Drunky Punks are Lucky Punks
I have the same hat, not the Bad Religion one. All photos ©dickslaughter.com
I arrived too late to enjoy the all-you-can-drink beer garden, a staple at all Punk in the Park events from 12 to 3 PM, but I was able to snag one of the specially brewed beers for the event—the Lucky Punks IPA. It was quite good and seemed to be very popular. While drinking, I talked with some of the other Lucky Punks about the history of the holiday, and learning about Saint Patrick turned out to be a bit of a bummer. He wasn’t even Irish—he was English—and he either convinced or forced the pagans to convert to Christianity. In the end, it was just another day Americans use as an excuse to drink, which makes it perfect for Punk in the Park. So, we did just that and took our tardy asses off to catch our first band.
Punk Is Dad. - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
The first band I caught was Street Dogs. Frontman Mike McColgan spent more time on the barricade than on the stage, and the crowd loved it.
Mike McColgan of Street Dogs - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
The band is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Back to the World, and the setlist featured a few songs from that album. But you can’t have a Street Dogs show without Tobe’s Got a Drinking Problem. It was a great set, and fun was had by all.
Do you think her dad wanted us to take this photo? - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
Next up was Lagwagon. I must have seen them fifteen times over the years, and they never disappoint. It was great to see guitarist Chris Flippin and bassist Joe Raposo back in the band.
Lagwagon - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
As always, they killed it, blasting through their hits, including “Violins,” “After You My Friend,” and, of course, “Surviving California.” As you can see from the photo below, the fans loved them.
I think that heart thing is getting a bit played out, but I stand by the shot. - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
Next up were The Aquabats, who, believe it or not, I was unfamiliar with. Of course, I had heard of them, but I had no idea they were even a ska band. Luckily, I met the young lady in the photo below, who was more than happy to educate me. She said not only was she willing to dress like this, but she would swim through an ocean of plastic blow-up sharks if she had to for her love of The Aquabats, and indeed she did have to.
No deadline on Superfan Tales from the Rail. Send it in, 1000 words or less. - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
There was an entire ocean of them, and the crowd was already in full motion long before the band even made their grand entrance. I could tell this was going to be a spectacle.
We're going to need a bigger boat. - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
I have to say I was impressed. It was a mix of theatrics, tomfoolery, and ska that I very much enjoyed. With funny props and songs like "Shark Fighter!" kicking off their performance, along with other classics I had somehow missed—"Pizza Day," "Fashion Zombies!," and "Doctor Space Mummy"—they were a massive hit with nearly everyone in attendance.
The Aquabats - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
I say "nearly everyone" because I think at least one person in this group of VIPs was a little shocked to find out that Grandpa is a ska superhero.
I know those disapproving looks - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
After all that Aquabats excitement, I thought it would be a good time to grab some food and take in the festival atmosphere. As I walked to the food area, I noticed the crowd had a large number of families, giving the event the feel of a big family picnic—kids on shoulders, lots of adult children with their parents, and even multiple generations enjoying the day together.
Brew Ha Ha Productions (the company that puts on all the Punk in the Park events) does not mess around when it comes to food and drinks. Besides brewing a specialty beer for Lucky Punks and offering a plethora of beverage choices, the food options were vast and all delicious. I asked around about the quality and value of the food, and everyone gave enthusiastic reviews.
It was here that I witnessed the aftermath of a tragedy. The food at Lucky Punks is very good, but it’s not cheap. As festival pricing goes, it’s competitive, but when you pay nineteen dollars for chicken and chips and drop it on the ground, it’s a goddamn shame. I, along with a few other Lucky Punks whose food hadn’t hit the ground, stood around the scene discussing whether we would have eaten the piece of chicken that didn’t seem to be touching the ground too much. The consensus was, without question, yes.
No, I didn’t eat it - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
People often ask if it’s really a good marketing strategy to give cat stickers to children who are highly unlikely to read our articles. One must keep in mind—not everything is about money. Sometimes, it’s just about fun. And the kids always stick them somewhere. This was so worth eleven cents to us.
Next up was pretty much the band that got me out of the house—the Dead Kennedys. I know what you’re going to say: it’s not really the Dead Kennedys without Jello. And there’s truth to that. But I’ve seen Jello do DK songs, and it’s not the Dead Kennedys without East Bay Ray and Klaus Flouride either.
There’s a sound that happens between those two—I don’t know if it’s timing or what—but I’ve seen the Dead Kennedys with Jello and other bands play those songs with Jello, and none of them have that same sound. And fuck it, they’re their songs. They want to play them, and they probably need the money for retirement. They’re going to do it in spite of what we think, so we might as well enjoy it. Think of it as the Dead Kennedys, the Dio years—and Skip is Dio.
Oh, I used to be more of a purist on this subject. I remember the Dead Kennedys being on the bill at the Ink & Iron Festival back in 2015. I actually snuck two boxes of orange Jell-O brand Jello into the event with the plan to chuck them at then-new frontman Skip Greer’s head sometime during their set. But early in the set, I looked around at all the people singing along and enjoying themselves, and I thought, "What the hell? Why be such a dick?" He had enormous shoes to fill, and he was doing a damn good job. And I tossed the boxes in a trash bin.
He has better hair than Mr Biafra, Skip Geers of the Dead Kennedys - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
But enough reminiscing. The whole park exploded as soon as the band’s opening chords blared. Their Lucky Punks set started off a little rocky with some sound issues, but Skip just kept going, and it didn’t really matter—because they were playing Forward to Death.
The crowd erupted into a traditional clockwise circle pit, and bodies poured over the rail. Of course, they laid out the hits—Police Truck, Let’s Lynch the Landlord, California Über Alles, and Nazi Punks Fuck Off—but they also threw in a couple of deeper cuts like Winnebago Warrior and Moon Over Marin.
They closed the set with Holiday in Cambodia, during which Skip disappeared from the stage, only to sneak into the photo pit and pop up on the rail, surprising the hell out of the front row. It was indeed a great set.
Skippy makes the scean - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
Then, quickly and without ceremony, our headliners, Bad Religion, took to a dark stage lit only in red and just launched into it—opening with Recipe for Hate, a fitting choice given the current climate in the U.S. Greg Graffin, sporting the look of a longshoreman, would eventually lead the band through an incredible set of twenty-three songs.
Greg Graffin of Bad Religion - Photo ©dickslaughter.com
But the show was stopped a few minutes into the second song to assist someone in the crowd who needed medical attention. Once that was taken care of, it was back to rapid-fire delivery. There’s not enough room on the internet to name all the songs, but highlights included You Are (the Government), Candidate, Modern Man, I Want to Conquer the World, and Atomic Garden—all played flawlessly, without a single mistake or slowdown. These guys have their show down to perfection. They took a quick break and then closed with American Jesus. They just killed it.
It was another winner from Punk in the Park. They have upcoming events in San Francisco, CA; Chandler, AZ; Denver, CO; and Portland, OR. Maybe it’s time to load up the wife and kids in the RV and take a trip—or go alone and find new ones.
punkinthepark.com
I’ll leave you with a few more photos from the day.
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