Chicago, IL – 09 Jun 2024
Punk Rock and Hardcore combine for an intense Sunday evening in the Windy City.
I was extremely excited upon first hearing of this tour package. Strung Out’s new album Dead Rebellion has been on heavy rotation since first released in April. I do not ever recall specifically seeing this band live. It is hard to recollect every show attended in the 90’s, being my highest attendance volume of my life. It is possible between Warped Tour and countless shows at the Fireside Bowl that I had previously witnessed the band live. That being said, I have become quite the fan of Strung Out these past few years, as well as many of their peers on Fat Wreck Chords.
Ignite are a band who I have always had on my radar, yet never fully absorbed. Hardcore was my first gateway to punk rock, coming out of the late 80’s thrash metal scene. In summary, this was a tour pairing that seemed perfect on paper. It ended up being perfect in reality as well.
I entered Reggie’s Rock Club during the last two songs of Mercy Music who are opening certain dates on this tour. I can’t say that I am familiar with this band other than they have a member of the band NOT who are supposedly a highly ALL/Descendents influenced band (editor – both are highly recommended and should be checked out). I definitely picked up on the power pop and pop punk that they were throwing down towards the end of their set.
Being a Sunday night, the show ran exactly on schedule. Ignite seemed to take the stage after a set turnover that fell less than ten minutes. You have to appreciate when any punk show stays on schedule. The band kicked off in a frenzied fashion, jumping up and down in unison which set the crowd off from the beginning. I had forgotten that long-time frontman Zoli Teglas had left the band. He has since been replaced by veteran heavy metal vocalist Eli Santana. I had never previously seen Ignite live, though I have seen Zoli when he fronted the Misfits for a brief stint when Michael Graves first left the band. Eli brought amazing energy to this set and has an amazing physical presence. Ignite blazed through an approximate dozen song career spanning set. Tracks such as “Poverty For All” and “The Butcher In Me” got the dance floor moving. Fans were also treated to “Done Digging The Grave” which was released digitally early this year. Surprising to me was covering the U2 classic “Sunday Bloody Sunday” to a very positive response. I was glad to finally catch this veteran hardcore band who efficiently complemented the headlining Strung Out.
After yet what seemed like another short break, Strung Out took the stage. The opening track of Dead Rebellion entitled “Future Ghosts” served as a brilliant start to the set. I always appreciate when bands choose to not shy away from new material. This to me is a sign of a band who truly respects their craft as opposed to only relying on hits or classics. As I had expected, they played an intense and energetic setlist. Major highlights for me came in “Exhumation of Virginia Madison” and “Firecracker” which were both met with huge crowd participation. The band went all the way back to their debut Another Day in Paradise for “Ashes” and “In Harm’s Way” Newer tracks such as “New Gods” and the dual-guitar attack of “White Owls” was met with excitement. The most epic part of the set came in the final two songs of the encore. First, “Bring Out Your Dead” from Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues had the entire floor fist pumping and screaming along. “Matchbook” from Twisted By Design though brought down the house serving as the perfect set closer.
A couple final thoughts on this energetic night. First, longtime Strung Out guitarist Jake Kiley was absent. He is currently touring with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes leaving his future with the band uncertain. Bassist Chris Aiken moved to guitar opening the slot for a new bass player who did a fine job. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the performance of vocalist Jason Cruz. He performs their brand of punk rock as if he was fronting a speed metal band. His energy radiates strong across the crowd resulting in one of the most powerful live performances I have seen in many years. I eagerly await future chances to see these punk legends soon.
Strung Out Bandcamp
Fat Wreck site (
Spotify
I am mostly known in cyberspace as a vinyl junkie and punk rock bassist! Fair assessment. I am the bassist of the Chicago area power pop / pop punk band SPACE AGE ZEROS.
