On the balmy evening of May 30th I ventured to downtown Seattle to see the Bouncing Souls. The last time I saw this New Jersey quartet was in 2019 so this was long overdue.
There were three bands who played first and the club was packed solid (the show was sold out) from the get go. Singer/front man Greg Attonito was a literal bouncing soul as he bounced and strutted about the stage non stop. They opened with Hopeless Romantic and everyone sang along. When they lit into The Gold Song I was repeatedly pushed against the stage.
This whole band (Pete Steinkopf – guitar, Bryan Kienlen – bass, & George Rebelo – drums) seldom stayed in one spot and neither did the audience. A few people jumped on the stage only to dive back into the crowd seconds later. One woman accidentally kicked me in the head and knocked my camera out of my hands in the process. Another accidentally stepped on my hand that rested on the stage. I now have a nice bruise.
About two-thirds through their set, Greg sang a couple songs solo with an acoustic guitar until the rest of the band returned along with a few members of the previous bands. One of the last songs they played was True Believers which was the first song I heard by them over two decades ago.
I left as the final chords rang out and people were so kind. As I worked my way through the packed crowd, people saw me with my cane and cleared a path for me. When I found a seat two people came and offered me water. There was no encore but the set was pretty long. As I mentioned I got kicked in the head and I wasn’t 25 (I’ll see who gets that reference) and I decided to change my name to Levon and wear my war wounds like a crown.
Playing just prior to the Bouncing Souls was punk rock pioneers the Adolescents. The Adolescents have been a band for 45 years. Even though they are no longer adolescents chronologically, their on stage energy matched anything an adolescent could achieve. The minute their set began I got bounced into the stage multiple times. These Californians are hard core punk. They played fast, loud and wild. By the time their set was over, I noticed a fine mist emanate off the floor from all the sweat created from the non stop moshing. This was my third time seeing the Adolescents and they’re always a wild ride.
Preceding the Adolescents was Broadway Calls. Broadway Calls is a band I had some familiarity with. They used to get played when we had a radio station in the Seattle area that played punk. We don’t have that any more sadly. Broadway Calls is punk/pop trio from OR and for a trio they pack a powerful sound. They were non stop energy their entire set and received a very enthusiastic response from the crowd. I’m glad Broadway Calls are still around. I enjoyed their catchy songs.
Opening the night was another pop punk outfit called the Jack Knives. Hailing from So Cal, these guys played catchy tunes with catchy riffs and were met with overwhelming enthusiasm from the crowd. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for their return.
After being on my feet for four straight house, it was a miracle I could still walk the two blocks to my car. My feet were killing me. It was all worth it. This was a fun night.
