Tonight we saw Pennywise at The Tivoli in downtown Brisbane and boy, did they go off. 
I have been a huge fan of Pennywise for many years and have seen them a couple times. The first time back in Coffs Harbour a few years ago and more recently a couple years ago at the Soundwave Festival in Brisbane and they are so good live. The crowd, both young and old were in fine form at The Tivoli, a great venue for an up close and personal look at your favourite band. We saw Joe Satriani in concert here last year and we were right up the front. This time we opted for a view from the mezzanine level and we could see the whole stage.

Pennywise were supported by Local Resident Failure, a homegrown punk band from Newcastle in Australia. A great opportunity for this up and coming band. They were really tight and had some great sounds.

 Band members are Dal on vocals/bass, Dan on backups/guitar, Smitty on drums and Feffy on guitar/vocals. I look forward to listening to more of their material and catching them live again. What a great gig to get for this upcoming Aussie punk band.
Next up were Anti-Flag, an American punk rock band from Pittsburg, PA who really got the audience going. I have to admit that I haven’t listened to much of their stuff and I own one of their CDs too. From now on they’ll be high on my playlist. The guys were totally awesome and really rocked the stage with their original tunes and punchy on stage presence. Band members are Justin Sane on guitar/vocals, Pat Thetic on drums, Chris #2 on bass/vocals and Chris Head on guitar.  The guys all put in a stellar performance but the highlight was Chris #2 who really got the crowd going with the band’s message, great vocals and high energy, not missing a beat once. Both Chris # 2 and the drummer Pat moved to the centre of the mosh pit for the end of their set. Their rendition of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” was another highlight for both young and old alike.
The guys are accompanying Pennywise on this tour of Australia as part of their “American Spring” tour which includes Asia, Australia and Europe so if they’re in your neck of the woods you really should check them out. It also coincides with the release of their new album “American Springs”. I’ve got to get that one to add to my collection. Awesome songs. Well done guys! 
Next up, the main event, “Pennywise”. I know I love my metal but Pennywise take me back to my days of skateboarding and surfing and the time when I first fell in love with their music. It was so awesome to see them live again. Although Jim said they were all suffering jetlag, it didn’t show. In fact, it felt like a very intimate performance with conversation in between songs and Jim telling us how much he loved being in Australia. 
In fact the boys did a rendition of “Land Down Under” by Aussie band Men At Work and they did it well in typical Pennywise upbeat style. Fletcher was his usual cool self as was Randy and Byron who didn’t miss a beat in his performance. That guys amazes me on the drums. There were a few audience members who ran on stage right at the end so we’re not sure if there was an encore planned but I sure did get my fill of Pennywise on the night. For a bunch of guys who aren’t as young as they used to be (and I mean that in the nicest possible way), they put in a strong performance and were just as good as I remember them, all those years ago (20 years in fact). The band are on their “About Time 20th Anniversary Tour”. You better hurry and get tickets as they’re selling out fast.
A fantastic night seeing three awesome bands. Pennywise will still always be a favourite of mine.