Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong of Rancid performing at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. August 20th, 2017. Photo Credit: Jared Stossel

Rancid
Dropkick Murphys
w/ The Selecter, Kevin Seconds
The Greek Theatre
Berkeley, CA
August 20th, 2017

Photos and review by Jared Stossel.

The coolest part of this show was not Rancid's fast-paced and always-nostalgic punk rock set over over twenty songs. The coolest part of this show was not the Dropkick Murphys playing one of the highest energy sets I've ever witnessed at the Greek Theater while pints of beer flew threw the air during the nearly hour long set. No, the coolest part of this show was when both bands came together for a surprise performance of "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash at the end of the night. That is fucking punk rock.

Both of these iconic punk rock acts embarked earlier this summer on the aptly named "From Boston To Berkeley" co-headlining tour, enlisting the help of 2 Tone British act The Selecter and solo acoustic act Kevin Seconds to open the show. Both The Selecter and Kevin Seconds brought a unique sound to the night. While each act was embedded within the roots of punk and ska, everyone showcased something a little bit different, with Kevin Seconds providing an all-acoustic set and The Selecter specializing in 2 Tone.

It was clear to me from the first song that Dropkick Murphys were going to be the rowdiest crowd of the night. The Massachusetts band, complete with a bagpipe and flute player, took the stage to a roar of applause, a barrage of crowd surfers, and dozens of cups filled with beer being projected into the air, only to fall right back down and soak those in the mosh pit. The band powered through a number of fast-paced tracks laced with eclectic instrumentation, gang vocals, and anthem-like melodies. A number of tracks came from the band's most recent studio album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory.

Anytime a Bay Area punk band comes back for a hometown show, rest assured that it will always be packed and no other show anywhere in the country will even come close to matching the energy. This sentiment rings true particularly for Rancid, who have been together since the early 90s. The band are still going incredibly strong, having just released a brand new record entitled Trouble Maker, their ninth overall. While the highly-energized punk homecoming featured a number of tracks from Trouble Maker, material from classic Rancid albums Let's Go, Let The Dominoes Fall, Indestructible, and ....And Out Come The Wolves led the crowd through a number of sing-alongs, all while providing background music to the biggest circle pit of the night.

After finishing with a treasure trove of material from ....And Out Come The Wolves ("Time Bomb", "Ruby Soho"), that epic moment I referred to at the beginning of this article happened, and continued onward with covers from a number of other acts including The Ramones and Cock Sparrer. This was a punk homecoming for the ages.