Punk Rock Bowling @ Downtown Events Center

After a lazy day driving round to the old haunts, Erik and I land at Punk Rock Bowling at about 5pm and meet up with Dave in a spot not far from the front of the stage to the right.  The festival has come a long way since I was here in 2012, when it was a one stage show in a parking lot off 6th Street.  It has now taken over the Downtown Events Center (which wasn't even here when I left), has 2 stages and is shaded by the Golden Nugget across the street.

After a quick look around at merchandise and food trucks we find our spot for Fear.  I'm not sure how well this set translated on a big stage in the sunny climes of Vegas.  While Lee Ving was in full joke mode, and the band played their heart out, you get the feeling this would've been better at midnight at the Double Down, instead of mid-afternoon in a vast venue.  Regardless, the beer-themed songs were great, Beef Bologna killed it, and an Aquabat playing on New York's Alright If You Like Saxaphones, was a great way to kick off the festival.

The Damned were a drawcard for me.  Having never seen them before, and although I know only a handful of songs, the opportunity to see these punk legends.  So today we get the whole Machine Gun Etiquette album from start to finish.  Dave Vanian stalked and ruled the stage, with Captain Sensible providing the energy, and Monty Oxymoron the fun.  The set got better and better as it went along and the last 5 songs would have been enough to call Punk Rock Bowling a success.  The MC5 Looking At You cover was blistering.  It was an honor to hear Smash It Up live after being introduced to it many years ago the golden years of JJJ's Hottest 100's.  New Rose was as good as I thought it would be and Neat, Neat, Neat to finish was just fantastic.  Now I have to hope that one day they'll play close to Charlotte so I can see them again.

Yeah, I've seen FLAG before, but this has to be a punk's ultimate band for this festival.  4 ex-members of Black Flag and a Descendent playing nothing but Black Flag songs with a ferocity that would have matched back in the day.  From the moment Keith Morris screamed "It's not my imagination...I've got a gun in in my back" FLAG were on fire.  FLAGs' passion and intensity for these 30 plus year old songs translates to a crowd, who are left in a frenzy.  Great song consistently followed great song and for those of us who weren't old enough to see Black Flag the first time this is definitely a show for the ages.  23 songs in a 45 minute set is what you want and all your favorites will be played.  Gimme Gimme Gimme, Rise Above, Dez singing Thirsty & Miserable & Six Pack, and Keith's return to stage for Nervous Breakdown was phenomenal.  I just read recently that Greg Ginn is doing a Black Flag tour this Fall, but given when I saw them in Charlotte in 2013 - they will have their work cut out for them to match FLAG.  And what about a real Black Flag reunion? Given Keith Morris' "Fuck you Gregg Ginn" chant at the end of a song, I find that highly unlikely.

When you think that Fear, The Damned and FLAG were great, you realize there is no such thing as a bad Rancid show.  The crowd is bouncing from the first notes of Roots Radicals and don't stop for the rest of the evening.  Rancid are in fine form, as Pirates of the Caribbean outcast Tim Armstrong makes his moves across the stage, while Lars engages the crowd between songs.  Tons of a great songs including Old Friend, Olympia WA, and Fall Back Down to finish the set.  Of course the encore ended with Time Bomb and Ruby Soho, which left the crowd buzzing.  I know I'm old and left for home after the show, but I bet downtown Vegas was a buzz once that crowd spread out for the night.  A great first night for the festival.  Looking forward to coming back tomorrow. 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 451st concert.
This is my 2nd concert at the Downtown Events Center.

This is my 148th concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 148th concert in Nevada.

This is my 254th concert in the USA.
Fear are the 518th band I've seen
The Damned are the 519th band I've seen.
This is my 2nd Flag concert.
This is my 6th Rancid concert.