Images: Pennywise, Anti Flag, Death By Stereo March 23, 2013 at the House of Blues

While the 2009 departure of Pennywise vocalist Jim Lindberg wasn’t the first time the frontman left the band (he briefly exited after the release of their self-titled debut) it did seem like it would be the permanent break. Barbs were passed in interviews, Lindberg moved on with a new project, The Black Pacific, while the other members of Pennywise – Fletcher Dragge, Byron McMackin and Randy Bradbury – continued the band with new vocalist Zoli Téglás (best known for his work with Ignite). But just in time for Pennywise’s 25^th anniversary the guys decided to bury the hatchet and bring Lindberg back into the fold, much to the delight of the band’s fans, who came out in droves for their March 16 House of Blues show.

The lineup was stacked with two of Pennywise’s longtime friends. First up were Death By Stereo, whose latest LP – 2012’s Black Sheep of the American Dream – was released on Dragge’s Vyking Funeral Records. Death By Stereo has never been a stranger to Vegas but this is the first time I’ve seen them play the House of Blues since 2005 when they opened for Alkaline Trio and Rise Against and I have to say, this was without a doubt the best performance I’ve ever seen from them. Frontman Efrem Schulz made mention of the band’s almost 20 years of activity but their age hasn’t slowed them down one bit. Schulz spent the majority of the band’s set singing from within the crowd, and whether he was standing on the bar or being piled on in the pit nothing slowed him down as Death by Stereo ripped through a great half hour of their catalog.

Up next was another anniversary-celebrating band, Pittsburgh, PA’s political punk rockers Anti Flag, who are in the midst of a 20^th anniversary tour. No at-home listening experience compares to seeing Anti Flag live, due in large part to the insane amount of energy that they put into their performances. Vocalists Justin Sane and Chris#2 hit the band’s harmonies just perfectly, somehow never running out of breath while alternating their rough vocals with epically high jumps. The political speeches that they’re known for have thankfully gotten much more concise over the years – allowing their message to get through while lengthening their setlist. Anniversary tours mean getting to hear tracks from all over the band’s career, including deeper cuts like “Drink Drank Punk “ (dedicated to Celtic punks Flogging Molly, who were also playing in Vegas that night), “Fuck Police Brutality,” paying tribute to one of their obvious influences with a spot on cover of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and of course “Die for the Government,” which incited one of the biggest pits of the night. Anti Flag knows how to work a crowd, e and that was on full display this night, with drummer Pat Thetic pounding the skins right in the middle of a circle pit on the House of Blues floor (a pretty brave feat considering how overcrowded the floor had become).

Both openers had great reactions from the crowd, but the place exploded when Lindberg took the stage and Pennywise ripped right into “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” a very appropriate choice for an anniversary opener as the song kicks of the band’s self-titled debut. Things only got crazier as they went straight into “Same Old Story” from 1995’s About Time. This was the song – and album – that I first discovered from Pennywise so it was hard to focus on photography and not singing along at the top of my lungs. Being that Las Vegas is so close to their Hermosa Beach home I’ve been fortunate enough to see Pennywise more than a dozen times since the late 90s and like Anti Flag and Death by Stereo before them, it’s nice to see the band hasn’t lost much of its fire with age. Dragge in particular still shreds like it’s no one’s business and acts as a model of what skatepunk guitar can be. As the night came to a close, the familiar bass line of “Bro Hymn,” arguably Pennywise’s most popular and enduring song, caused the entire sold out floor (and fairly packed balcony) to erupt with excitement, resulting in a floor-engulfing circle pit and communal sing along about being able to live your life in memory of a fallen friend. It was crowd catharsis, and while I greatly enjoyed Téglás’ tenure (and under-appreciated album) this song just doesn’t work without Lindberg there to sing about his “best friend, present past and beyond.”

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/