The Bouncing Souls
featuring Luther and The Menzingers
Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Better than: Not listening to punk rock legends on a summer Saturday night.
"We love playing down here," said lead singer Greg Attonito just prior to the show. "The fans here always rock out."
It's true the crowd gathered early, already packing the bar by 8:30 p.m. as Scranton, Pennsylvania, ska-punk quartet The Menzingers rocked the stage. The wait was brief for punk rock legends The Bouncing Souls, who took the stage just ten minutes after the second act departed.
The mosh pit that immediately began forming as soon as Greg spit out the first words to "Static" was among the better this music critic has ever had the fortune of crashing into. Action peaked around the performance of "True Believers." By then, the pit had grown to encompass the entire dance floor. The crowd's excitement simmered when the band played songs off their new album just released Tuesday entitled Comet, but still stayed vibrant despite not knowing much of the lyrics.
Everyone was right back singing along with the performance of "Comet," their last song before a brief intermission which had people chanting "Ole!" from Hopeless Romantic until the band retook the stage. You had to figure -- they must have been thirsty after an energetic 45-minute set. They returned with "Baptized" and went on for about another half hour before
closing with a rendition of "Gone" and "Ship in a Bottle" off the new album, as a banner with a comet logo appeared behind the band on stage.
The Bouncing Souls showed much of what kept them together after what's considered rock band senior citizen status. They formed over twenty years ago in 1989. The band kept in sync throughout the show, almost effortlessly, playing in tune and singing on key like they were taking a walk in the park. The songs flowed one into the other, keeping the attention of the audience and making for a smooth, enjoyable set. By the time the crowd filtered through the very entertaining County Grind Live showcase at Green Room next door, they were anxious to hear more.
Critic's Notebook:
Personal Bias: Bands from New Jersey ring home.
Random Thought: Who wears slippers in a mosh pit?
Overheard in the crowd: "They played a way better set the last time I saw them."
By the way: For being indoors, that was a pretty filthy mosh pit.
Setlist
"Static"
"Kids and Heroes"
"Sing Along Forever"
"Here We Go!"
"Infidel"
"Midnight Mile"
"The Something Special"
"Lifetime"
"Fast Times"
"That Song"
"East Coast! Fuck You!"
"Highway Kings"
"Cracked"
"Hopeless Romantic"
"Coin Toss Girl"
"Argyle"
"True Believers"
"Kate Is Great"
"Comet"
Encore:
"Baptized"
"Anchors Aweigh"
"Lean on Sheena"
("Avoid One Thing" cover)
"Private Radio"
"Say Anything"
"We Love Fun"
"Late Bloomer"
"Gone"
"Ship in a Bottle"
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