This year punks were granted a special Punk in the Park treat; a pre-game of sorts called Punk in the Park-ing Lot. A tailgate-esqe affair that brought us beer, live punk music, and more opportunity to hang out with new and old friends at Rad Beer in Anaheim.
Kicking off this inaugural event were The Gringoz, followed by the sweet sounds of Punk Rock Karaoke where patrons got on stage to sing their favorite punk songs, played by punk band members. A few kids got on stage and sang their hearts out while showing the crowd their stage presence and wide vocabulary (think “Bad Habit” by The Offspring sung by an 8-year-old girl)!
This all-ages event was headlined by everyone’s favorite Chicano punk cover band, Manic Hispanic. Introduced to the stage by Brew Ha Ha Grand Poobah, Cameron Collins. The seven guys jumped on stage like they were being chased by the law and got the crowd pumped up.
Having my own three kids there gave them the opportunity to see the live version of the music we listen to at home. Hearing the stories of Manic Hispanic bouncing around on the stage wasn’t the same as experiencing it themselves! The crowd was relaxed and everyone had a smile on their face, even my kids – and they usually don’t like anything mom is into!
Manic played all the crowd favorites – “Holding Cell,” “Teardrop on My Eye,” “Chancla Abuser” – but finished off the set with the song they released last week, “A Message to You Chunti,” sung to the tune of The Specials’ “A Message to You Rudy.”
This was an absolutely perfect event to wet your whistle with excitement for the main event coming to us next week.
Punk in the Park is also an all-ages event, so be sure to bring the whole family so they can all experience the live versions of some of the greatest bands in modern punk like Pennywise, Circle Jerks, Descendents, Goldfinger, Buzzcocks, plus some of the most legendary vert ramp athletes of our time!
