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| Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
A capacity crowd at The Masonic was rocked Wednesday night by a punk rock show featuring three diverse bands under the “punk” umbrella. Worriers, Drug Church and headliners Alkaline Trio all hit different sides of the genre to create a well-paced night that avoided any type of same-same sound syndrome.
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| Worriers @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Taking the stage five minutes earlier than their scheduled start time, Worriers decided to max their time on stage. Lead singer Lauren Denitzio’s terrific songwriting and voice that stirs memories of Cranberries’ Delores O’Riordan and Sinead O’Connor was supported by lead guitarist Frank Piegaro’s commanding string sound. Worriers adeptly changed pace as they balanced softer, vivid melodies with driving, powerful choruses.
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| Worriers' Lauren Denitzio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Starting off with “Big Feelings” and “PWR CPLE” off 2020’s amazing You or Someone You Know, Denitzio and band set a blistering pace. That album is in my top five of the ‘20s and if you haven’t given it a listen, you’d be well-advised to put it on. I found it in my frequent rotation through the last days of Covid isolation and it has never left my “recently played.”
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| Worriers' Frank Piegaro @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The prolific Denitzio put out two albums in 2023 with the softer Warm Blanket and harder Trust Your Gut. Their performance Wednesday night spotlighted two songs off the harder album with “Hold My Breath” and “Trust Your Gut” that received large welcoming ovations from the appreciative crowd. Worriers finished with a rousing version of “Grand Closing” a song that starts off slow and softly reflective before kicking into a memorably gigantic crescendo. Worriers’ performance left the crowd buzzing and I overheard many people in front asking for more information on the band who combine insightful, modern lyrics with a sound that packs an arena punch.
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| Drug Church @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“We are fucking Drug Church!” shouted Drug Church lead singer Patrick Kindlon as he gazed out at the crowd with the knowing and confident look of a performer who has mastered the puppeteer-like ability to pull an audience’s strings. From the outset, Kindlon made it clear that the audience was expected to be engaged whether in the mosh pit or surfing the crowd. He paced back and forth across the stage throughout the performance, frequently pausing to take in the crowd’s movements with a smile and encouraging them to get up.
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| Drug Church @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Drug Church’s sound was a combination of huge riffs and Kindlon’s rapid-fire vocals were reminiscent of the 80’s mosh punk scene at Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley. Lead guitarist Nick Cogan seemed to be playing on a pogo stick as he was continually air-bound while creating a wall of sound. “Grubby,” “Avoidorama” and “World Impact” started out the night and the band never let up on their fury, while Kindlon frequently engaged the audience with his self-effacing humor.
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| Patrick Kindlon & Nick Cogan of Drug Church @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
"Here's gonna’ be the order of the day,” Kindlon told the crowd as he wiped his face with an ever-present black towel. “I’m gonna’ send people up. We need everyone to look out for each other. No one is going to drop anyone as these gentlemen are going to catch you and help you up here.” Kudos must be given out to the security team at The Masonic as they handled dozens of surfers coming over the barricade throughout the performance. Under the watch of Kindlon, it was a loving, fun atmosphere for the crowd and security with Kindlon even offering relief to anyone up front who was uncomfortable along with a promise that he would ensure they were put back in their place for the headliner. The energy of the band and Kindlon’s showmanship made for an experience that was visually and sonically compelling. Drug Church will be back at Sacramento’s Aftershock Festival in October and should be marked as a band to include in any attendee’s itinerary.
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| Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
As the lights dimmed, headliners (and semi-local heroes) Alkaline Trio took to a completely uncluttered stage dressed in suits and ties with their large logo above. The trio is touring in support of their terrific new album Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs and wasted no time getting to the new material with “Hot for Preacher.” Guitarist/Singer Matt Skiba, bassist/singer Dan Andriano and drummer Atom Willard set a blistering pace that never let up on a night where Alkaline would deliver twenty songs in an 80-minute performance.
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| Atom Willard of Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“It’s nice to be back in San Francisco,” Skiba told the audience. I used to live two blocks away from here. They hated me there. I hated me there,” he laughed. Skiba and Andriano passed lead vocal duties back and forth throughout the show as Willard provided a frenzied pace. Willard’s persona blasted through in his performance as he displayed tons of charisma and positive energy from behind his kit. Many might recognize him from his time in Angels & Airwaves but his ability to bring so much personality and connect with the audience from deep on the stage was Tommy Lee-like on this night.
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| Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Substance provided the style when it came to Alkaline’s set. Their dapper dress style was complimented by only microphone stands and amplifiers on the front of the stage and simple background logos and terrific lighting provided a framework that focused on the music. “We’ve had enough” from 2003’s Good Mourning and “Take Lots with Alcohol” of 2001’s From Here to Infirmary followed. In concert, the songs were still so relevant and contemporary, it was hard to believe both were more than two decades old. Blending the old with the new, the terrific “Bad Time” off the new album followed, along with Andriano leading a stellar version of album-mate “Versions of You.” A driving “Mr. Chainsaw” with Skiba at the helm followed and saw the crowd lustily singing along.
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| Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
When the band reached “Armageddon” the crowd surfers ramped way up with many coming up over the barricade. Unlike Drug Church before them, Alkaline did not encourage the audience to make the journey over their fellow crowd members. A fun “Fuck You Aurora” followed from the Illinois-native Skiba. “Mercy Me” the lead song off 2005’s Crimson followed with the crowd singing along with the chorus as they thrust their arms high up in the air.
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| Dan Adriano of Alkaline Trio @ the Masonic Auditorium (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Thank you very much San Francisco! San Francisco, Bay Area California. The beautiful. Have you guys had a chance to check out a new album we put out called Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs?” Andriano asked the crowd. When many responded in the affirmative, he replied “F*#k Yeah! Thanks for doing that. We’re very excited about it” and Alkaline kicked into a thrilling version of the title song that provided a great showing of the strength of the shared harmonies and vocals of Skiba and Andriano when delivering lyrics together, while Willard fueled the frequent changes of pace in the song. The band then powered the final three songs of the main set with “Stupid Kid,” “Private Eye” and “Time to Waste” before returning to the stage for an encore of “Radio” off 2000’s Maybe I’ll Catch Fire. On a night packed with great performances, Alkaline demonstrated the lasting freshness of their long catalog and the impressive abilities of the current lineup.
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