PUNK IN DRUBLIC at PETCO PARK

PUNK IN DRUBLIC

at PETCO PARK

April 18, 2022 Festival Review by Rachael Contreras

Petco Park in San Diego is normally known as the home for MLB’s San Diego Padres, but on March 26th, it was home to one of the best punk rock and craft beer festivals around, Punk in Drublic.

You know the world has started to right itself when you can count on the annual Punk in Drublic coming your way. It was a delightful day of sun, beer tastings, rad music, and a cool breeze right off the ocean. You could see the world-famous Coronado Bridge on one side and Petco Park on the other.

Set up in the premier parking lot was an entrance with little to no line, thanks to the efficiency of those checking tickets. On the other side of the parking lot was a gigantic stage with Punk in Drublic banners flowing in the wind. Between them were the tasting tables with shots of the liquid gold in miniature beer steins with Punk in Drublic logos on them, porta-potties, and merch booths; nothing was missed.

Urethane kicked off the extravaganza and blew the crowd away with their cover of Dramarama’s “Anything, Anything.” The crowd and food lines started to grow as Love Canal took the stage an hour later. While The Last Gang was on stage, the free tastings ended and patrons had to purchase their own alcohol, which made the lines grow exponentially but with good reason. All of the drinks were canned, but there were still plenty of options for beer, soda, and pre-mixed cocktails, including a super delicious grapefruit one that I still dream about at night.

Get Dead hit the stage at 3:30 and brought the heat, literally. The forecast for that day was in the ’60s, but it felt closer to 80s. These punk fans were not expecting the heat against the asphalt with no places to sit and no shade, so they were taking cover where they could, or just drinking more to keep cool. Some people most likely weren’t feeling great the next day, but gave their friends some funny stories to tell.

Lagwagon came on next and blasted the crowd with fan favorites “Violins” and “May 16.” Everyone had their eyes on the stage, no matter what line they were in, in fear of missing out on the next amazing thing.

Face to Face took to the stage as the sun started to set and the air cooled around us, making it more bearable in our black-punk attire. Playing with them was Authority Zero’s drummer, Chris Dalley, who was standing in for Danny Thompson. F2F played lots of great hits, including “I Won’t Lie Down,” and finished off their set with their signature closure, “Disconnected.” The crowd went bananas and created a second mosh pit in the back of the crowd that was shut down early by security.

Next up was Hermosa’s own Pennywise. Fresh off the heels of playing the previous three weekends at Garden Amp, Pennywise played all our favorite songs, including “Same Old Story” and “Society.” During “Society,” front-man Jim Lindberg and guitarist Fletcher Dragge separate the crowd to see which side can cheer the loudest, which creates a fantastic build-up to the chorus where everyone screams, “SOCIETY!” Lindberg shared some sweet words about Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, having just lost him the previous day. His words were fresh and meaningful, and they dedicated their signature closure, “Bro Hymn,” to Hawkins. Instead of singing their usual dedication lyrics, they sang “Oliver Taylor Hawkins this one’s for you,” which led the crowd to erupt in a collective cheer.

After some downtime to purchase band merchandise and get your last-minute food and drinks in, NOFX was there to cap off the night. Even with their shoebox-sized sign, there’s no denying it when NOFX takes the stage. Front-man Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin took turns singing as the crowd looked on in amazement of the performers. “Stickin in My Eye” and “The Brews” are always crowd pleasers and easy for fans to sing along to. They played a plethora of songs but ended their set with “Kill All the White Man,” which the crowd collectively sang.

The day was long but exciting and we can’t wait to see videos from all the great bands on the upcoming Punk in Drublic happenings in other states and overseas this summer.

EVENT PHOTO GALLERY

by Fatima Kelley Photography

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