The Descendents were in town last week for their Canadian tour, along with the Buzzcocks and the pop-punk band, Mattstagraham. The all-ages show was held at MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary.
Mattstagraham was an excellent choice to start things off; their fast, energetic, and melodic pop-punk sound meshed well with the other bands. Their captivating set got the audience pumped for the rest of the night, featuring tracks from their relatively small but strong discography, including songs from their latest album, Yellow Paint. Tracks like “Still Dumb, Still Rock and Roll” and “Caffeine” were crowd-pleasers, and the set went over well with the audience.
When the Buzzcocks took the stage, you’d have thought they were the headliners. The crowd was hyped, to say the least. Steve Diggle appeared on stage with a harmonica in hand, and everyone was ready. Their performance was amazing, and it was incredible to hear so many of their hits live, including “Orgasm Addict”, “Ever Fallen in Love”, and “Why Can’t I Touch It”. The audience loved the show and was thrilled to be there.
As the Descendents made their way on stage, the crowd went crazy. Milo announced it was Bill Stevenson’s birthday the day before, so naturally, the crowd sang to him. As one of the last stops on the tour, Milo stated they would go all out, and they certainly delivered. They played a ton of their hits, from classics like “Suburban Home” and “Silly Girl” to more recent favorites, such as “Everything Sux”, “I’m the One”, and “On Paper”. It was a stellar performance from start to finish. They kept the crowd entertained with some humor, trying to keep it PG for the kids – mostly fart jokes. Having promised a return to Calgary, they departed the stage, only to come back for a brief encore and play a slew of tracks from their 1986 album, Enjoy. As always, the audience was thrilled and eager for more. We can’t wait for them to come back!
Check out more photos below.