“What a wild night!”
“This was a gooooood punk show.”
Texts from a couple of friends who attended the packed, multi-generational Descendents/Circle Jerks concert at The Pageant in St. Louis Wednesday night. This night also happened to be the final night of the quick sequel, if you will, to their 2024 spring tour. And it was Circle Jerks’ Keith Morris’ 69th birthday which included a cake, a rousing chorus from the fans singing “Happy Birthday,” and a giant birthday card signed by many in attendance presented during their set.
But first. Surfbort kicked the night off with a little punk and rock, priming the night. The 2014 Brooklyn-formed band, fronted by Dani Miller performed their gritty, fuzzy sound and included “Hot Chix” and “White Claw Enema Bong Hit” into their 30-minute set that Miller peppered with her own commentary and stories.
L.A. band Circle Jerks landed the second slot and the fans were more than ready to start moshing in the middle of the floor. Morris started the 40+ minute set with a story and kept them coming throughout the night. Possibly to fill time while taking brief breaks (at one point he alluded that a 69-year-old needs a minute) between belting out nearly three dozen fast-paced, in-your-face, hardcore, underground, rebellious punk rock songs dating back to when they formed in 1979 but are still relevant. From “Deny Everything” to “Live Fast Die Young” to the finale “Question Authority,” and everything else in between, the crowd clambered for more. A quick nod to St. Louis-born Zander Schloss who’s been playing bass with the Jerks off and on for decades.
When Descendents descended for their set at 9:40 p.m., the crowd was pumped and a fervor could be felt throughout the room. Formed in 1977, the band’s origins leaned more toward the new wave movement before taking a turn to hardcore punk, as this Rolling Stones article details. For punk rock fans, it’s a good thing they took the route they did as many critics contend their style influenced the way for skate and pop-punk. Now, mostly known as melodic hardcore punk, the band brought their all to the last night of this leg of the tour, making it a ripsnorter of a night for everyone in attendance. Out of their vast catalog, they performed “Silly Girl,” “I Wanna Be a Bear,” “I Like Food,” “When I Get Old,” and closed the feverish night out with “Get the Time.”
Find all photos from the night here https://bit.ly/DescJerks24cz.
Circle Jerks’ setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/circle-jerks/2024/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-33a8fc09.html
Descendents’ setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/descendents/2024/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-23a8fcfb.html
In my work life, I help nonprofits and small businesses with media and public relations. In my what I love to do life, you can typically find me photographing either wild horses or concerts.
