Rancid Concert Review

Amy and I were lucky enough to get free tickets (a factor which increased my enjoyment of the show) to see the all ages Rancid at the Cool House on Monday. We missed the opening band, but I think it was the Planet Smashers. Or someone covering the Planet Smashers. Regardless it was some upbeat ska to start the night. Fun!

We had just enough time to grab a beer between bands and catch up. Then it was time! The filler music stopped and the crowd started buzzing. Black and white footage starting playing on the back drop interspersed with mug shots of the Rancid band members. A little self-righteous, but they're old so I let it slide.

They were energetic from the start and the pit was rocking. I danced my way close enough to get a clip of Lars before my camera took a little beating and stopped working. You probably can't tell what Lars is wearing, but it cracked me up. It looked like an orange/green stripped body suit with a muscle shirt over top. Sorry for the piss poor camera work, I'm new at this!


They played a good set, lots of old stuff, some decent stadium chanting. I really enjoyed the encore which they opened with an acoustic version of "Fall Back Down" off their 2003 album. I think the youngins in the house just wanted more moshing, but being old, I appreciated Rancid slowing it down for a bit. I think Tim Armstrong might have had another motive: to prove he can actually play guitar since it was pretty much an accessory for the rest of the show. To give him credit its probably hard to play when you're busy giving the finger to the crowd. Then the drummer came back and they threw it back 17 years to the Operation Ivy days and graced us with "Knowledge". Makes you a little nostalgic for the old teenage years.