These performances from It’s Not Dead 2 would make our latest punk compilation

Looking over the crowd at “It’s Not Dead 2” at Glen Helen Amphitheater in Devore Saturday, Aug. 26, there was a mixed sea of ages, ethnicities and fashions. It seemed as if more people had turned out because of the popularity of festivals than of punk.

The stage names were probably lost on the bulk of the audience, too, as the smaller stages referenced now-defunct iconic Southern California punk venues — Cuckoo’s Nest (Costa Mesa), Fenders (Ballroom, in Long Beach) and Olympic (as in Auditorium, Los Angeles). The main stage honored Gary Tovar, who founded Goldenvoice to promote punk shows long before it was a national festival juggernaut, and the late Mike “Gabby” Gaborno, the lead singer of the Cadillac Tramps and Manic Hispanic who died in January.

However, both punk bands and festivals are noted for putting out compilation discs, here are our picks of who and what we would put on our “It’s Not Dead 2” record.

Channel 3: Their most outstanding number was “Manzanar,” a tune about the Japanese-American internment camp during World War II. “They didn’t exactly teach you that in school,” Channel 3 lead singer/guitarist Mike Magrann said of the song backstage after their performance.

Reagan Youth: This band got together not simply to make music, but because they had something to say. And for a great example of early ‘80s political punk, “Reagan Youth,” with it’s chaotic, changeable beat makes the cut.

Rancid performs during their set on the Mike “Gabby” Gaborno/ Gary Tovar Stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
A man with his colorful mohawk is silhouetted against the blue skies as The Unseen performs their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
The Unseen performs their set on the Fender Stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
A mosh pits gets moving as Buck-0-Nine performs their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Fans crowd surf as The Adicts perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
The Adicts perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Punk rock fans take a break between bands to rest from the heat of the sun at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
VOODOO GLOW SKULLS perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Dropkick Murphys perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Tattoos are part of the punk rock life as this colorful is shown off as The Toasters perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Me First & The Gimme Gimmes perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
The Unseen perform during the It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Off! performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
A fan jumps off the stage after running on stage with the OFF! at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
The Adicts perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Fans crowd surf as The Adicts perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
The Adicts perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
performs their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Punk rock fans relax as they listen to Off! perform their set at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Dropkick Murphys perform on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Rancid performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
A fan crowd surfs as Dropkick Murphys perform on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Rancid performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
OFF! performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Dropkick Murphys performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Fans sing along with the Dropkick Murphys as they perform on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Rancid performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Rancid performs on the main stage at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)
Fans enjoy the The Adicts performance at It’s Not Dead 2! at Glen Helen Amphitheater Saturday in Devore, CA. August 26, 2017. (TERRY PIERSON,THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/SCNG)

Expand

The Interrupters: “It’s Not Dead 2” promoter Kevin Lyman touted this ska/punk group as “the future of punk.” As they dove into their tune, “This is the New Sound,” one young fan said she had seen The Interrupters four times and adores them because they are “upbeat and you can dance to them.” The large audience certainly had a hard time keeping still during this song.

GBH: “Knife Edge” is the hands-down winner here. Dust was rising from the mosh pit and suddenly a man in a wheelchair appeared surfing the crowd, chair and all. Now that’s punk.

Unit F: The Cuckoo’s Nest consisted of a trailer stage away from everything else and was a bit hard find, but Unit F’s fans turned out and grew during their show. The best treat was “Decay” off the new album, “Ecocide: Songs of Dysfunction,” about how we are ruining the environment and ourselves. It’s a wake-you-up tune and that was met with the crowd’s approval.

Buzzcocks: Long before Green Day brought pop into punk, there was the Buzzcocks. Their pop-punk grooves were at their height in “What Do I Get?,” a tune about longing for a lover and only losing sleep. They also got a big applause.

The Adicts: It’s hard to pick one song with the theatrical and exciting show this group put on, but what was most impressive was the ability of lead vocalist Keith Warren’s ability to go for a laugh and pull it off with finesse. He already awed the crowd with his sparkly silver slacks and towards the end of the set donned a Chinese takeout box costume for “Chinese Takeaway.” Adding to the fun, he opened a normal sized takeout box and used chopsticks to pull streamers from it and tossed them into the pleased crowd.

Dropkick Murphys: There was an audible “Oh!” from the audience when they announced they were going to perform “Rose Tattoo.” For this soulful song, they invited record producer Ted Hutt to join them onstage with an acoustic guitar and had the bulk of the crowd singing along, too.

Rancid: Although at this point in the show there were several small groups of people glued to their cell phones watching the Mayweather/McGregor fight, everyone paid attention when the group dedicated “It’s Quite Alright” to Mike Gaborno. It was the most moving moment of the festival.

Encore: Dropkick Murphys and Rancid combined forces to end the evening with a short set of cover tunes. Johnny Cash’s classic “Folsom Prison Blues” was an unexpected number that showed the true talent of the two bands and how many musical genres can shine through in punk.

These performances from It’s Not Dead 2 would make our latest punk compilation

Leave a Reply