Live Review: Punk In Drublic presents NOFX: Final Tour in Tacoma, Washington 7/22/23
NOFX has embarked on their ’40 years, 40 shows, & 40 nights’ American tour, making a stop in Tacoma Washington at LeMay American Car Museum. The line was already wrapped around the block when I arrived, with fans eagerly awaiting to get in. Once in the venue, I took a walk around and explored the grounds you had NOFX merch being sold, A pizza joint that had a great sizzle pie, and there were alcoholic beverages being sold. The VIP lounge had the most shade and had a great view of the stage. There even was a sort of Saturday market trading tent that offered vinyl, patches, and even books on punk.
The first band to hit the stage was Hilltop Rats, Washington punk band from Tacoma. They started out as a Misfits supergroup cover band about 9 years ago. They were encouraged by the people (fans) to write original recordings that would carry on the sound of hardcore melodic punk rock. It’s never easy being the first band on stage for the day but they definitely keep the crowd engaged.
The Last Gang are a band that are signed to Fat Wreck Chords, Fat Mike’s record label. They are fronted by Brenna Red, a fierce, fiery individual that has a lot to say about politics, the world, and is not afraid to shake up the status quo. Brenna Red and her bandmates Sean Viele, Ken Aquino, & Sam Mankinen are serving up a rejuvenated punk rock sound that brings me back to the era where Rancid reigned supreme.
Here’s an excerpt from their website explaining what the song Noise Noise Noise means to her “I write music just to be alive” she concludes “I hope there’s something that can be taken from it to make you feel that electricity inside of yourself, whether happiness, pain, bittersweet memories“.
Get Dead is an American punk rock band from San Francisco, another band that Fat Mike discovered and put on his label. Their sound is what punk stands for as a statement – it’s sludgy, messy, and has attitude. A great addition to an already stacked line-up of bands for a festival like this. Their setlist included “Only Human, Monte Carlo, Fire Sale, & Hard Times.
Swingin’ Utters was the band that had my full attention. Hauling all the way from the Southern California punk scene from the late 80’s, they came out swinging to a riled up crowd. The lead singer Jonny Bonnel stole the show for me. He had all this built up energy and aggression that when the drums started to kick he exploded with excitement. Their set included classic tracks such as “The Liberians Are Hiding Something”, “As You Start Leaving”, “Pills and Smoke”, “Tell Them I Told You So”. A great add to the line-up for the day.
The Flatliners are a Canadian punk band from Richmond Hill, Ontario. They have heavily influenced the scene in Toronto punk/ska movement. They opened their set to “Performative Hours” which has a hard drop D grungy punk sound. The crowd at this point were fired up as they have been baking in the sun for hours now. The setlist included “Hang My Head”, “Resuscitation of the Year”, Sew My Mouth Shut”, & “Liver Alone”.
Strung Out are veterans in the punk like their counterparts NOFX, Descendents, and Circle Jerks. Strung Out is a American punk band from Simi Valley formed in 1989. They are best known for their musical fusion of punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal sound. This late in the day, I was surprised to see such an energetic band. I mean they were doing high kicks with their guitars and jumping around, even climbing on speakers to get closer to the crowd. Their setlist included “Too Close to See”, “Exhumation of Virginia Madison”, “Mind of My Own”, and “Bring Out Your Dead”.
Pennywise was the next band up, they have been a integral part of punk for over a decade. Let alone they need no introduction. So I was pretty excited to see them on the bill for this festival. There was even a bit in the middle of the show where the lead singer took a photographer’s camera and walked around the stage. Their setlist consisted of some classics like “Same Old Story”, “Fuck Authority”, “The World”, & “Peaceful Day”. They even covered one of NOFX’s songs “Bob / Kill All the White Men / The Brews”. They definitely brought the party and had some of the best circle pits of the day.
Dan Nanamkin from the Chief Joseph Band Of Wallowa, Nez Perce, and Colville Confederated Tribes of Washington State came up on stage before NOFX graced the stage for a ceremonial land acknowledgement.
NOFX took to the stage. They introduced themselves to the crowd by playing Time Warp. (Richard O’Brien song). The first night NOFX performed both albums ‘Punk In Drublic’ and ‘Wolves In Wolves Clothing’. In between sets, there were tons of jokes, laughter, and silly drunkenness. No better way to go with a bang than to invite all your favorite bands and put on an awesome festival. I even caught Fat Mike eyeing me while he was taking a drink from his drink cup. They were well rehearsed and had a lot of energy, the vibes were great. It made me reminiscent of the days of Warped Tour, punk rock summer camp at it’s finest.
The next stop on NOFX’s Final Tour is in San Francisco, California August 18th. If you love NOFX and want to spend the day in the sun reliving your youth, this is the festival for you.
