Festival Review: NOFX -The Final Shows-

41 Years of Fucking Up: NOFX Bids Us Farewell

To call this an end of an era is the most obvious understatement. Forty years of fucking shit up as a punk band is a long time, and while some bands have been at it for just as long if not longer, the impact of NOFX cannot be overstated. They did things DIY when their peers were signing on with and subsequently getting dropped by major labels. They’ve courted controversy, spoken their minds, and rocked the fuck out while doing it. It was fitting that the final three performances of the band’s career would be celebrated in Southern California, where it all began.

FRIDAY

This would be my second experience with Brew Ha Ha Productions (the first being the San Francisco final show). While I really dig the idea behind their events, I found their organization to be severely lacking. Granted, there were some extenuating circumstances involving a fire marshal, but the common complaint of almost everyone in the longest line (pun intended) was the endless delay for entry. Which, at least a little over one hour, resulted in me missing the first band of the day.

That said, after having resigned myself to the fact that I would not be getting any pictures of the opening act, my wife and I made it over to the Beer Garden, which indeed was a garden of variety. I LIKE IPAs, but even I grow weary of the fact that every brewery has 10 IPAs to any other beer they brew. Fortunately, there was a nice representation of other experiments, one of my favorites being Oggopoggo Brewing’s Ube Coconut Fruit Ale; it was crisp, tasty, and refreshing, which was a necessity for the upper 70s temperature on the Berth. There were many other drinks I would sample over the next three days, but let’s get on with talking about bands.

Escape from the Zoo, who was not on the initial lineup release -another common thread throughout, but hey, it’s Punk Rock, nothing ever goes “as expected”- is fucking great. They focus more on trying to maintain a sense of positivity in spite of all the world’s weary social, political, and emotional problems that we face while living in the human condition. As much as I do enjoy quite a bit of folk punk and Days N’ Daze (Jesse Sendejas’ other band) in particular, one of the trappings of the genre is that the songs are just so damn depressing. Escape doesn’t shy away from talking about the same things, but it offers a bit of hope and fun in dealing with this mess we call life.

A lot of the bands on the lineup were new to me, but Luicidal was at least familiar, if only because of its connection to Suicidal Tendencies. They play that old-school “cyco punk” style with gusto and even closed their set with “Institutionalized.” They sounded great, and Mando Ochoa is one powerhouse of a vocalist.

Last Gang is a group I only recently got into at the recommendation of a friend, and I gotta say they fucking kill it. They’re straightforward with a progressive political mindset and play fast, fun, and high-energy punk rock with a dab of ska/reggae mixed in for good measure. Local to the Bay Area, and one of the younger bands on the Fat Wreck Chords list, I was a little surprised not to see them make an appearance at the San Francisco show, but it was worth the wait to see them own the hell out of the stage in San Pedro.

Anyone who knows/loves NOFX should know DOA. Hell, anyone who loves PUNK ROCK should probably know who DOA is. Still, for those less acquainted, the Canadian beer drinkin’ punk rockers are referenced in the NOFX song “13 Stitches,” where Mike talks about an infamous gig at The Whiskey in Los Angeles, seeing DOA and MDC where John Macias of Circle One beat the shit out of someone for looking like a hippie. I’m gonna be the first person to admit that while I respect the hell out of DOA, I never really got into them the way I got into other classic punk bands of the same time. That said, seeing them live, I suddenly completely got it. What’s missing on their albums is in that live performance, and god dammit if they didn’t kick ass.

After DOA, I realized that I had been going for too long on an empty stomach, had to cut my losses, and had to stand in a food line while DI took to the stage. They sounded pretty damn good from where I was standing and closed their set with a raucous cover of Adolescents “Amoeba.”

I’ll admit, the whole pop-punk genre has never really been my thing. Sure, some bands skirt the line –especially when we take melodic hardcore into account– but that’s generally where my interest lies, if not toward the heavier stuff, as anyone who reads most of my coverage articles would be aware. That said, and while I don’t really listen to them often, This was the second time I’ve seen the Bouncing Souls live and I gotta admit, they are always infectiously fun. The downside of the experience was when all of us non-AAA photographers got bounced out –pun intended– by an overzealous security asshole who wasn’t paying attention to the song count. Oh well.

Throughout the event, I continually passed by a Dominatrix tent, where they had a wheel of pain that concert goers could pay to spin. It just so happened that one of the main doms performing said acts of punishment is a friend of mine from Wasteland Weekend. As a result, I ended up skipping out on 7 Seconds and got one hell of a flogging.

MXPX came out and did their thing. They’re talented guys with a ton of energy and a ton of enthusiasm; I just never got into them when I was younger, and they are so firmly rooted in that pop-punk style that I’ve honestly never personally enjoyed their music. They’re great at what they do, but it’s just not for me. It would not stop me from trying to get some photos of them in their element, and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it. I probably could’ve got more, but once again, whoever was in charge of the security team at that moment wasn’t paying attention, and we got muscled out after two songs.

