I still have not been able to come up with a solid purpose for this show. None of these bands have released a new album within the past few months, so why all the hubbub? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, because I find it very hard to say no to a sweet punk rock lineup such as this. I’m just minutely confused, that is all.

Clit 45 was the first band to play the large, warehouse-like venue. Unfortunately, the acoustics of the room were practically nonexistent, therefore making some parts of the show sound like a crazy sonic jambalaya. These BYO Records punksters set the stage with their exuberant stage energy, and wowed both the crusty punks and mall punks alike.

Comeback Kid followed with a punishing set of hardcore anthems. The band was running on pure adrenaline as they tore through their set while still managing to hardcore dance and come dangerously close to kicking my head in, all at once! It was definitely worth seeing these guys with a new vocalist since the last time that they were in Vancouver. Same songs, totally different band dynamic.

I’ve seen the Dropkick Murphys way too many times, so their set was nothing new to me. They were still as entertaining as before, with the bagpipe solos and the foot stompin’-beer-binging-til-you’re-shitfaced anthems.

Bad Religion was the last band to take the stage, and succeeded in impressing me. I was fully expecting the majority of their set to be comprised of songs from their latest two albums, perhaps throwing in a few oldies just to tease. But the stars must have been perfectly aligned that night, for both the band and the crowd were going nuts for the older material. True to form, Bad Religion were imbued with the spirit of punk rock, while still managing to be almost overly informative and intellectual. They have a b-side called “Markovian Process” that I quite like, so I once looked up its meaning on Wikipedia, and didn’t understand a fucking word it said. And that is how smart Bad Religion is.

Overall, the rock was brought.