Photos by Brittany Woolsey. Full gallery below.
The Mad Caddies’ vocalist Chuck Robertson promised a party for their last tour date in Long Beach and the band delivered nothing short of it.
The Gaslamp had a decent, swirly line of fans last night as they waited to be let inside the venue for the night’s shenanigans. It was a clear consensus that fans weren’t sure how set times would work for the night ahead as fans bantered and theorized.
Hooray for Our Side (who recently performed at Harvelle’s in Downtown) kicked off the night with their typical-OC style ska tracks, instigating a small pit to form during their set. Revancha, the second band, didn’t seem to mesh well musically with the lineup, but the band had a handful of jokes to keep the audience entertained.
Skankers congregated toward the front as they waited for the Mad Caddies to hit the stage. As the band’s equipment was being set up, fans couldn’t help but notice how the Gaslamp’s music only played ’90s hits—as in Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, and every other grunge who made their mark in the decade of the past. Pseudo-Christian outfit P.O.D.—a hallmark of mockery for anyone who took music seriously in the 90s—received a special honor as the crowd booed once the band’s “Youth of the Nation” began playing. As an hour dragged on and the headliners still hadn’t taken the stage, the venue’s music served as comical relief for fans who mimicked songs.
Once the Mad Caddies took the stage, frustration was quickly replaced with excitement as the band kicked if off with “Down and Out,” a track off their latest LP Dirty Rice.
While the Caddies haven’t really been much for banter in past shows, the band seemed to really let loose with the crowd and celebrate their last stop on tour.
Robertson gave Long Beach a shout out, changing the lyrics in “Souls for Sale” to say, “From the hills of California to the streets of Berlin/ To the clubs in Long Beach town,” which obviously earned a slew of cheers from devoted, local fans.
The party didn’t get crazy until they performed “Tired Bones,” a song that begs for wild dancing. At that point, the pit that had formed in the back had sucked everyone in the crowd in, creating a blitz of bodies dancing to the polka-punk song.
Despite faster-paced tracks like “Tired Bones” that instigated body heat, Robertson commented how the temperature of the venue was perfect in comparison to past tour dates.
Midway through the band’s set, guitarist Sascha Lazor brought out his banjo, instantly gaining cheers from the crowd who knew “Monkeys” would follow next.
The band performed a solid set list, mixing in a fair amount of new songs as well as older tracks hardcore fans always request. Tracks like “Without You,” “Backyard,” “Drinking for 11,” and “No Hope” were obvious fan-favorites of the night. Robertson said he was impressed with the crowd’s sing-along for “Drinking for 11.”
As the party was almost at its end, the pit had got a little too crazy, almost ending in a brawl. Lazor called out the fans, saying their shows are created to have a fun time and if they needed to settle something, they needed to step onstage and resolve it. The scenario was perfect in the sense that “All-American Badass” closed off the night, a song that pokes fun of men in the crowd who get a little too crazy in the pit to look cool.
Despite the minor scuffle, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the night as they walked out drenched in sweat and in beer. It may be too soon, but it wouldn’t be surprising to hear fans asking, “So, when’s the next party?”
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