Images: Laura Jane Grace, Lenny Lashley, Darius Koski, Devin Peralta May 28, 2018 at the Beauty Bar (Punk Rock Bowling)

“Please tell me why we couldn’t stay
Don’t let this feeling ever go away
Let this memory forever be inside of me
Through every hour of every day”

Are there any better lyrics to sum up another Memorial Day weekend of drunken adventures and punk rock anthems than Against Me!’s “We Did It All For Don”? Well, maybe Bouncing Souls’ “Punks in Vegas,” but hey, this is a review of the Laura Jane Grace club show, so roll with me here.

The Vegas sun had set long before At the Drive In closed out the mainstage of this year’s Punk Rock Bowling, but in the back of the Beauty Bar, it was a hot one the likes of a Santana featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty song. Exhausted music fans, still drenched in sweat, poured in for their final show of the weekend, an acoustic night headlined by festival staple Laura Jane Grace.

The pour-in was slow, though, as openers Devin Peralta of Cobra Skulls, Darius Koski of Swingin’ Utters, and Lenny Lashley of Darkbuster played to a rather small and lethargic group of punks. Hey, everyone was nursing a five-day hangover at that point, so I get it. The three openers played a mix of songs from their main projects as well as solo material and covers. Of particular note was Lashley’s rendition of “Spanish Bombs,” a top-tier song originally by The Clash. His Spanish was reviled only by that of Peralta (“¡Hasta Los Cobra Skulls Siempre!,” anyone?). Koski jokingly commented that he would not be attempting any Spanish, though I do wish he attempted to play “Kick It Over” – that song is too good to be passed up and was also skipped during the Utters’ mainstage performance!

The outdoor venue was sufficiently packed and the audience perked up (or sobered up? Or got just drunk enough again?) as soon as Grace took the stage. A cursory glance at her song choices, written on the back of a copy of Against Me!’s setlist from earlier that day, had me more than a little excited. Of course, the frontwoman almost immediately decided to discard what was written and play a little more off the cuff. It was time for rare songs and requests (mixed with the hits, of course).

We were treated to a few unreleased tracks, including one about how much she hates Chicago (even the pizza? Why must you betray me, Laura!). The whole crowd was singing along to “Joy,” a song I don’t think I’d ever heard played live before. The inebriated fans were also more than happy to sing the “whoa oh” part of “Walking Is Still Honest,” one of two songs that found their way from the electric set earlier that day into the acoustic one (the other being “Black Me Out,” played as an encore). We also got a Mountain Goats cover, followed by a Mountain Goats cover, and then, just because she was feeling like it, we got one more Mountain Goats cover.

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A big highlight was that we got pretty much the entire acoustic ep, as well as a fan request for Reinventing Axl Rose song “Baby, I’m an Anarchist” (Grace also played my request for “Bamboo Bones.” Thanks, Laura! I guess you’re forgiven for the Chicago song). The aforementioned “We Did It All For Don” resulted in fans locking arms, sharing drinks, and singing at the top of their lungs. Maybe it is the perfect summation of PRB weekend, after all?

A few years back, Laura Jane Grace played a legendary PRB gig at the Beauty Bar just days after coming out as a transgender woman, so ultimately, this set felt less like the end of a weekend-long celebration of alcohol and drinking and more like a coming home. This year’s show, like the one in 2012, once again found Grace mixing in songs rarely heard live and interacting with the crowd, making for another perfect show.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Christopher Mounts | http://www.christophermounts.com