After 25 years, it could be expected that any band touring or putting out new music will often be trying to skate by on attempts to recapture some of its past energy. Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn to how close the band is able to sound like previous releases, and shows can often be a sad affair of old guys rehashing a karaoke live set that feels anything but authentic.
Well 2019 marked the release of “Thoughts And Prayers,” the ninth album by Santa Cruz’s Good Riddance, and in an inspiring twist, the music is as heavy, drenched in politics and personal liberation, and as catchy as it ever sounded.
Always lying on the more sincere and topical side of its Fat Wreck Chords labelmates, Good Riddance continues marching forward in the vein of melodic hardcore punk that earlier albums such as “For God And Country” and “Ballads From The Revolution” helped define.
On Thursday, Nov.14, Good Riddance will hit downtown Reno’s The Bluebird Nightclub, along with punk legends MDC, San Francisco’s Get Dead (probably most well-known for providing the soundtrack for hooligan performance artists’ Indecline’s anti-Trump dog-walking video https://thisisindecline.com/flicks/hate-breed ), with Sharp Shock and The Last Gang rounding out the bill.
Anyone questioning Good Riddance’s abilities needs only to listen to its new album to know that this show is not to be passed on.
The show is 18+, tickets available at the door, or a few dollars less if purchased beforehand here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/good-riddance-useless-id-sharp-shock-the-last-gang-tickets-71300147661
— Shaun Astor
