Pennywise @ HISTORY
Toronto, Canada — September 27, 2026
Pennywise Live Review – Eastern North American Fall 2026 Tour
Toronto was the only Canadian stop on Pennywise’s 10-date Eastern North American fall tour, bringing an incredible bill of old-school punk and hardcore veterans to HISTORY on September 27. The lineup featured Murphy’s Law, H₂O and Circle Jerks supporting Pennywise, making this one of those shows where the supporting acts alone were worth the price of admission.
After Pennywise’s appearance at the 2026 Vans Warped Tour in Montréal earlier in August, Canadian fans were once again treated to a full-length Pennywise club show — this time with a much longer set and a packed room ready to sing along.
Murphy’s Law
I arrived super early, mostly out of pure excitement. First up was Murphy’s Law, and they wasted no time connecting with the crowd.
Vocalist Jimmy Drescher jumped straight off the stage and into the pit, singing alongside the fans. At one point, he even cracked open a six-pack of beer, making the whole thing feel less like a traditional opening set and more like a private punk-rock party that just happened to be taking place in the middle of HISTORY.
It immediately got the crowd engaged, and as the venue slowly filled in, the energy continued to build.
H₂O
Next up was H₂O, a band that has been an important part of the punk and hardcore scene since the 1990s. I remember seeing their name on countless flyers for punk shows in Montréal back in the day, so seeing them on this bill was a bit of a nostalgic moment.
One thing that immediately caught my attention was the drummer. Behind the kit was a much younger face, and vocalist Toby Morse eventually explained that the drummer was his son, Maximus Henry Morse, who was 23.
I have to say, I was really impressed with him. He played with confidence and kept up with the band's energetic set without missing a beat.
There was also a funny moment when Toby asked the crowd who had bought H₂O's CD in 1996. Quite a few hands went up. Then he asked who was born in 1996 — and suddenly a whole new section of the audience had their hands in the air.
Toby kept going, asking about increasingly older birth years. By the time he reached 1960, there were still a few hands in the air. It was a great reminder of just how many generations of punk fans were represented in the room.
Circle Jerks
By this point, HISTORY was looking pretty full and ready to take on Circle Jerks.
Formed in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1979, Circle Jerks are one of the defining bands of early American hardcore punk. Fronted by founding member Keith Morris, the band helped establish the fast, raw and chaotic sound that would become a blueprint for hardcore punk. Their landmark 1980 debut, Group Sex, remains one of the genre's essential records.
More than four decades later, Morris is still delivering that same unmistakable intensity onstage. For this tour, he was joined by fellow founding member Greg Hetson on guitar, longtime bassist Zander Schloss and drummer Joey Castillo.
This was actually my first time seeing Circle Jerks live, and it was a pretty special one.
Morris also mentioned from the stage that it was his birthday — and that he had just turned 71.
Seventy-one!
Watching him tear through a Circle Jerks set with that much energy was one of the highlights of the evening. For a band with this much history behind it, there was nothing that felt like a museum piece about the performance. It was loud, fast and unapologetically punk.
Pennywise
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Pennywise.
The lights went down and vocalist Jim Lindberg walked onto the stage, cell phone in hand, filming the crowd while holding a cup in the other. He was wearing a black T-shirt featuring the words “Listen to Bad Brains,” an appropriate choice for a night deeply rooted in punk history.
From a visual standpoint, I couldn't help but appreciate the production. As a graphic designer, I've always loved the Pennywise logo, and seeing that iconic logo blown up across the giant backdrop was pretty spectacular. Combined with the red and blue lighting, it created a dark, energetic atmosphere that fit the band's music perfectly.
The set itself was essentially a crash course through Pennywise's history.
The band moved quickly through songs such as “Peaceful Day,” “My Own Country,” “Straight Ahead,” “Same Old Story,” “Violence Never Ending,” “The World,” “Homeless,” “Every Single Day,” “Pennywise,” “Fuck Authority,” “Unknown Road,” “Perfect People,” “Society,” “Broken,” “Alien” and “Living for Today.”
It was a particularly satisfying setlist for longtime fans because it leaned heavily into the band's classic material. Rather than focusing on newer songs, Pennywise went deep into the catalogue that established them as one of Southern California's defining melodic hardcore bands.
And, of course, there were some surprises.
The NOFX connection
I've been noticing a recurring theme lately: since NOFX retired from touring, a number of punk bands have been paying tribute to them by working some of their songs into their live sets.
Pennywise did exactly that in Toronto, working “Bob” and “Kill All the White Man” into the show.
Hearing those songs in a Pennywise set was a great nod to the band's longtime friendship with the NOFX camp. Jim also joked about the fact that Pennywise isn't giving up anytime soon and will continue playing music and touring.
For fans of this generation of punk, that's reassuring to hear.
Jim also mentioned that Pennywise had brought over members of the NOFX crew, joking that they were keeping them employed. It was a funny moment, but it also captured something bigger about the punk community: after decades of touring together, these bands have built a network that extends far beyond simply sharing stages.
Special guests and a massive finale
The surprises didn't end there.
At one point, Jim from Murphy's Law joined Jim Lindberg onstage for a duet, immediately sending the pit into another frenzy.
But the biggest surprise was saved for the finale.
As Randy Bradbury started playing “Bro Hymn,” the song that has become Pennywise's ultimate live anthem, the stage suddenly became packed with familiar faces.
Cone, formerly of Sum 41, stepped in on bass, while Ian D'Sa of Billy Talent joined to sing along with other friends and guests. What followed was exactly the kind of chaotic, communal punk-rock ending you hope for at a show like this.
The crowd sang along, the pit erupted and the stage filled with musicians celebrating the moment together.
And that's really what made this Pennywise show feel special.
It wasn't simply a band playing a collection of classic songs. It felt like a celebration of the punk community itself — musicians from different generations and different bands coming together, sharing the stage and having fun.
Final Thoughts
Pennywise's Toronto show was a night built around punk-rock history, but it never felt stuck in the past.
From Murphy's Law turning the opening set into a beer-fuelled party, to H₂O bringing another generation onto the stage, to Circle Jerks proving that hardcore energy doesn't come with an expiration date, the entire bill felt like a celebration of the scene.
Then Pennywise came out and delivered a set packed with classics, sing-alongs, surprise guests and enough energy to keep the HISTORY crowd moving until the very end.
And closing the night with “Bro Hymn,” surrounded by friends and fellow musicians, was the perfect ending.
Toronto may have been the only Canadian stop on this particular fall tour, but Pennywise certainly made it count
