dead Boys, and finished their set with a song about Seventh Circle Music Collective (a great Denver DIY venue) and a shout out to Aaron Saye, the venue’s owner who was in attendance.
Opener: Anchor Point. Denver band Anchor Point came on next, freshly reunited from a year and a half long hiatus. Benjamin Kellogg (vocals, guitar) and Eammon Martin (vocals, bass) were the only original members to return to the group, along with two new members, Chip D (drums) and Jimmy Swanson (guitar). The band sounded better than ever on the Summit’s recently improved sound system; the drums were so loud they actually vibrated the air. The band played two new songs,
“You Got It, Dude” and “Stiches,” four songs off of their Eugene E.P., and finished with another new track, “Last Year.” Denver is lucky to have Anchor Point back, and I’m excited to see what they can do in the future.
Opener: Reno Divorce. The venue had filled in nicely by the time Denver band Reno Divorce started to play, and the band had a lot of rowdy fans in attendance. The band hasn’t played many shows since the birth of singer Brent Loveday’s recent addition, and the band returned with two new members (drums and guitar) and a harder Punk sound. Loveday joked that he was now the least attractive member of the band, making the audience chuckle. The new drummer was fantastic and Loveday wailed on the guitar, always a showman. The band played a great set including awesome versions of “Lovers Leap,” “Firecracker,” and “You’re Only Making It Worse.”
Good Riddance: The Santa Cruz, California band Good Riddance returned to Denver after a mere thirteen years and were welcomed by joyous fans. The band has been around since 1986, but broke up for five years, reuniting in 2012. The band decided to do a two-city tour and luckily Denver was on of the cities on this great Political Punk bands’ itinerary. The band came onstage to Old West theme music, starting the night with the track “Weight of the World,” followed by “Salt,” then an amazing version of “Yesterday’s Headlines.” Fans crowded the stage, fists in the air, while a moshpit raged behind them.
“Stand” was another crowd favorite, and drummer Sean Sellers’ rolls were as fast as ever, a joy to watch. Singer Russ Rankin sounded great, but remained aloof during the performance, failing to engage with the audience. One of few things Rankin did converse about was the song “All Fall Down,” saying that the song was written twenty years prior and that society still has work to do. Rankin later asked the crowd if they were taking care of each other, a personal reminder of the unity involved in the late nineties California Punk scene. Good Riddance finished the set with another favorite, “Mother Superior,” then appeased the crowd’s demand for an encore with three more songs, finally finishing with Libertine. Fans left sweaty, hoping it wouldn’t be another thirteen years between visits to Denver for the band.
Energy: B+
Musicianship: A+
Sound: A+
Stage Presence: B-
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A-
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