Rancid
w/ The English Beat, The Interrupters
The Warfield
San Francisco, CA
January 2, 2016
I often find it amusing when I hear people say "punk is dead". Or even, "ska is dead". Look, just because punk and ska have smaller sections at the back of the record store (and even then, it depends on what record store you're going to) doesn't mean a genre is dead. Some of the most insane shows I've seen in my life are punk rock shows where there's only twenty to maybe forty people in their room, and they move around the room like someone is trying to light them on fire, and scream the words like it's the last time they're ever going to speak.
This wasn't quite the scene at the Rancid show in San Francisco, but albeit it was still a glorious scene. The fans still sang every word as the band, for the second night in a row, took the stage to play their iconic third studio album, ...And Out Come The Wolves, in full, and the crowd was the rowdiest I'd seen at The Warfield in years.
The Interrupters kicked things off with thirty minutes of upbeat punk and ska tracks. They were the only opening band on the bill to play both nights, as the two main support acts were switched each night. The previous night featured OFF!; my date featured the always-fantastic English Beat. I had the pleasure of seeing this band open up for Reel Big Fish many moons ago, and they were a lot of fun. When they took the stage, the vibe in the room was relaxed but very bright and upbeat. It was honestly a nice break from the punk set the crowd was just delivered. The English Beat are mesmerizing to watch, as they're all incredible musicians. I would look out at the crowd from the photo pit, and just seeing people staring up at the stage, transfixed as the band played through countless songs with great vibes.
By the time Rancid took the stage though, it was clear to see that the crowd were ready to mosh and crowd surf, by any means necessary. It wasn't even a minute into "Maxwell Murder", track one from Wolves when the crowd started to viciously move back and forth, like a tidal wave at war with the storm. The energy level from both the band and the crowd stayed consistent all the way until the very end, and that alone was an amazing sight in and of itself.
The band concluded their two night stand with five tracks from their back catalogue, including "Fall Back Down" (from Indestructible), and the title track from their most recent effort, Honor Is All We Know. If you ask me, that's not a bad way to start of 2016.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.