Posted: by The Editor
One of the most exciting U.S. tours of the year so far wrapped up last Saturday at House of Blues in Anaheim. I’m talking about The Interrupters headliner (or co-headliner, if you had the opportunity to catch them with Frank Turner earlier on the tour).
The L.A. based ska punk band has had a busy few months playing shows in support of their latest album, In The Wild. Although Frank Turner didn’t play on the last few days of the tour, the lineup was still a great one! Anaheim was graced with the presence of Canadian ska/reggae band, Bedouin Soundclash. The band played nine tunes during their 30 minute set. One of those songs was “Walk Through Fire.” The actual recording of the song features The Interrupters’ very own Aimee interrupter. The band played the song and were joined by Aimee plus Kevin Bivona, guitarist and backup vocalist for The Interrupters. Following the performance of Bedouin Soundclash was the Southern California ska/reggae band, Hepcat.
As Hepcat took the stage and performed, fans that knew their music couldn’t help it, but sing and dance along. Even if you’re not familiar with the band’s discography, seeing how much fun the band had on stage was contagious. It was noticeable for fans of Hepcat however, that Greg Lee (one of the lead vocalists) and Greg Narvas (drums) weren’t present at the show so Jesse Wagner and Krees Borbon of L.A. based band, The Aggrolites filled in. As Hepcat wrapped up their 45 minute set, fans were more than ready to see The Interrupters take the stage.
As has been a tradition for a number of years now, The Interrupters took the stage to the tune of “Ghost Town” by The Specials. The band did not hesitate and as soon as they dropped the first note of their first song and fan favorite, “Take Back The Power,” there were happy faces everywhere you looked. Following “Take Back The Power” was “Title Holder” and “White Noise.” Throughout the night, The Interrupters mixed up their setlist and although they played a significant amount of songs off In The Wild, they still played fan favorites and deep cuts off their other three records. Some songs off the new record they played were “Kiss The Ground,” “Let ‘em Go,” “Anything Was Better,” plus the singles, “In The Mirror” and “Raised By Wolves.” Another track they played off In The Wildwas the closing track, “Alien” followed by the first verse and chorus of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
During the 80 minutes of music we got to hear The Interrupters play, we were treated to “Judge Not,” “Easy On You,” “A Friend Like Me,” and “Family” off their self-titled album. From their second album, Say It Out Loud, the band played “On A Turntable,” “She Got Arrested,” “By My Side,” and “The Valley.” With Fight The Good Fight being the album that led the band to having their music constantly played on the radio, there was no way the night could end without hearing songs from that album. We were treated to songs such as “Got Each Other,” “Gave You Everything,” and the last song of the night, “She’s Kerosene.”
Before the night ended, Kevin shared some thoughts with the fans. “You really have changed our lives,” he said. “Selling out the House of Blues is something we could’ve only dreamed of. The only reason that that happened is because of all of you beautiful souls.”
This show has been one of my favorites of the year. If you’re still wondering what the big deal is about The Interrupters, please don’t wonder any longer and get to the gig the next time they play your town. Whether it’s been at a festival or as a supporting act or as a headliner, they only continue to dominate while the rest of us continue to dance.
Photos by Jazmin Lemus
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