Images: Rancid, H2O September 6, 2011 at the House of Blues

I can’t believe it’s been almost ten years since the last time I saw Rancid. They were the first punk band I really got into and I still hold them in high regards for being my gateway into this scene. But even in the height of my infatuation with them, during the days when I would wear out countless cassettes of …And Out Come the Wolves on long bus rides to and from school, I was never overly impressed with their live show. To me, they never seemed to be able to carry over the precision of their records into a live situation. So I was doubly impressed when I saw the band play at the House of Blues last week, because they were the best I’ve ever seen them. They played with the passion and energy of a band half their age, plowing their way through singles and deep cuts, b-sides and fan favorites – they ran the gamut of what everyone could possibly want to hear in their massive two-hour set.

It was obvious from the crowd reaction that …And Out Come the Wolves has remained the fan favorite over the years, with the floor-engulfing pits that grew from every note from tracks like “Roots Radicals,” “Journey to the End of the East Bay,” and my personal favorite “Olympia, WA” existing as the bane of every security guard on duty. Frontman Tim Armstrong was not content to simply let his guitar decorate his neck, shredding along with Lars Fredrickson through song after song, while newest addition Branden Steineckert furiously pounded away on the skins. Of course bass player extraordinaire Matt Freeman is always fascinating to watch. I still try to follow his fingers through the solo of “Maxwell Murder” and have a hard time believing anyone can pull that off. I felt like a kid again, dancing and singing along with the sold out crowd who were likely experiencing the same nostalgic bliss.

As much as I have a soft spot for Rancid, I was even more excited to see openers H2O, their positive lyrics and the family atmosphere and crowd participation of their live shows having a huge impact on me growing up. They are regrettably another band I’ve gone nearly ten years without seeing live, though that was due to the long gap between the last show they played here in Vegas. But the wait was worth it, with their excellent, energetic set consisting of songs spanning the band’s entire career, with the notable exception of Go (I would have enjoyed hearing “Self Reliable” slid in there).

Regardless, they did include most of my favorites, from classics like “Everready,” “Faster Than the World,” and “One Life One Chance” to new favorites “Fairweather Friend,” and “What Happened?,” the latter featuring guitarist Rusty Pistachio taking over the vocal duties performed by Lou Koller and Matt Skiba on the recorded version. And speaking of backing vocals, wrestler and straightedge champion CM Punk made a surprise appearance during H2O’s set, singing along on stage to the classic “Guilty by Association.” When I think of an H2O show, I think of no barriers and people jumping over each other to sing along with vocalist Toby Morse, and Morse did his best to recreate this atmosphere on the larger House of Blues stage, twice coming out to the audience for extended sing-alongs. Their enthusiastic set was well worth the ten year wait, but here’s hoping it isn’t that long before they come back again.

-Emily Matview

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

and Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens

Rancid’s Setlist:

Radio
Roots Radicals
Last One to Die
The 11th Hour
Journey to the End of the East Bay
I Wanna Riot
Red Hot Moon
Hooligans
Up to No Good
Roadblock
Nihilism
Dead Bodies
Adina
Salvation
Bloodclot
L.A. River
Maxwell Murder
Outta My Mind
Gunshot
International Cover-Up
St. Mary (Acoustic)
Poison (Acoustic)
Hoover Street (Acoustic)
East Bay Night
Rejected
Locomotive
Something in the World Today
Listed M.I.A.
It’s Quite Alright
The Way I Feel About You
Olympia, WA
Tropical London
Fall Back Down
Time Bomb

Encore:
The Wars End
Tenderloin
Ruby Soho