It seems like there’s more and more beer/music festivals popping up these days. Sabroso Craft Beer & music Festival sets itself apart from the herd by adding a pinch of Latin flair to the mix. Not only are there taco and burrito trucks, there’s full on luchador wrestling matches boot! If that’s not enough, there’s also a ton of rad bands who take the stage once everyone’s bellies have been filled with comida y cerveza! At the Denver stop, we were treated to quite a few heavyweight acts including Bad Religion, |Strung Out Black Flag and The Offspring and none of them disappointed. Check out the full write up and gallery, below!
After a quick strafing run of the beer tents, I headed over the lawn area to get prepped for the opening act. The Dendrites. I’ve only been in Denver for about a year now and I still hadn’t gotten a chance to see this local ska troupe, so right from jump Street, I was excited about the evening of music. Tight brass, solid harmonies and upbeat song writing are the pinnacle of any good ska act and this band has all three in spades! I’m not familiar with their catalog so I can’t rattle off song names but the energy level was contagious and the crowd fed off of it from beginning to end. I really hope I get to catch a set again soon!
Next up was “the greatest rock and roll band on the planet” The Dwarves who came to town to get high and fuck some sluts! I was a little pre-occupied with getting situated on the lawn for the day so I didn’t note many of the songs that the legendary punkers played, but I do remember the crowd exploding as the opening chords of “Everybody’s Girl” started. It was a treat to finally see Sgt. Salt Peter, the Doctor of Scatology on bass though!
Before Simi Valley superstars, Strung Out even set foot on the stage I was excited because as the house music quieted down, the opening riffs of “Fat Bottom Girls”, one of my all time personal favorite Queen songs began! Right around that time, lead man Jason Cruz sauntered on stage in his best leather clad, Freddie Mercury garb! The Socal skate punks played though plenty of their deeper cuts like “Mind of My Own”, “Blueprint of the Fall” and “Ultimate Devotion” but also hit us with some fan favorites, like the always popular “Bring out your Dead” and “Rats in the Walls”. Ive seen these guys quite a number of times and now and I never leave feeling unsatisfied. This time was no different! (*Keep an ear out for the Episode 15 of Dying Scene Radio, where I sit down with Chris and Jason from Strung Out! Coming soon to a streaming service near you!*)
The most eagerly anticipated act of the day had to be iconic hardcore trailblazers Black Flag. Now, we all know it’s not the original lineup and there’s a hotly contested debate over whether professional skateboarder and newly tapped frontman Mike Vallely should even be in the band. None of that really matters from where I was standing. I was there for some punk rock and Black Flag is among my list of most influential bands. Greg Ginn and the rest of the Hermosa Beach legends played through their extensive catalog, playing songs from every era “Can’t Decide”, “Nervous Breakdown” and their popular cover of Te Kingman’s “Louie, Louie”. I wish they had played my favorite song “My War” but you can’t always get you want, now can you?
The Vandals are always extremely entertaining and crowds around the world have come to expect that of their live performances. This crowd was no different and the beloved band was eager to satisfy their veracious appetites. “Pat Brown” and “People Who Are Going To Hell” got huge responses but when the audience was given a chance to request songs, and one eager fan recommended “Oi to The World” the amphitheater went nuts, so the Orange County stalwarts, or course obliged request!
Seminal punk act Bad Religion hit the stage next and were met with a vociferous welcome. The crowd had swelled to capacity by this time and you could tell from the volume of their greeting.
The Los Angeles natives touched on some of their many hits like “New Dark Ages” and”Do What You Want” but they also dug a little deeper into the vault and performed some lesser played gems like “Recipe For Hate” and “No Control”. While the pace of the set has certainly slowed a bit over the years, the energy and showmanship has not.
Unfortunately, The Offspring had photo restrictions and issued separate photo passes for their set that I wasn’t lucky enough to be chosen for. Since I had to work early the net day, I left at the end of Bad Religion’s set. With a new album coming out soon though, I’m sure the Garden Grove rockers will back around soon so, maybe next time!