Show Review: Bad Religion and Alkaline Trio Were A Match Made in Punk Rock Heaven at The Hollywood Palladium

**Bad Religion playing a SOLD OUT show at The Hollywood Palladium.**

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JAZMIN LEMUS

In October, one of the best tours since touring resumed kicked off and made its way across the country. That tour featured Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, and War On Women. It was scheduled for two dates at The Hollywood Palladium last month. Due to a Covid infection in the Bad Religion camp, the shows were rescheduled along with the other dates that were also postponed. Unfortunately, War On Women were not able to take part in the rescheduled dates. The opening acts varied per date for the rescheduled shows. The L.A. show that I attended was the first of two. Bad Religion and Alkaline Trio invited The Paranoyds to be part of the show. Excellent choice!

The day finally arrived! Friday, December 10th, would also mark the last show I would attend in 2021. L.A.’s The Paranoyds kicked off the night and although, the venue wasn’t full yet, those in attendance were feeling it! I sure was. The alternative/indie rock band was able to engage with fans as people were tuning in during their set. It may also be safe to say that they can attract fans from different parts of the musical spectrum as their sound has been compared to the likes of Shannon and the Clams, The Germs, and The Go-Go's, if you throw them all together into a blender. As The Paranoyds were wrapping up their set, the crowd was more than ready for Chicago’s Alkaline Trio.

Due to the band being engaged in other musical projects in recent years, it feels rare to get to experience an Alkaline Trio show, especially with Covid now being a part of the picture. When this tour was announced, I knew this was a tour I had to check out. If we recall, the tour was originally going to take place in the spring of 2020, but then we know what happened. Eventually, the shows were cancelled and fans got their money back. Fast forward to earlier this year, the news broke out that the same tour lineup would be heading out on the road.

The last time I saw Alkaline Trio was at the Vans Warped Tour in 2010, so it was something I had been looking forward to when the band was officially hitting the road. To kick off the set, the band played “Private Eye” followed by “We’ve Had Enough” and “I Wanna Be a Warhol”. Within the first few minutes of the set, those Alkaline Trio fans that were up against the barricade did not hold back in singing along at the top of their lungs. Throughout the set, Alkaline Trio continued to deliver gems and played fan favorites such as “ Warbrain”, “Mercy Me”, and “Armageddon”. There definitely was crowdsurfing during Trio’s performance. To end the set, the band wrapped it up with “Radio”.

By the time Bad Religion took the stage, fans were more than ready to sing and mosh. The punk rock veterans kicked things off with “Recipe For Hate” and as soon as the first note dropped, fans prepared to start moshing. The opening track was immediately followed by “Flat Earth Society”, “Fuck You”, and “Come Join Us”. There was not a dull moment throughout the set as Bad Religion continued to play fan favorites and the hits as they played 21 songs, not including the encore. Some of those songs included “Los Angeles Is Burning”, “Generator”, “Better Off Dead”, “I Want To Conquer the World”, “21st Century (Digital Boy")”, “Infected”, and “Sorrow”. To wrap up the set, Bad Religion ended it with “American Jesus”. It didn’t take long for the band to come back to the stage for an encore. The band ended the night with “Fuck Armageddon…This Is Hell”. Before the band got off stage, bassist, Jay Bentley, took a quick moment to thank the fans for their patience during the last two years as the music industry has struggled due to the pandemic. Personally, I feel like WE are the ones that should thank the bands for going on tour. Even though many bands have missed being on the road, they have still put themselves at risk as they have gone on to learn how to do what they love to do in a safe manner.

Thank you Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, and The Paranoyds for ending my year in such a POSI way!