A lot of firsts for me on this outing, and while it’s a little strange to say that my first time seeing the Buzzcocks was after Pete Shelley died, well, at least I still saw the Buzzcocks! I’ve seen New Order and Peter Hook and the Light perform Joy Division songs, so it can’t be all that weird. It’s hard not to love that classic punk style from one of the bands at the beginning of it all and Steve Diggle has proved to fill Pete Shelley’s shoes quite well.

I’ve never seen Dropkick Murphys before. To be honest, I’ve never really been much of a fan of the “Oi” and “Street” punk. Don’t get me wrong, I do like the Celtic element, and honestly, I had a great time during their set, but I just never really got into it the way all my friends did back in high school. God, that feels like forever ago. They opened with my favorite of their songs, “Barroom Hero,” and ripped through their set, only pausing for an injury in the crowd. They’re a damn talented group; that much is undeniable, but I do think they have a particular audience that I don’t fully identify with.

Leading up to NOFX, I saw a man collapse drunk at the VIP area entrance. It took quite a number of security guards and even some event cops to get the guy to the hospital because he refused help from anyone else, myself included. The anticipation for NOFX was easily fever-pitch, and the energy in the air was, for lack of a better phrase, weird.

The band entered the stage to “Timewarp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show because that’s just what they fuckin do, and Mike, in full Cokie The Clown getup, wasted no time in bringing attention to the anxiety in the air. Before the band got right into it. The evening was filled primarily with songs from Wolves in Wolves Clothing and White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean but included several outliers and even two songs from their humble garage beginnings in 1984.

As usual, jokes between songs were plentiful, but I think my favorite throughline was how much they ripped on “Cancel Culture” with the often remarked quip: “What are you going to do cancel us? We’re breaking up in two days!” Ending the set was “Theme From A NOFX Album,” which may have been the longest accordion outro to a live show that I’ve ever seen. When all was said and done, they were in great form for the first day, and we left the venue for the long walk back to the car feeling satisfied.

Day 1 Gallery

SATURDAY -FATURDAY-

Well, I had hoped that the previous day was going to be a fluke and that I’d get through credential check-in and through the gate fast enough to not miss out on the first half of Poli Van Dam’s set; but nope! No such luck. It’s a shame, too, because what I heard from the line sounded pretty damn good. So I wandered over to the beer garden for a bit to enjoy some libations before heading on over to the main stage.

I’m actually a bit of a fan of Bad Cop Bad Cop, I even wrote an album review for their sophomore effort, Warriors. The San Pedro locals just get better and better with every album, and this was the first time I’d managed to see them since they opened for The Interrupters at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, back in the pre-Cheetoh in Chief, pre-COVID days. They’re so much fun and so energetic and so goddamn tight. Because this was a hometown gig for them, they got a decent gathering for being the second opener of what NOFX has affectionately called “FATURDAY.” Hint: every band on the lineup for the day has a release on Fat Wreck Chords.

Get Dead is one of the best bands to happen to punk rock in recent years, and they kill it every fucking time. Vocalist Sam King –affectionately known as Sammy by fans– has the most intense scratchy vocals and is also one of the world’s fastest singers! Seeing them in San Francisco was my first experience with them and they’re a band that I keep returning to ever since. On a technical note, there was an awful lot of mic feedback going on. I don’t pretend to have the know-how to be a front-of-house or monitor mixer, but I have definitely experienced similar issues with shows for my band, and fuck if it ain’t irritating.

Swingin Utters is one of those bands who fall into that category: “I like this a LOT more live than on the record.” There’s something about their live element that doesn’t quite translate across the recorded medium, and I’ll be damned if I know why. Singer Johnny “Peebucks” Bonnel has an intensity to his performance that doesn’t quite come across on the albums. Between bouts at the microphone, he flails his arms wildly and slaps himself or hits his head with the mic like a one-man mosh pit. The whole band feels like they’re on a different level when they perform, and I’ve never had a bad time during any of their sets.

Mad Caddies are a band I can’t help but know from my ska days in high school, but I’d never seen them until now. They bring a super fun blend of Latin and Jamaican influence coupled with good ‘ol rock and fuckin roll. Horn players Stephane Montigny, Nicolas Benedetti, and Jason Lichau look like they’re having the best fucking time of everyone on stage. Chuck Robertson introduced the band, saying they “came to start a dance party,” and they fuckin succeeded.

Good Riddance isn’t a band I ever really got into, but they sure had all the enthusiasm one would expect of a late 90s or early 00s punk band, and their fans were having a goddamn ball.

I honestly kinda feel the same about Strung Out, though they do have a heavy sound to them that appeals to me a bit more than straightforward pop punk, and damn if they don’t look like they’re having a great time on that stage.

I finally realized that I needed to take a break and eat some food. No offense to Lagwagon, but I skipped out on their set to get some food into my stomach and some caffeine into my brain.

Less Than Jake was another first live experience for me. I was a big fan of their first three ska punk albums, but I started to lose interest somewhere along the line. I’m not sure if it just felt like they got slower, or the songwriting just didn’t resonate with me, or what –High School was a weird fucking time for me– but drifted away from it, I did. When they hit the stage, it was like that less jaded younger version of me poked his head out of a cave, his ears perked up, and reminded me: This is fun!

