On March 28th, The Garden performed a chaotic show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, which claims to have a capacity of 1,400… it seemed like they may have oversold. This crowd was massive, hard to move in, and deeply devoted, too. Even an hour before doors there was a line wrapped around the building. By the time we got inside, the venue was completely packed already. Fans of all ages were claiming their spots, and unwilling to give up their view. The majority of the crowd were wearing some sort of clown inspired makeup or face paint. With The Garden and their fans having a black and white jester themed aesthetic, it made me feel like I was at an Adicts show.

While it was pretty clear who most people were here to see, spotting a few people with patch pants and jackets made me feel a little less out of place. I was a little bit surprised to see U.K. punk band The Partisans on this lineup. The Garden themselves even called it “another just plain wrong lineup”, but after doing some research, apparently they have known Fletcher and Wyatt since they were 11 years old! They even toured with then in Europe a couple years back, and it isn’t uncommon for The Garden to play with legendary hardcore punk bands. After the cancellation of Los Angeles’ 2026 C.Y. Fest, The Partisans couldn’t let their travel arrangements go to waste, so they found themselves in Riverside opening for The Garden. In my opinion though, The Partisans stole the show. Even the ones that didn’t know them to begin with I think ended up as fans. Hearing some of their iconic songs, like “17 Years of Hell“, “I Don’t Give a Fuck“, and “Bastards in Blue” live felt so good.

There was a pit for their whole set, and everyone was dancing. They absolutely got the crowd excited.

For a band that has been around since the late 70’s, their energy hasn’t dulled in the slightest. They were a great opener, and in a way kind of showed the audience where The Garden comes from. Modern punk artists The Garden, carry influences from early bands, like The Partisans. After them was a rapper named Ghost Mountain, who I don’t really have much to say on. That was my break time.

9:45 comes around and it’s time for The Garden to hit the stage. Starting off the set with “Horseshit on Route 66“, the crowd was already going insane. I do have to say, The Garden fans know how to pit. The energy in the room never died down once. People were crowd surfing, jumping, and moshing until the very end. Their high energy setlist included songs like “Clay“, “OC93“, and “This Could Build Us a Home“, which were some memorable ones.

Formed in 2011, twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears have turned The Garden into one of the most distinctive and influential acts to come out of Southern California’s underground scene. Being in the audience made it clear that they have found a deeply loyal and devoted fanbase here, and they have basically built their own community. With one on drums and the other on bass, they truly have a one of a kind sound that is hard to put into words. I’ll admit, I wasn’t fully sold on their sound going into this, I just didn’t quite get it. There are some people you just can’t really get into, for no particular reason. However, their performance was so dynamic and engaging that it was impossible not to walk away with an appreciation for what they do. Running and jumping around the whole time while still singing what they’re meant to, it really was a great performance, and their chemistry and stage presence was really astounding.

It wasn’t just the two of them, either. They had a giant jester just lurking the stage with them throughout most of their set. Depending on what you had in your system, he was kinda creepy, and I wouldn’t look at him too close.

With the energy of the crowd, The Partisans and The Garden put on a great show. Not just the music and talent stood out to me, it was also the sense of community. My friend is a fan of them, and like I mentioned earlier I could never get into them. While my plans to go to C.Y. Fest went down the drain (rightfully so), seeing The Partisans as the opener was a sign that I needed to make it to this show, and I’m glad that I did. It was definitely memorable, and I can say I walked out as a newfound fan of The Garden.