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FRIENDSGIVING Live at Kia Forum with
and Friends
December 2, 2024 Review by Jimmy Alvarez
It was a very cool night in Inglewood; clearly the endless summer had given way to the gateway to the holidays with Friendsgiving with Dirty Heads and friends. There’s always something special about seeing the bands on this lineup, but being at the Forum gave the night an epic feel.
On this night, the crowd that descended upon Inglewood was primed to take in Bikini Trill, ska juggernauts The Interrupters, one of the final appearances by Sublime with Rome, and the headliner, Orange County’s own Dirty Heads.
The crowd was eclectic, every age group was represented and races from everywhere were there too. It was as if Jerry Garcia put out a call to have a party with the Grateful Dead. The night had that kind of vibe, and fans were there to see each band and had stories upon stories what this show meant to them. It was definitely a gathering of the masses to celebrate everything special about life in 2024 and nothing in particular about what’s next in life and music.
The first band up was LA-based surf-pop trio, Bikini Trill. Despite being the first band up, they were clearly happy to be opening at the Forum. The band has had a consistent lineup since they formed back in 2017 with Lauren “LJ” Johnson behind the mic, “Roach” Poursalehi on bass, and Tony Stern on guitar.
Immediately as they stepped onto that enormous stage, LJ took command as if she was a seasoned Forum performer.
Her outfit was amplified by the big screen, the colorful ensemble of colors on LJ’s PJs made everyone smile.
Their performance was an abbreviated one, but it set the mood for the evening with energetic amplitude from Roach and Stern, and LJ delivered captivating vocals to their set.
They had Bikini Trill fans singing along to their entire set.
After a very short intermission, the lights dimmed and the familiar music pumped through the PA system – it was the Specials’ “Ghost Town.” That was a sort of two-minute warning that The Interrupters were coming.
Sure enough, as the song ended, the lights popped on and out came the Bivona brothers. Jesse took his seat behind the drums, Justin on bass ran out with Kevin on lead guitar.
Also on stage was Billy Kottage – he is like the 4th Beatle – he was on keys and trombone. Their opening song, “Gave You Everything,” which is a personal favorite, it captivated the crowd from the first note.
Aimee Interrupter nestled in behind the mic and dropped some seriously legit vocals. Her jaw-dropping performance wowed those in the crowd who were seeing them for the first time; she has that kind of effect on the newbies. With Kevin as a master emcee, the duo worked the crowd through their high-energy set.
As good bands do, they gave the crowd what they came for, songs from the key of ska… “A Friend Like Me,” “On a Turntable,” “In the Mirror,” and “Kiss the Ground,” before taking a quick breath.
Aimee took a quick seat as Kevin welcomed the crowd, then they launched into their next round of infused musical candy with “She Got Arrested.” They slipped into the Billie Eilish cover of “Bad Guy,” and the crowd went nuts, singing along to every single word as Aimee walked the stage from side to side like Jagger teaching class on how to entertain a crowd.
Then, an eruption of sorts when Aimee led us all into “Title Holder,” and a special collaboration with those in the pit as they all screamed out the lyrics to “Take Back the Power.” What a crazy scene that was!
As quickly as they went on, they finished up with “She’s Kerosene.” The band just sounded amped, maybe because it was their last show of 2024, or maybe because they were playing at the friggen Forum, or maybe just maybe, because they just love playing live!
With a wink and a nod, Aimee waved good night, and the band tapped out to the roar of a very happy crowd as they waved goodnight and exited stage left.
I am always amazed when I come to the Forum because the stage crews get bands on and off the stage relatively quickly; this night was no different. Billed as Rome Ramirez’s last performance in L.A. as Sublime with Rome, the unflappable Ramirtez was clearly emotional and visibly happy to feel the love he received as the band took the stage.
Romie opened with “Blackout,” then “Doin’ Time,” which got the first 747-jet-like roar from the crowd.
He paused at the end of the show and thanked everyone for coming out and giving support to Sublime with Rome; he was genuine in thanking the crowd, and the crowd knew it.
Then he smiled as asked, “Come on LA, where are my stoners?” as the baseline of “Smoke Two Joints” overtook the Forum PA, and the crowd lost its mind.
Romie played all the hits, the songs we all grew up with that he put breath back in so we can all take in the splendor that is Sublime with Rome, “You Better Listen,” “Blessings,” and “April 29, 1992.”
He then had a little help with members of Dirty Heads for “Sirens.” The hit parade continued with “What Happened,” “California Radio,” “Black and Blue.” Those tunes simmered the crowd, then the roof of the Forum almost came down with “Wrong Way.”
Ramirez could have played all night, that’s how much the crowd loved what they were hearing. They did “Take It or Leave It” (a Sublime with Rome original) and that crowd ate it up.
Other surprises included a cover of Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias,” followed by “Badfish” and “What I Got.” Then the moment we all knew was coming, the last song in LA for Sublime with Rome, that honor fell appropriately to “Santeria.”
By now the near capacity crowd was set and ready for the main event, the gathering so-to-speak was ready for Dirty Heads.
Boom, just like that the crazy light and video program took center stage followed by Jared “Dirty J” Watson and Duddy B. Bushnell sliding out and opening with “Cloudlifter,” and “My Sweet Summer.” J and Duddy took their turns on vocals and engaging with the crowd.
The energy immediately got elevated with streamers and more tunes that defines the DH sound, “That’s All I Need,” and their kick-ass Joe Walsh cover, “Life’s Been Good.” The crowd went sideways then right-side up singing along.
Other cool tunes the crowd got into were, “Lay Me Down,” which had Romie come out for, then “Midnight Control,” “Rescue Me,” and “Oxygen” also got that 747 reaction. “Bum Bum” and “Burn Slow,” had J and Duddy delivering on their signature sound. Then, Aimee Interrupter appeared on stage to reprise her role as band vocalist to “Rage.”
If you’ve ever been to a Dirty Heads show you know what happened next, if not, it was mind blowing as the guys segued into “Heavy Water,” “Medusa,” and “Sloth’s Revenge,” before they literally made the Forum shake to “Vacation.”
All in all, one of the most energetic and emotional shows we have seen in some time. Sure, lots of reasons it was emotional, but that emotion took the music to another level a greatness.
Ask anyone in showbiz, and they will tell you that you always want your last show of the year to go out with a bang. Well, this was not that – it was more of a boom, a sonic bazooka sized boom! Needless to say. it was a very good night for music in Inglewood.
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SID 241205 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
