Images: Lagwagon, The Briefs, Runaway Kids, Pears November 11, 2015 at the Fremont Country Club

Last time Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape played the Fremont Country Club, it was with his other band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes for a Punk Rock Bowling gig that started only about 4 hours late. “Did any of you stay for that one?” asked Cape during Lagwagon’s Veterans Day gig at the same venue this past week, jokingly answering his own question with an “I didn’t.”

Thankfully for Lagwagon’s core audience – us 30 and 40 somethings with 9-5 jobs to get to – we weren’t left waiting until the wee hours of the morning for a taste of “Violins,” “May 16” and “Never Stops” this time around.

The show actually completely avoided the dreaded “punk time,” starting promptly at 8:30 with a band that is no stranger to Vegas – Pears. It’s the band’s third time in our town this year, and I feel like it’s getting harder to describe just how good this band is live. If they aren’t playing near you (and let’s be honest, they probably are) try blasting Descendents and Kid Dynamite simultaneously while downing 7 Redbulls and bouncing on a trampoline to get a similar effect.

Frontman Zach Quinn (sporting a rad tour beard) is a true showman, violently tossing himself across the stage during “Snowflake,” “Victim to Be” and “Sycophant” but I truly feared for his safety as he leaped dangerously close to the stage’s end, testing fate multiple times for the sake of a good show. Whenever you hear someone whine about punk rock being “too safe,” please, do everyone a favor and play them Go to Prison.

This show was my first exposure to LA’s Runaway Kids. Their cover of Living End’s “Prisoner of Society” was welcomed, especially as that band is so underrated. Their closing song, “Take Deep Breaths,” was great too – a vintage Fat-influenced jam that found frontman Gage Armstrong hitting some pretty high notes. But the bulk of their set was a bit too “modern rock” for my tastes and the band seemed a bit nervous on stage.

If you were pressed up against the FCC barrier, you’d be forgiven for thinking The Briefs were headlining the night’s gig. The band, decked out in matching rockstar shades, are much more scarce in Vegas than Pears or Lagwagon, and it seems that absence has made the heart grow fonder. The band just has that swagger borrowed from 70s UK punk bands like Buzzcocks and Undertones that make them so enjoyable to watch. They also got the first pit of the night going when they played “Stuck on You.”

Finally, it was time for Lagwagon, though guitarist Chris Flippin claimed that the jubilant chants of “Lagwagon! Lagwagon!” were actually people calling for “Dragnet” (you’re not getting out of this show that easily, Chris). The band wasted no time launching into “After You My Friend” from 1998’s Let’s Talk About Feelings, while the full-for-a-Wednesday-night FCC crowd covered the floor in half consumed beer as reckless abandon and good tunes demanded a circle pit.

“Island Of Shame,” “Coffee and Cigarettes’ and “International You Day” were among the highlights of a fairly lengthy set, the latter featuring guest vocals from Vegas’ own Jesse Pino, who opened for Cape’s solo show at the Beauty Bar last month (Joey, why haven’t you signed Jesse to One Week Records yet?). It was also nice to see members of the band decked out in their finest misfits tees, as the vintage horror punks were playing opposite Lagwagon at Vinyl that night.

Joey Cape once sang “By the time I’m forty / We’re already bogus / We’re already fading.” Well, the punk rocker is getting pretty close to hitting 50, and the band still exudes as much energy as the first time I saw them back in the 90s. And of course, the crowd, while also a bit older and a lot greyer, still reciprocates with joyous sing alongs and circle pits.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Aaron Mattern | https://www.flickr.com/photos/akmofoto/