2024 Punk In The Park Orlando: Part THREE
Klaus Flouride of The Dead Kennedys - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Black Flag
I ran into Black Flag (sans Greg Ginn) in the crowd before their set, and got a chance to chat with them and get a few photos. I’d seen them twice recently in Detroit at The Machine Shop and Tangent Gallery, and we talked about those shows (they specifically remembered the Tangent Gallery show where someone did a stage dive off of the speaker stack that didn’t end well). I mentioned my recent article about the Tangent Gallery show in In Spite Magazine, and bass player Matt Baxter looked it up on his phone on the spot. Some of the coolest guys you will ever meet.
This was the version of Black Flag with original member Greg Ginn on lead guitar and Mike Vallely on lead vocals (also known for being a pro-skater). Mike was intense at the last couple of shows I had seen, and just as intense at this one. They opened with “Can’t Decide” and then tore through a list of classics that included “Nervous Breakdown," “Six Pack," "Depression," “Jealous Again," and “Rise Above.”. The only song really missing for me was “Police Story," but I can’t complain. They tend to slow the songs down a bit from the originals, and Greg Ginn does some long jams to extend some of the songs, and it works.
Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L.
TSOL (True Sounds of Liberty) was up next, and admittedly I was a little relieved that this would be my last trek over to the second stage between sets. The rest of the bands were all on the main stage, with a bit more of a break in between them. This was one of several bands on the roster that had gotten me suspended back in high school for wearing one of their shirts with the F-word on it, and I’m always glad to catch one of their sets (especially to hear “Code Blue”). When I made it over, singer Jack Grisham was wearing a suit (as always) and talking to some fans. I snapped a few photos, and I could see a few people looking at me and wondering who he was. Jack doesn’t look like he’d be the lead singer of a punk rock band, but he proved otherwise a few minutes later.
The Dead Kennedys
The Dead Kennedys were easily the most highly anticipated set of the night. If it were up to me they would have been headlining. Ron “Skip” Greer (a.k.a. Skip McSkipster) is the perfect replacement for Jello Biafra in the band, bringing the same quirkiness and energy that made them great. D.H. Peligro, drummer and founding member, had recently passed and the new drummer Steve Wilson did an appropriate shout out to D.H. that was hard to hear (I was a huge fan) but transitioned well into the set. We were all here for the unmistakable guitars of original members East Bay Ray and Klaus Flouride, and they did not disappoint.
The 11 song set was mostly older material from “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables," “In God We Trust, Inc.” and “Plastic Surgery Disasters.”. They opened with “Forward To Death," included their iconic cover of Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” with audience participation, and closed out with “Holiday In Cambodia.”. The audience was the loudest, singing the chorus to “Too Drunk to Fuck," practically drowning out the band. My favorite of the night, however, was their rendition of “Moon Over Marin,” which Skip put his own spin on. The entire festival was worth the price just for this set. It was absolutely fantastic.
Fan with a Pat Brown banner.
The Vandals were surprisingly high in line-up, but they’ve earned it. They are on top of their game, with Warren and David both up to their hilarious stage antics. One of the fans had made a huge “Pat Brown” banner, and they obliged by playing it along with a couple of other oldies (“Urban Struggle," “Anarchy Burger," “And Now We Dance”). They closed the show with a cover of The Simpletones “I Have A Date” that had Warren running back and forth across the stage and stepping out closer to the audience onto the amplifier stacks. One of the best sets of the day, and I still had the next weekend (Riot Fest) to look forward to seeing them again.
Alkaline Trio
And finally Alkaline Trio to close out the festival. I’m hoping that this road trip continues, and includes another show closer to Michigan that I can drive to. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
