By Mindy Ross and Jesse Porter
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
With the destructive atmosphere that often characterizes
Pennywise shows noticeably absent on Thursday night, the L.A. punk
outfit’s Key Club concert became a showcase of camaraderie as
the band and its fans came together to record a live album.
By 8 p.m. most of the 270 or so showgoers had packed into the
tiny club on Sunset. It is a smaller venue than the
increasingly-popular band is used to playing, but the intimate
setting only improved the atmosphere.
The impatient crowd was entertained by a seemingly endless
series of surf, skate, motocross, extreme sport and bikini clips
accompanied by various punk songs. A brief lull in the music at
around 9 p.m. got hopes up, and the restless fans began chants of
“Pen-ny-wise, Pen-ny-wise,” “Let’s go,
start the show,” and “we want Fletcher,” the
latter in reference to the band’s unpredictable and often
unruly guitarist, Fletcher Dragge.
This enthusiasm was finally rewarded a good 30 minutes later
when a recording of the piano intro to “Unknown Road”
announced the band’s imminent entrance. Pennywise took the
stage and immediately went into a blazing rendition of
“Living for Today,” sending the crowd into a furious
frenzy that would last the entire show.
The band tore through a focused set of fan favorites, pausing
only to take requests and berate security for doing too good of a
job. As the performance progressed, a definite theme for the night
began to emerge, and it was about more than just the music. The
band was paying back the fans who have supported it over the
years.
Throughout the show lead singer Jim Lindberg opened beers and
passed them out to the crowd. He and Dragge also encouraged fans to
crowd-surf their way to the stage, rewarding those who made it past
the bouncers with handshakes and high-fives. Later, Jim extended
the mic into the crowd during a few of the choruses and between
songs, giving the audience members the chance to leave their mark
on the new album.
At one point late in the set, after pointing out a Pennywise
tattoo in the crowd, the always volatile Dragge announced that if
anyone else wanted one, they could go to the local parlor on the
next block with him afterwards and get it, and he would pick up the
tab. Post-show, hardcore fans tested his word, turning up in droves
at the parlor.
Sticking to Pennywise tradition, the band finished up the night
with an emotional version of “Bro Hymn Tribute,” in
honor of late former bassist, Jason Matthew Thirsk. The crowd
erupted with the strongest showing of the evening and a surge of
fans rushed the stage. Those who made it were handed microphones
and encouraged to sing along.
Paul Ortiz, a wheelchair-using fan, was floated onto the stage
as well. He was greeted by hugs from Pennywise and was brought up
to the mic where he tore off his shirt and triumphantly joined in
the chorus.
Even after the song finally ended and the band left the stage,
the fans kept the chorus going even as they flowed out into the
streets.
The culmination of the night for a handful of devoted fans took
place just down the block from the club when Dragge actually did
come through on his earlier promise. Until the early hours of the
morning, he hung out and joked with fans as he stood by them during
the painful process. About 30 people signed up to have their
memories of the night permanently recorded on their body.