Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY – 07 Sep 2022
The hipsters couldn’t pretend it was just another Wednesday
Fucking Brooklyn, right? I’d really like to kick this review off with adulation about how fantastic the first night of the Lagwagon‘s 30ish Years on the Wagon Tour was (it was), how consistently enthralling Lagwagon has been since i first saw them in the mid 90s through today and how killer opening acts I Am The Avalanche and Grumpster were for their sets. I’d love to but fucking Brooklyn.
I’m sure a lot of my disdain for the bearded Boro stems from my own wish to pull off a hipster lifestyle, but that patch of land was somewhere I’ve hated for as long as I could cut school and public transport my way out of my north western Jersey suburbs. Bridge and tunneling my way into NYC was always a good way to spend a day and night, as long as I could avoid the pretentious porches of Park Slope and its adjacent neighborhoods.
As I’ve gotten older, the gentrification of the area has led to more and more venues and shows that are hard to turn down. Take tonight’s jaunt across the East River to visit the Warsaw for a night with Lagwagon, with support from the recently returned I Am The Avalanche and the young whippersnappers in Grumpster.
Traveling from Oakland, Grumpster could have passed for classmates of my 13-year-old daughter, if not for the arms full of tattoos and the release of their sophomore album earlier this year.
The young quartet was high energy and blasted through their short set of garage-punk deliciousness to the building crowd. I think I even spotted a few of the Brooklyn denizens uncrossing their arms to reveal their imitation thrift-store graphic tees.
I know it doesn’t sound like much of a compliment, but thats only if you’ve never been to a show in Greenpoint, you know it takes a herculean effort to simply get toes tapping. Grumpster got the audience to take a break from sharing tips to churning butter in their bathrooms and got heads nodding. In this environment any variation from forced indifference is a win, Grumpster won big.
I Am The Avalanche took the stage to a slightly better reaction from the swelling crowd. The Brooklyn by way of Long Island outfit enjoyed the hometown vibes as they immediately tore in with “Holy Fuck.”
Frontman Vinnie Caruana commanded the stage and proved why even after all these years, the band remains at great heights within the scene. Sure some may compare IATA to his previous outfit The Movielife or the recently formed Constant Elevation. That’s the curse of being talented enough to lead multiple popular acts. The people making comparisons are doing it all wrong. I Am The Avalanche doesn’t need to be better or sound like either of those bands, because on its own legs IATA have earned their longevity.
The indie-hardcore amalgamation got those of us not part of that Brooklyn mindset to start moving around. Some moshing ensued, with Caruana jumping around the stage with a mic in hand, getting the crowd more and more involved as the band showed off their discography with hits like “Green Eyes” and “177” but the highlight came when Vinnie told a story about touring Japan with No Use For A Name which led into a rousing cover of “Not Your Savior.” To close off the set the band built a fever pitch with obligatory closer “Brooklyn Dodgers.” The name checking single even got the Brooklyn crowds to rhythmically bob their heads (as long as they didn’t know you saw it happen.)
I think that’s where the shift happened and the crowd was ready for the show, and not a moment too late because Lagwagon was ready to do what they’ve been doing for decades and put on a genuinely fun, insanely raucous and wonderfully performed set full of the signature punk stylings that have provided such longevity.
Lagwagon has always been stupendous when recorded, but it’s the live show that has made them legends in the scene. Lagwagon is a band that manages to seamlessly combine typical fast punk music with catchy melodies, heartfelt lyrics juxtaposed over humorous banter, definitely a band I will always try to see when they come to town… even when the town is fucking Brooklyn.
While Joey Cape has gone a little white in his “beard of shame,” he hasn’t lost that presence that has always made him the center of attention on any stage he graces. He’s still the epitome of cool. Following IATA’s NUFAN cover, I did expect to hear Lagwagon’s Tony Sly tribute “One More Song,” but I didn’t mind when it never came and instead we were treated to all my favorites “Falling Apart,” “Violins” and even “E. Dagger,” featuring the titular Erin Burkett. When I turned around in the middle of “Smile” I was shocked to realize the bar area was emptied and instead of buying their overpriced IPAs, the crowd had fully invaded the pit; singing along and moving their asses.
Age has not slowed the pop-punk philosophers down, they remain as energetic and exhilarating as ever. Once again being able to stomp my feet and pump my hand to the passion behind “Heartbreaking Music” and “Razor Burn” prior to a brief intermission and triumphant return with “Alien 8,” “Making Friends” and, of course, “May 16.” Lagwagon proved once again why they have lasted, in spite of a crowd feigning disinterest as long as they could.
This is a tour you shouldn’t miss when/if it comes to your city (even if it comes to the most kitschy city within 2 hours).
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
