Farewell tours are a strange business. How does a band perform with sincerity and a sense of purpose that feels genuine without the trappings of a cash-grab mentality that us cynical fans have come to expect? I’ve personally never been to a farewell show outside of bands in the local music scene where I grew up, so I wasn’t very sure what to expect aside from what I was seeing on social media. A 40-year-old punk band going on with an absolute bang at each and every show, celebrating not only their longevity but celebrating the music scene that they came up in. What better place than San Francisco, the second home to one of the most iconic bands to come out of the 80s hardcore punk scene in Los Angeles, to wave goodbye to an incredible career?
It started like any other day: punk rock fans of all ages and sizes were in line at the Cow Palace parking lot in Daly City, eagerly awaiting the festivities to come. 40 Years, 40 Cities, 40 Songs. NOFX’s Final Tour, and to kick it off, over 30 representatives from local breweries were set up, doling out tasters in small plastic cups. Punk in Drublic, indeed. Spirits were high, and they didn’t seem to show any sign of coming down.
First up was San Diego’s Urethane, featuring members of War Fever, The Faction, Skipjack, and The Bombpops, kicking off with an energetic set of melodic pop punk. I should probably preface now that, generally speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of “pop punk,” and I say this with the caveat of being a fan of NOFX, Bad Religion, and even early Offspring. That said, Tim Fennelly’s live vocal presentation was damn fine and had all the energy that you want from a punk band.
Up next was The Bombpops, also hailing from San Diego. Quirky, fast, and also with a more melodic slant, they fought their way through some initial sound system and monitor issues to put on a pretty danged fun performance, proving that they can still hold their own after the departure of co-founder Poli van Dam in 2021.
Third on the roster was Bay Area locals Get Dead, whose electric live show brought a whole different level out of their melodic folk punk albums. Simply put, they are the embodiment of great fucking music. High energy, irreverent humor, relatable lyrics, and goddamn fun songs that were as equally danceable as they were circle pit worthy. Because it was my first experience of them live, I can’t speak to whether or not they regularly play electric, but it was fantastic.
Swingin’ Utters is a band that I never really got into when I first started my descent into punk rock love. That said, I have a lot of fond memories of popping Five Lessons Learned into the CD player and nodding along while driving down the highway. Seeing them live for the first time reminded me exactly why they’ve endured over the years. They are fucking fun, relatable and they bring an immense energy that reminds me just how immutable punk rock is.
Enter the genre-bending project Codefendants. The morning of the show, Cheschi Ramos had his laptop and guitar unceremoniously ripped off in a classic Bay Area “smash and grab.” But, as is the spirit of punk, this was not to deter the band from performing an absolutely incredible show backed by the entire Get Dead rhythm section. The indomitable spirit of this very new band was absolutely infectious and spoke to the tastes of the crowd. I didn’t witness a single whiney gatekeeper trying to explain whether it was punk or not, probably because, in spite of their stylish black suits, Codefendants are a punk band through and through.
It was around here that I finally realized it was time for food, and something surprising happened. The small voice of Caleb Santos, a 10-year-old kid who places ukulele covers of pretty well-known punk songs, albeit with the caveat that he’s not allowed to swear so a number of lyrical kid-bop type lyrical changes were necessary, but it didn’t change the fact that the kid could shred that uke.
Lagwagon has been around for a long time, one of the original Fat Wreck bands, and they have quite a fanbase. They’re incredibly good at what they do, and although I’m not much of a fan myself, I have to give them respect for hitting that stage in between two incredible acts and not losing heart or energy. It’s a rough place to be for any band, no matter how good you are. Which leads me into…
The Circle Jerks, old skool and tight as hell. It’s always good to see Greg Hetson having fun on stage, especially after his unceremonious dismissal from Bad Religion. It’s even better to see him having fun with his band BEFORE Bad Religion on stage with Keith Morris, Zander Schloss, and ex-Queens of the Stone Age drummer Joey Castillo. The Circle Jerks never got the career explosion shared by their peers, but no one can deny that Group Sex is an absolute classic and a remarkable album that set a standard for LA Hardcore in the 80s. Keith Morris still has quite a bit of vitality, not to mention anger, riffing on the state of our crumbling political system, as well as calling out an asshole in the pit and shaming them in front of the entire fest. What can I say? They still got it.
Which brings us to the stars of the evening, NOFX. Where do I even begin with these maniacs? For starters, they entered the stage to “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, innocent enough, before immediately launching into perhaps the most appropriate intro song they ever wrote, “60%”, ironically giving it 110%. They are so tight and rehearsed it’s fucking insane. One of the tenets of a NOFX show is their comedic banter, which is so god damned natural and funny that one wonders if any band will ever fill the void they are about to leave.
Playing the lion share of the albums So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes and Wolves in Wolves Clothing, along with a smattering of classics and other well-known songs from their career, they seemed completely unstoppable. So of course, fate would throw a wrench into the evening in the form of the barricade breaking down, causing the show to come to a halt while the road crew showed what absolute baddasses they were, completely replacing it in 20 minutes. According to a note on setlist.fm, this led to the omission of a few planned songs after “Dinosaurs Will Die,” but that hardly mattered because we were all in for the biggest surprise finale when Fat Mike said, “We have one more song. It starts with the hi-hat.” NOFX performed “The Decline” in its 18-minute entirety.
Throughout the evening, I couldn’t help but notice what a profound experience it all was for everyone present. People who had grown up with this band were confronting the cathartic nature of the show, having moments of pure emotion between laughs, cheers, and singing. I witnessed people hugging each other while trying to keep it together, the impact that NOFX had on their lives shown so honestly on their faces. I was not immune to this. NOFX was a band that I’ve been listening to since I was 16, over half my life ago, and I’ve continued to listen to them since, but if anyone told me I was going to witness Fat Mike tearfully thanking the crowd for 40 years, I would’ve said, “Bullshit.” And then it happened. I looked at my best friend, who was there with me, and felt my eyes watering. Mike launched his bass off-stage and walked out with the band. An incredible end to an incredible evening.
