Concert Review: Circle Jerks / 7Seconds / Negative Approach live in Chicago

The Vic – 25 Mar 2022

Punk legends bring a punk lineup for the ages to the Windy City.

At any point in the last 40 years, this would have been a killer lineup. Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds and Negative Approach are all punk legends and headliners in their own right. Still, by joining forces, the bill seemed bigger than the sum of its parts. Although I’d seen each of these bands individually, this was undoubtedly the must see punk show of 2022. 

I was torn between Detroit and Chicago, but ultimately opted for The Vic in the Windy City on Friday March 25th. It turned out to be the right choice for a couple of reasons. One, the Detroit gig had to be moved north from the beloved but decrepit St. Andrews Hall to the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. Two, 7Seconds had to drop off the Motor City show due to an undisclosed medical issue. 

The Victoria is a great 110 year old 1400 capacity theater on the north side of Chicago. The lower level is tiered above the small main floor directly in front of the stage, and is standing room only. The balcony has seats for the old folks, and there were many of us at this show. We got there early enough to stake out a good spot close to the front, stage left. The lower level was absolutely packed when Circle Jerks hit the stage, but the balcony never filled up more than about half way. 

There was an undeniable energy in the air when Negative Approach hit the stage promptly at 7:30. The Detroit quartet was certainly the most intense band of the night. Their 35 minute set included mostly songs from their now legendary 10 song EP (1982) and the Tied Down LP (1983). “Can’t Tell No One” and “Ready to Fight” were probably my favorites. NA also tore through violent versions of Sham 69’s “Borstal Breakout” and The Stooges’ “I Got a Right”. I pumped my fist until my elbow started to hurt. We were off to a great start.

When 7Seconds announced they were hanging up their boots a few years back, we had no reason not to believe them. The recent reissue of their debut LP, The Crew, on Trust Records brought renewed interest to the greatest band ever from Reno. Their reforming helped make this tour a big deal. With Sammy Siegler (Youth of Today, Judge) sitting in for longtime drummer Troy Mowat, 7Seconds seems poised for a resurgence. 

7Seconds played so many favorites. “Here’s Your Warning”, “Not Just Boys Fun”, “This is the Angry”, “We’re Gonna Fight” and “Regress No Way” were all among the 20 some songs. “Walk Together, Rock Together” and “Young ‘Til I Die” back to back were my personal highlights. They wrapped things up with their popular cover of the Nena’s “99 Red Balloons”. The whole thing was excellent. There was no sign of the impending undisclosed medical condition.

I had seen Circle Jerks in September at Punk Rock Bowling, so I had some idea what to expect. That PRB set was one of the best hours of punk in recent memory. They were a band on fire, with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. Not surprisingly, this was different. I get it. It would be impossible to maintain the intensity of the PRB show night after night for a fraction of the audience. 

Rather than crashing out of the gate, singer Keith Morris opened the set with a rather long-winded story about the band’s relationship to Herb Alpert (which was their intro music) and A&M Records. (I recently read the extensive liner notes to the Wild in the Streets reissue, so I knew what he was talking about. I suspect I was in the minority.) I love listening to Morris talk, but he definitely bordered on rambling a couple of times during the show. It may have been by design, to give the other guys a breather. 

These are small complaints next to the 30 some odd punk classics the Jerks delivered. You know the ones – “Deny Everything”, “I Just Want Some Skank”, “When the Shit Hits the Fan”, “Wild in the Streets”, “Coup d etat”, “Leave Me Alone”, “Live Fast Die Young”, “World Up My Ass”, “Wasted”, the list goes on and on. New drummer Joey Castillo was amazing, and perfectly locked in with guitarist Greg Hetson and bassist Zander Schloss. 

I had worked a half day before making the three and a half hour drive to Chicago, so I was definitely worn out by the time Circle Jerks had finished. I wasn’t the only one. A good chunk of the crowd had tapped out long before the Jerks came back out for their three song encore. I must confess, I was kind of hoping the night would be a transcendent experience. It fell short of that, but I was happy to settle for a really solid punk show. 

Confessions of a merch whore: Despite my immense expectations, I didn’t buy anything! I tried to get a green Negative Approach Tied Down T-shirt, but they didn’t have my size.