NOFX are still jerks — thank God. Photo from the band’s .
If I were to correctly recount all of what was said, done, and insinuated by at the Punk Rocks show at Friday night, a passerby of this article could snap up my words, stray them from context, and accuse me of being a racist, a pervert and a bad writer. But I can only write the truth, and what would a NOFX show be without talk of lesbians feeling each other up, every drug imaginable name-checked and their entire audience being called (insert expletive here) rednecks?
The Punk Rocks lineup was mildly representative of Warped Tours past (when it was still about punk rock), including Denver’s own , plus Street Dogs, Bouncing Souls, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and headliners NOFX playing the tepid and rainy evening. (Note: due to health issues, the Circle Jerks couldn’t make the date.)
The last time I saw NOFX was on a Warped Tour sometime in the late ’90s, and I distinctly remember Papa Roach disrespectfully warming up while NOFX was still playing. Itap not that NOFX commands any kind of respect; in fact, they often do the opposite. But the Cali dudes have been playing since 1983, helping to define radio-friendly punk rock without much airplay, or major label backing (NOFX is one of the biggest selling independent bands of all time, only releasing through their own independent label, Fat Wreck Chords,) and that speaks volumes to their honor.
I was scheduled to interview NOFX during the show, so I sadly didn’t catch enough of the first three acts to give them a fair review, but I was lucky enough to see the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ full set. Following their horn and rhythm section of mismatched plaid suits, Dicky Barrett and professional dancer Tim “Johnny Vegas” Burton Ben Carr jogged out on the Red Rocks stage, greeting the crowd briefly before jumping into “The Old School Off the Bright.”
The Bosstones energy was familiar and heartwarming, horns in plaid swaying with coolness as Barrett flashed his best car salesman smile to the audience. Barrettap voice sounded sharp and gruff as they played now classic songs like “Rascal King” and “Someday I Suppose,” Dicky and Johnny Ben bouncing in unison, hands pushing for the crowd to jump along.
Inviting the backstage onlookers to join the band for “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker” two teenage boys in crisp NOFX shirts emerged as Johnny Ben Carr skanked about, elbows up, the kids awkwardly following along. As the Bosstones played their peak hit “The Impression That I Get,” a large banner dropped down at the back of the stage revealing Obama’s face, Dickey rallying the crowd with cheers and waves.
Mellow enough for my mom to enjoy them, but still staying true to their Boston Hardcore roots, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones played a well-rounded 17-song set, including “Royal Oil” and “Howwhywuz Howwhyam,” Dicky’s charm and swooning game show handsomeness winning me over as he has many times before.
As quickly as the Obama banner was revealed it left, replaced by a puny sign, a squirrelly little sheet of paper reading “NOFX.” The band wandered on stage, guitarist/vocalist Fat Mike immediately stating that their show at the Fillmore Theater in Denver a few months ago was probably better than the forthcoming performance. He called his audience rednecks, and requested that the women in wheelchairs in the front row make-out and touch each other while he made gestures with his hands.
Fat Mike shared that he was suffering from bronchitis (or, jokingly, a cocaine-induced scratchy throat), but this performance seemed unaffected as NOFX started in on their audience tirade with “F*** the Kids.” The insults continued to bounce between Mike, guitarist/vocalist/trumpeter El Hefe (Aaron Abeyta), vocalist/bassist Eric Melvin and back at the audience, creating a perfectly humiliating atmosphere for their 25-song set.
Becoming more politically active in the last decade, NOFX peppers their albums and stage shows with songs like “Murder the Government,” sometimes changing the lyrics to mirror the current state of politics. Effectively bringing an unapologetically leftist view to fans is what NOFX does best, steering clear of preachiness by balancing politics with trademark toilet humor. Jokingly touted as the “unofficial” opening show of the Democratic National Convention, the evening’s particular version of “Murder the Government” had Fat Mike wailing, “I wanna see Dick Cheney have a heart attack, I wanna see our president be black.”
Playing an awesome version of “Bob” with Hefe on trumpet, the audience passionately shouted along, almost drowning out Fat Mike’s vocals. Before “Soul Doubt,” Mike and Melvin bantered about the benefits of snorting Imodium AD to get rid of diarrhea faster, as Hefe pawed at a moth under the stage lights like a cat. Hefe then took lead vocals on the beautifully dub-heavy “Eat The Meek,” an uncharacteristically chilled-out but welcome derivation from their usual frantic fare.
There was a rumor (which was dispelled by Fat Mike pre-show) that the band would be playing their now classic LP “Punk in Drublic,” in its entirety, in order. The band addressed this fabrication onstage, laughing but promising to try their best to play as many songs off of the album as they could remember, but to do so in order would be impossible. They also pledged to play as many songs as they could consecutively without error, stating the record for such an event had never surpassed five or six tracks.
Hefe and Fat Mike began the “Punk in Drublic” stint with “Dying Degree,” physically dueling with their bass and guitar, followed by “Leave it Alone,” “The Cause” and “Perfect Government,” before the first inevitable flub, blamed on Melvin. Drummer Smelly’s (Eric Sandin) wife joined the band to sing a verse on “Lori Meyers,” Fat Mike thanking the “Mrs. Smelly” as she left the stage.
Continuing the “Drublic” pursuit, Hefe again took lead vocals, trumpet and guitar for the hilarious, reggae-twinged “My Heart is Yearning.” “Jeff Wears Birkenstocks?,” “Punk Guy,” and crowd favorite “Linoleum” came through amidst NOFX’s continual audience jabs, at one point the band taunting the wheelchairs in the front to start a pit, “Murderball” style.
Sewing up the “Drublic” set with “The Brews,” Hefe then led the dudes in a rock-steady version of Rancid’s “Radio,” using his guitar for a paddle as he rowed about the stage. NOFX ended a fantastically imperfect set with “Leaving Jesusland” and “Franco Un-America,” Mike letting the crowd know the evening’s Red Rocks show may have been better than the previous Fillmore show. Regardless of what NOFX thought, the crowd seemed more than content with the evening’s performance.
Seeing NOFX live is like hanging out with your friends from high school who have remained unchanged since you were 16; they lovingly hate you as much as they hate themselves, their only mode of communication/affection being insults and barbs. Fat Mike saying that you’re a loser and a jerk is just his way of saying “I love you,” and as a NOFX fan, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
is a Denver-based writer and regular Reverb contributor. Check out her and .