Another first for me—one that I was really looking forward to—was finally seeing Descendents. I really like these guys, and seeing them still sharp as ever after nearly 50 years of playing together is a sight to behold. You would never guess that Milo had a heart attack only a year ago, considering how much he was moving around and yelling his heart out.

The cheering was almost deafening when Fat Mike came out in a green velvet dress with cat ears. This, however, proved to be the infamous “60%” show, as they were noticeably sloppy compared to the previous evening. That isn’t something that bothered me, but I overheard someone as I was heading to my car mention that they felt pretty let down by the whole experience. It also looked like they were having a lot of technical issues that didn’t plague the first half of the set, but they got it together and still turned out a hell of a performance.

That said, there were a lot of touching moments, like when they moved up “I’m So Sorry Tony” in the setlist because his kids were hanging out with Mike’s daughter on the side of the stage. Also, as usual, plenty of crass comedy, but the moment near the end of “The Quitter” when Melvin said “What, after 40 fucking years, you’re gonna quit?” absolutely killed me; it even broke Mike.

Day Two Gallery

SUNDAY – THE FINAL SHOW –

For the first time of the weekend, I somehow managed to get in before the first band went on!, partially because I just said fuck it and positioned myself to get to the check-in tent as quickly as I could, and also because I got there earlier than I had all weekend. So, after a quick beer, I hopped on over to watch Das Klown.

Das Klown embodies that old-school, fuck you attitude that punk embodied. Unapologetic, opinionated, loud, fast, and angry. Plus who doesn’t like watching a dude in clown makeup just telling everyone to go fuck themselves?

We are the Union, a band with a love for ska and a committed political stance of bodily autonomy and acceptance indicative of our times. They’re a younger band, and I confess I didn’t know much about them before that weekend, but I had a great time watching them play.

Unfortunately, I missed The Flatliners, but I’d be fucked if I missed Fishbone. They came out swinging and kept it god damn going. You wanna talk about a party? Fishbone knows how to fucking party and they have been doing it forever. Seeing Angelo Moore playing a theremin was one of the highlights of the whole damn festival for me. This was probably the second or third time I’ve seen them, but it’s always the best time.

Codefendants are probably one of my favorite “new” bands in this scene. They meld punk, ska, dub, and hip hop better than almost everyone, and their sincerity shines through it all. The D.O.C., N8NOFACE, and Stacey Dee both came out to perform their guest vocal tracks on “Fast Ones,” “Bad Business,” and “Disaster Scenes,” respectively. They’re such an exciting shift in punk, and I can’t wait to see where they continue to take things.

Meanwhile, the Subhumans continue proving they have as much energy as they always have. Fuck age, they’re here to kick your fucking ass! I’ve seen them a number of times over the years since first seeing them in my youth and I never get tired of it. They’re truly one of the best goddamn bands to happen to punk rock.

I managed to catch the Vandals for the first time at the No Values Fest a couple of months before The Final Shows, and while they mostly played the same set, it was just as fun. I found out later that apparently Joe Escalante was ribbing Josh Freese a bit too much about the events following David Grohl’s fall from grace, and it went about as well as you can imagine. The set ended with Freese putting a drumstick through the head of his floor tom and leaving the venue. Yikes.

In yet another first for me, the infamous Frank Turner, who was listed up until mere days before the concert as “Secret UK Band,” hit the stage on his own, armed with an acoustic guitar and a collection of heartfelt songs. His music has always had a very uplifting quality to it, as if he is looking right at you and saying, “I see you. I am you.” It’s a sentiment that carries over even more as he performed by himself on that big stage.

I have never been a big Pennywise fan, but I respect them a lot, and watching Fletcher shit talk NOFX about calling it quits by comparing them to Slayer “coming out out of retirement” for Riot Fest was fucking perfect. And you know that Fat Mike was laughing his ass off if he heard it. They also made a big point of thanking Brett Gurewitz for Epitaph Records and Bad Religion. They ended the set like they did every set with “Bro Hymn,” but this time, it ended with Jay Bently, Brett Gurewitz, Dexter Holland, and Fat Mike all on stage singing along to the anthemic “Woh.”

One last time, NOFX danced to “Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The whole affair had an air of weirdness to it that Fat Mike addressed almost immediately. Beyond all of that was the feeling of finality. This was it. We would never see this band perform these songs live again, and they sure joked about that whenever they felt like it.

This evening, many friends from other bands joined on stage, whether Nate Albert from Mighty Mighty Bosstones or Tim Armstrong from Rancid singing along to NOFX’s cover of “Radio.” But in a very unplanned moment, Fat Mike convinced Brett and Jay from Bad Religion to come out and play “We’re Only Gonna Die.”

The sheer number of friends from other iconic bands who came out for the finale of “The Decline” was staggering, and though I could barely make half of them out because of the surging of the crowd (which I decided to jump into, because fuck it, it was the last time I ever could for this band) the pictures of the tour photographers are littering Instagram. From where I was, I could make out Greg Hetson and Jay Bently, and at the very end, suddenly, I saw Fletcher smashing one guitar. Then, another guitar. THEN ANOTHER GUITAR!