Live Shows 2025

2025 was a shitty, shitty year. So here's how I stayed sane. 

January 10th: Sweet and Tender Hooligans, Spaghetti Cumbia (Observatory, San Diego)

Spaghetti Cumbia is an LA based cumbia-punk band. Sweet And Tender Hooligans are a Smiths cover band featuring Joe Escalante of the Vandals. 

Spaghetti Cumbia

Sweet And Tender Hooligans

January 19th: Rocket, Frank Black (The Magnolia, El Cajon)

The Magnolia is a great venue for acoustic shows and comedy shows, but rock shows? Seated? I dunno, man. Still Frank Black was awesome, and so was Rocket, who threw down some 90's Breeders vibes. 

Rocket

March 3rd: RKL, Seized Up, Cigar (Music Box, San Diego)

Cigar is awesome skate punk that showed up in the scene a few years after I lost interest. They shred though. Seized Up has members of Bl'ast and Good Riddance, so you know they rule. And RKL, with my friend-by-proxy Abe Brennan on vocals, just destroyed, 

Cigar

Seized Up

April 23rd: Victims Family, Nasalrod, Drugs OF Faith (Galactic Panther, Alexandria)

This was a great show at an art gallery. Drugs Of Faith is a VA hardcore band. Art-punks Nasalrod feature Spit Stix of Fear and Amanda from Berzerk. And Victim's Family, man this band is so fucking good. Third time seeing them, and third time being floored at the musicianship. Just god-level stuff. Getting to see them in such an intimate venue was a highlight of the year. 

Drugs Of Faith

May 25th: Testament (House Of Blues, San Diego): 

Testament, and specifically Practice What You Preach (which they played in full) , mean a lot to me. Helped me through the darkest of days. 

August 3rd: 7 Seconds (Holding Company, San Diego)

Great small show in Ocean Beach. One of the best to ever do it. 

September 4: Circle Jerks, Gorilla Biscuits, Negative Approach (Observatory, San Diego)

John Brannan scared the kids. GB was honestly kind of a weird choice to sandwich between NA and CJ, but I was here for it. Circle Jerks, yeah they are old, and wouldn't miss it for the world. 

September 23rd: JER / Smoking Popes / H20 / Bouncing Souls (Delmar Hall, St. Louis)

Weird show. Smoking Popes were pretty good. H2) is a band I don't really care for on record, but love to see them live. Bouncing Souls were disappointing. Didn't sound all that great, and energy was really not there. 

JER

September 24: My Favorite Aviator, Weedtüth, Cardiel (Sinkhole, St. Louis)

Wrote on this before, but one of my favorite shows of the year. 

Weedtüth

October 4th: Jawbreaker, Bully, Poli Van Dam (Observatory, San Diego)

Bully sounded great, so did Jawbreaker, but overall a little disappointing. I have no video because I was waiting for Boxcar or Chesterfield King, but they played neither. Seemed like an almost intentional Fuck You to the crowd. 

Bully

Jawbreaker

October 5th: Punk In The Park (San Pedro)

Too many bands to list. It was good, it was bad, it was everything in between. 

Dead Pioneers

Teenage Bottlerocket

Dwarves

Casualties

The Adicts

October 24th: Rocket From The Crypt, Superchunk (Observatory, San Diego)

So I do have video of this, but the sound is distorted. Sad, as this annual Halloween show is one of the more fun ones each year. 

Superchunk

Rocket From The Crypt

October 26th: Aziz Ansari (The Magnolia, El Cajon)

Not music, but we enjoy seeing him whenever in town. 

November 1: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Observatory, San Diego)

Had never heard of them before a friend offered me a free ticket. Was very impressed. Very good Aussie band with a terrible name.

November 22nd and 23rd: Cock Sparrer, Dillinger Four, Home Front (Palladium, Los Angeles)

I wrote about this before so I won't here, but my other favorite show of the year. 

Putting this together actually made me feel a bit better about the year. My biggest take away is to go to a show, any show when you're out of town. Especially if it's for work. I'm doing okay for an old man. On to 2026!