Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ – 18 Feb 2023
“United we shall be, yeah/This is a song of liberty”
A typical Saturday night in the upper-middle class hamlet of Montclair, New Jersey means plenty of alcohol and liberal politics but tonight, all of that was amplified as Flogging Molly and Anti-Flag came through the Wellmont Theater.
Openers Skinny Lister were an immediate delight. Note for any new bands looking to tickle my fancy before a single note is played; bring out an upright bass, a squeezebox and an extremely active vocalist in red heels with impeccable and impressive balance (barring a mid-set spill).
With a normal performance I’d have found it impossible to take my eyes off the constant action provided by Lorna Thomas on the microphone, then again a normal performance doesn’t feature the nonstop charisma of Max Thomas on accordion or of Scott Milsom’s impressive control of the upright bass. Skinny Lister was a band I’ve heard a lot about over the last few years, but until tonight I never gave them a chance, and for that I need to admit I was wrong and earn my own forgiveness. What a blast that set turned out to be.
Pittsburgh’s long-running political punks Anti-Flag blasted onto the stage with an intensity and energy unexpected from an act that released its first record in ’96. Despite their longevity, there were no signals of a slowdown from the veteran rabble-rousers.
The band did what they’ve always done; maintained a high level energy while championing anti-racism, anti-homophobia, anti-capitalism, anti-transphobia, anti-fascism, anti-political corruption and anti-police brutality. The crowd was mentally and physically connected in solidarity to the songs and to the ideals letting out the angst that has built over the last 3, 5, 15, 40 and 247 years of shit the denizens of this country have been forced to endure at the hands of the powerful few. With a setlist ranging the the long career, Anti-Flag did not and could not disappoint (well, I was slightly disappointed in Justin Sane’s emo-swoop hairstyle, but I’m not generally one to let the fashion become a factor for me).
After kicking things off with killer performances of “The Press Corpse” and “Die For The Government,” the band slammed through classics like “Turncoat” and new tracks “LAUGH.CRY. SMILE. DIE.” The highlight of the set came from an absurd medley showing off the best of punk including interpolations of The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, Rancid, Sham 69, Green Day and The Ramones. Fucking epic.
Finally taking the stage to close out the evening was Flogging Molly. Every time I’ve seen the celt-punk legends it has been an exceptionally great time, and tonight… Tonight the band was better than ever.
I didn’t need to spend $13 for a plastic cup of Guinness, the band’s performance was intoxicating and I was drunk off the performance immediately. Whether it’s your first time or fiftieth, Flogging Molly makes it impossible not to clap your hands and sing along to every word.
Opening with “The Likes of You Again,” King and crew performed with a tighter synchronicity than any band of 6 has any right to. There were no missteps, no chords missed, the band fired on all cylinders despite multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Bridget Regan being off the tour recovering from a fractured shoulder she suffered on the Austin stop of the tour (fucking Texas right?).
The energy never subsided as the band somehow managed to play a setlist that seemed like the one I’d have curated if given the opportunity. All of my favorites were played, including “Float,” “Tobacco Island” and “The Croppy Boy ‘98.” To close out the proper set, the band tore through another trio of favorites: “These Times Have Got Me Drinking,” “If I Ever Leave This World Alive,” and “What’s Left Of The Flag.” They managed to close out with a perfectly curated mostly-acoustic encore of “Black Friday Rule” and full band version of “Salty Dog.”
It would be easy to rave about the songs and how into them the crowd’s got, but the most important part, from every act this evening, was the genuine soul in each song from each performer. Everything seemed natural and authentic as the bands each connected with the crowd to improve upon every moment of the performance.
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/
