Bouncing Souls and Youth Brigade: 27 September 2009 – Opera House, Toronto

After stepping inside Toronto’s Opera House to a mere scattering of people standing around, I had my doubts if the venue would succeed in reaching capacity. After all, it was a Sunday night and does anyone really put in a solid evening of drinking and partying when they have to get up for work the next morning? The crowd both reflected the twenty-plus years of musical solidarity amongst all the artists on the bill, while asserting the nature of those who refuse to get old. The number of new fans probably equalled the number of followers who were alive when this music first made its mark.

Minneapolis’ Off With Their Heads lead off the opening set with the volume cranked to 11, making us take notice and forget–as would the subsequent acts on the bill–that it was not yet dark outside, this could be anywhere, on any night, in a place far from hipsterdom. It was pure musicality and emotion.

L.A. punks Youth Brigade took the stage to a now well-packed house of tattooed covered fans in front of a large banner that read, “Here We/Here We/Here We Go: Youth Brigade XXV.” This title highlighted both the band’s longevity and their operating philosophy: “youth is an attitude, not an age.” Singer Shawn Stern greeted the crowd by introducing “a song about drinking,” adding, “if you want to get drunk, go see the bartender!” before launching into the rowdy and poignant, “Where Are All the Old Man Bars.” The set flowed tirelessly, broken only by occasional commentary to the audience–such as an on-point rant against staying in and playing video games like Rock Band versus the option to “get out and live, people!” The boys had the crowd enthralled with “Sink with Kalifornija” (singing, “…when it falls into the sea.”) It was both an anthem worthy of the legacy of California punk and a great closer to their set.

Touring together as a tight unit across Canada, these four bands (with one slightly dissonant link in the form of Ontario’s own Saint Alvia, who brought with them keyboards, an iffy choice on this bill, and seemed uncomfortable) created a smooth narrative flow that culminated in an accomplished and dynamic performance by the Bouncing Souls. They propelled an already solid night of punk rock to something transcendent. With equal energy and consistent applause their set ranged from fan favorite, “Lean On Sheena,” to new song, “Gasoline.” It was obvious that 20 years of doing their thing has made them experts on how to read the crowd. They even slowed things down for an acoustic set later in their show, exuding well-earned self-confidence. A rare break in their relentless flow of songs gave a fan at the back a chance to shout “Twenty more!” Twenty more indeed.