It’s hard to hear someone say punk rock and not immediately think of Oakland’s very own, Rancid. They’re currently about to wrap up their Boston to Berkeley tour they’ve been playing across America with Dropkick Murphys and we had a chance to catch the stop in Sacramento this past Saturday night.
With their sing-along style and “make you wish you were Irish” energy, Dropkick lit the crowd up and got everyone’s blood going for a solid hour. By the time Rancid took the stage, we had already been given a headliner set. Needless to say, the Bay Area boys delivered in a big way, playing all the classic sing-alongs of their own with a handful of tracks from the new album that kept people throwing fists in the air through the evening.
At one point, following the recent inescapable events of Charlottesville, Virginia, Lars made a statement about equality and how there’s no place for hate and racism in their world. It’s nice to see people with the capacity to reach large crowds taking a stand and speaking out for the better good. They’re right and there isn’t a place for that kind of trash in our world either.
For those who aren’t aware, lead singer Tim Armstrong is quite the artist in addition to being a fantastic frontman. Over the years, Tim developed his own sense of style focused less on detailed precision and more on the emotion and passion behind how he sees and is influenced by the world around him. Back in 2014, Tim had his first gallery show at Shepard Fairey’s Subliminal Projects gallery in Los Angeles.
I’ve been a huge Tim and Rancid fan for as long as I can remember. Looking back at all those days in the mid-90s being inspired by the music, the vibe of the scene, and the sketches and album artwork brings on memories of times I wouldn’t trade for anything. Even all these years later, there are few weeks that go by when a Rancid or Operation Ivy album doesn’t find its way into the neighborhood via my car speakers cranked to 11.
Great show. Can’t wait for the next tour and fingers crossed we get to see some of Tim’s art again soon as well. Thanks for the good times, guys. –– Mike Stalter
