Pennywise, Lagwagon and Stick To Your Guns. Commodore Ballroom, Feb 21st

***Usual disclaimer: If you are looking for an in depth review that includes a set list then this is probably not the place for you, soz bro.***

So, I thought Pennywise were pretty good with Jim and really good with Zoli but now Jim is back even though it seems a bit awkward and forced but hey who am I to judge? If you've been a punk band 25 years and are making a living out of it then you can do whatever the hell you want in my book.

I showed up early and had the misfortune to be second in line behind a wigger in his 40s who was off his face. The gentleman in question had a pretty haggard wife sitting at the bus stop and he seemed genuinely amazed that I had heard of Bouncing Souls. I took a quick walk to rid myself of his attention and was rewarded with the sight of Joey Cape from Lagwagon walking towards me. We gave each other 'the nod' and said hey, just as a scalper asked the bemused singer if he was buying or selling any tickets for the show tonight. And so an incredulous Joey went back into the venue and I lost my chance to talk to the guy. Oh well.

Stick To Your Guns

Sticking out like sore thumbs, these passionate, vaguely emo hardcore menchildren (and a man from Evergreen Terrace) were probably always going to struggle to make an impact on this tour. I quite enjoy them in small doses so I joined the other 11 people who decided to watch them and they weren't half bad until the singer started his motivational speeches. The BELIEVE IN YOURSELF type of POSITIVE THROUGH STRUGGLE hardcore stuff is pretty lol already, but when they guys saying it are younger than 99% of the audience the lols go into overdrive.

'Yo, if you're in a bad place I understand man. I know most of you have kids and mortgages and I spend most of the year in the back of a van with a bunch of dudes, but I understand. My cousin is in prison so I've been through some shit.' - Jesse Barnett, Stick To Your Guns

Lagwagon

DAT SIZE DIFFERENCE

Undoubtedly on my list of 'bands I'd love to see but will probably never get to see' I was probably most excited about this set. On many levels they didn't disappoint! Cramming tonnes of old songs and new favourites into their relatively short set, Lagwagon strike a balance between fun, punk and good musicianship, a combination that is a rare thing in the punk world. The sounds was pretty awful, which sucked doubly as the sexy guitar work is half the appeal of the band for me. The sound is pretty much out of their hands though and they still joked and rawked their way through a set that included Mr Coffee, Lazy and May 16 amongst others so I was happy enough overall.

Pennywise

As well as the backdrop and general stage layout, the sound also magically transforms when headliners Pennywise go on. I picked my usual gig spot just behind where the bros were OPENING UP THE PIT and tried to avoid the plumes of weed smoke that are a staple of most gigs in Vancouver. It's pretty lol when men in their 40s introduce a song as being against fathers, but Same Old Story is one of my all time favourite P-wise songs so I headed into the flailing maelstrom that is the punk rock pit. Taking a breather at the front of the sweaty black hole, I got barged in the back in one of the continental drift movements that happens at theses gigs and somehow found myself at the front, with a hand on the barrier. With teenage years of experience at positioning myself as close as possible to bands, it was then no problem for me to ease myself into a spot along the front row, directly in front of Randy.

The Pennywises steadfastly ignored the new album and its solid to excellent material and stuck rigidly to the old stuff, which I guess is the point of a 25 year anniversary tour. I would have thought they could have been the bigger men and just played one or two songs, but I guess when you're still encouraging people to put their middle fingers in the air when playing a song called Fuck Authority 12 years later you're a bit set in your ways. The band are a well oiled machine and it looks like Fletcher at least is still enjoying it.

I obviously like a lot of Pennywise songs that aren't popular enough to be included in the set list (Open Door anyone?) but I had a good time shouting along about the System and Perfect People and all that noise. I got a mandatory neck crushing hug during Bro Hymn, delivered by an overly enthusiastic Mexican gentleman beside me.  While it was amazing to see the performance from a few feet away, it felt more professional than punk. Understandable of course and it did mean the songs were played to near perfection. I just wish I had seen them a decade ago. Best parts of the night were when a fan, confined to a wheelchair, rolled onto stage at various points to drink beer and sing along.

Still, another of the 'bands to see before I die (or they die)' off the list, next up; Bad Religion!