Alkaline Trio are back on the road supporting their new album, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, and they've brought along pop-punk act Worriers and hardcore quintet, Drug Church. The tour is starting things out in So-Cal and had the opportunity to catch the show in San Diego!
Worriers walked out and blasted into "Big Feelings" from their third LP, You or Someone You Know. With the release of their newest album late last year, most of the set was occupied with tracks from Trust Your Gut, including "Hold My Breath," "I'm Not Mad," "Backyard Garden," their latest single "Top 5" and the title track. They still threw in a smattering of old songs including "They/Them/Theirs" from Imaginary Life and "Future Me" from Survival Pop. The combination of punchy chords, catchy hooks, and Lauren's unique vocal timbre resulted in a warm and inviting energy to the room that kept the audience entertained.
Next up were Drug Church. I'd been familiar with the name for years, but have never actually listened to one of their albums. Up until recently, admittedly, they've been a band I got confused with Gouge Away and Culture Abuse. Don't ask me why. This was my first real exposure to them and I was blown away. Despite being the support act, for a very different type of band, frontman Patrick Kindlon still managed to connect with the crowd. He danced across the stage, declared the barrier as being "imaginary" and invited fans to make their way to the stage. If the bouncers thought they were going to have an easy night, they were sorely mistaken as a steady stream of crowd surfers started to make their way to the band.
Next up were punk vets, Alkaline Trio. They opened the set with their new album opener "Hot For Preacher" before jumping back to their breakout single, "We've Had Enough." The energy from Drug Church carried over as a slew of people began crowd surfing. Newcomer on the tour is drummer, Atom Willard, who's filling in after long-time drummer, Derek Grant decided to step away from the band. While the overall feel of some songs was different, Atom did well to fill Grant's shoes.
Alkaline Trio decided to shake up the setlists this go around, abandoning some setlist staples for years like "Private Eye," "Cringe," and "This Could Be Love." They rotated in some songs that haven't been played in years like "Dine Dine My Darling," "Burned is the House," and "Fuck You, Aurora." The setlist change could be felt throughout the room, for better or for worse. On the one hand, it gave long-time fans a chance to experience some songs they may not have had a chance to see in the past, but on the other hand, the crowd wasn't singing as much during some of the deeper cuts. The band continued to try out new tracks like "Break," "Versions of You" and "Bad Time" while working in classics such as "Mr. Chainsaw," "Goodbye Forever" and "All On Black."
They closed out the set with "Teenage Heart." When they came back for their encore, they went into "Time to Waste" and long-time fan favorite and closer, "Radio." The loud chorus of fans during the song's "I've got a big fat fucking bone to pick with you my darling" sing-along was something that you could sense the crowd had been anticipating all night. If they had to trade out any staples, it's fortunate that "Radio" didn't make the cutting room floor.
Although there were some early tour hiccups, or as Skiba described it, "dusting off the cobwebs," they still sounded great! They're finding their chemistry with Atom Willard and giving the fans something different this tour. The entire line-up is varied and something special, and it's not a tour to miss. Catch it when it comes through your city.
