Punk icons Less Than Jake and Bowling for Soup bring the final night of this leg of their Back for the Attack Tour to Las Vegas to a huge crowd of loyal followers.
Pop punk and ska punk are two genres that we do not see enough of and clearly the crowd tonight agrees. It has been way too long since many in attendance have seen these bands but Bowling for Soup and Less Than Jake are going to deliver. This is the last leg of the Back for the Attack Tour and the crowd is clearly pumped up for this co-headlining show.
Bowling for Soup takes the stage without a ton of fanfare. The song “Hear Comes Bowling for Soup” is played but that is all that is mellow about this set. For the casual listener, it is hard to remember how long this band has been doing this but founded in 1994 with 11 studio albums to their name including the 2022 Pop Drunk Snot Bread, they have an extensive catalog. The songs tonight include the old and the new with frontman Jaret Reddick joking before a new song that it is time for everyone to go to the bar. Their set includes “Highschool Never Ends,” “The Last Rock Show,” “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” and “Ohio (Come Back to Texas)” before closing out with a sped-up version of their biggest hit “1985.” While that may be their biggest hit, the crowd knows all the songs and is singing along and waving their hands in the air. There is a feeling of pure joy and energy in the crowd. The sped-up “1985” is refreshing and more punk than it normally is but it is a huge hit with the crowd.
Less Than Jake is up next to close out the night. This ska punk band was a staple on the Warped Tour for a lot of years and for many in attendance, that was the last time they saw this band which is far too long ago for the eager fans. Less Than Jake hasn’t released new music since 2020 but they still have an impressive nine-album catalog to draw from. The set tonight includes “Automatic,” “Lie to Me,” “High Cost of Low Living” and “History of a Boring Town.” When you watch this band, it is hard not to be happy and feel the excitement from the toilet paper launched into the crowd to the horn section consisting of Buddy “Goldfinger” Schaub and Peter “JR” Wasilewski. They are only surpassed in energy by bassist Roger Lima and frontman Chris DeMakes. It is high energy and overall fun throughout the entire set before it closes out with “The Ghosts of Me and You,” “My Very Own Flag” and the ever-popular “All My Best Friends are Metalheads.” The energy is intense from start to finish and it is clear the crowd has missed these bands. You may think you don’t know a lot of their songs but as they play, you realize how many you do know and you are caught up with the happy energy of the night. This was the last show of this leg of the tour but it will be continuing. If you want to see a great pop punk/ska punk, happy, fun show, do not miss this when it comes to your town.LESS THAN JAKE
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