Show: Bad Religion
Date: April 18, 2013
Venue: The Hollywood Palladium
City: Los Angeles, CA
Bad Religion
Photos by Andrew Gates
Written by Dan Sinclair
Bad Religion was formed back in 1979 in the San Fernando Valley, so it seems only fitting for the legendary punk rockers to end their 16th studio album, True North, 34 years later where it all started: in the City of Angels. Nobody loves Bad Religion like L.A., and this is proven once again by the thousands screaming before the band even takes the stage at the Hollywood Palladium’s sold-out show.
Loyal RUKUS fans may remember Greg Gaffin telling the crowd at the Sunset Strip Music Festival last summer that they were heading right to the studio in Pasadena to record a new album. Well, True North was that album and it’s now complete… and it’s live.
When the lights go down, only guitar can be heard—the beginning to the new album’s first song, “Past Is Dead.” Then the rest of the instruments kick in and it gets loud. And the crowd fucking moves. A giant mosh pit in the middle of the crowd is formed and even those not involved in the mayhem are jumping around like madmen all the same.
Then the band shifts from new to old as they play “We’re Only Gonna Die” from their first full-length album, 1982’s How Could Hell Be Any Worse? Next is 2007’s “New Dark Ages” where frontman Greg Gaffin sings and directs the band center stage, surrounded by bassman Jay Bentley and the three guitar players: Greg Hetson, Brian Baker, and of course, Mr. Brett Gurewitz. Brooks Wackerman wackers away methodically on the drums behind them all because, after all, next to the politically-driven lyrics and catchy melodies, it’s the super-fast yet somehow soothing rhythm that has made Bad Religion so great for so long.
Greg tells the crowd, “We’ve missed you all terribly, L.A.,” before he sings the title track from True North for the city that has missed him just as much, which is followed by “Anesthesia” and “Generator.” During one of the band’s biggest hits, “21st Century Digital Boy,” every single “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” is matched by thousands of pumping fists in the air.
“Overture” and “Sinister Rouge” showcases some of Brian Baker’s finest guitar work and then Greg takes time to thank his co-song writer for joining the band on stage, as it’s not something that is always done. But he had to bring him out for everyone’s new favorite Bad Religion single “Fuck You.” A sea of middle fingers rises in approval.
And the songs just keep coming: “Los Angeles Is Burning,” “Recipe for Hate,” “Suffer,” “Sanity,” “Nothing to Dismay,” “You,” “Do What You Want,” “No Direction,” “Beyond Electric Dreams,” “Submission Complete”—there is no rest. It’s time for punk rocking and the vets show no sign of doing anything less than that. The crowd’s not slowing down either as they keep on thrashing around to “Come Join Us,” “Against the Grain,” “No Control,” and another great off the new album, “Robin Hood in Reverse.”
Greg polls the crowd to see how many fans are here to see Bad Religion for the first time, and though there are plenty, the cheers are louder for those asked if they’ve been to many shows. And they get even fucking louder for the set’s closers, “American Jesus” and “Sorrow.”
The band thanks everyone and leaves stage, but the crowd refuses to go anywhere. Jay Bentley is the first back on stage but he plays coy, telling the crowd that he’s just there to wrap up his bass and go home. But soon the rest of the band joins him and they play “Fuck Armageddon… This is Hell” and “Vanity” much to the crowd’s delight, but it’s the ever-popular “Infected” that brings the house down. The show and tour close with “Dept. of False Hope” and the encouraging words of “Hold your head up high, Forgotten Man.”
This night was 34 years of great punk rock celebrated fondly in the city where it all started for a truly one-of-a-kind band, even all these years later in a music genre where most bands are just carbon copies of each other. If you haven’t done so already, add “See Bad Religion live,” to your bucket list because Bad Religion is really the only good religion.