Coming off the high from seeing The Damned the night before, on Saturday, November 2, 2018 I managed to catch Daddy Issues and Tiny Moving Parts open for The Menzingers at the Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles. I’ve seen The Menzingers plenty of times, but this sold out show in particular stood out from the others because for the first time ever I decided to splurge (the pricing was actually quite fair) and got the “Before The Party” VIP package, which among other things, included an acoustic set by the band before the show started.

Around 6PM guitarists and vocalists Tom May and Greg Barnett were all set up on the floor of the venue with a small PA system and their acoustic guitars. They had some songs that they had planned on playing like “Midwestern States” and “Your Wild Years,” but apparently they also took requests from fans online. This was my first time seeing The Menzingers’ acoustic show so I was just happy to be there, but it was very cool to hear “Male Call” live as well as an acoustic version of “Burn After Writing.” The most notable part of the set was that they played “Nothing Feels Good Anymore,” which was requested from one of the fans towards the front of the audience. The duo mentioned that was only the second time ever that they had played the song live.

The Menzingers’ Acoustic Performance Set List

Midwestern States

Male Call

Nothing Feels Good Anymore

Mexican Guitars

Burn After Writing

Your Wild Years

The actual concert started at 8PM with a band called Daddy Issues. This was the first time I had seen them perform or had hear any of their music. The trio eased the audience into the show with their indie and grunge-sounding tunes like “Locked Out,” “Dog Years,” and “High St.” They half-hour set was mellow, but powerful, and overall very enjoyable.

Up next was Tiny Moving Parts, a band that I constantly hear about, but was somewhat unfamiliar with. For me, they were the surprise of the night. Just from a guitarist’s perspective I was totally in awe of Dylan Mattheisen’s style. The plucking and tapping was absolutely incredible — and he did all that while sing lead. My mouth dropped open in amazement once or twice. It was some of the most unique guitar played I had seen live in a long time. The band really got the crowd energy up and raging with songs such as “Feel Alive,” “Birdhouse,” and “Applause.” Tiny Moving Parts put on a very tight and energetic show, which got the audience hyped (and then some) for The Menzingers. At 10PM The Menzingers took the stage for what would be a hell of an hour and a half set. For the most part they played songs from the Epitaph Records part of their discography. They started off the performance with “After The Party” and “House Of Fire.” The packed house was going wild for the entire show especially during songs like “Thick As Thieves,” “The Obituaries,” “In Remission,” and especially when those opening notes to “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” rang out. And I made sure to scream along to “Burn After Writing” and “Bad Catholics” among many others. What was also really amazing about the band’s set was that they played the two new tracks they had released this year, “Toy Soldier” and “The Freaks,” both of which sound incredible live. There were a couple of instances where it seemed like a house PA for one of the guitars went in and out, but it didn’t faze the band (they persevered through it) nor the crowd. Everyone was too busy jumping around, having a great time, and singing along.

Again, for the most part (as you’ll see below), The Menzingers stuck to playing songs from On The Impossible Past, Rented World, and After The Party, but toward the end of their set they did play “Time Tables” from Chamberlain Waits. They then ended with “Casey” only to walk back on stage couple minutes for an encore that consisted of “Midwestern States” and “Gates.” The very last song of the night was “Tellin’ Lies,” which was interesting because if I’m not mistaken the last time I saw them the group started that show out with that track.

The Menzingers’ Set List:

After The Party

House On Fire

Good Things

Burn After Writing

Lookers

Thick As Thieves

Rodent

Ava House

The Obituaries

Your Wild Years

Toy Soldier

Nice Things

In Remission

The Freaks

Bad Catholics

I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore

Boy Blue

Time Tables

Casey

Encore:

Midwestern States

Gates

Tellin' Lies

This was definitely a show I won’t forget. Again, I’m not one for getting VIP tickets, but the value was so good for this show that I had to snag one. Along with the awesome acoustic performance before the actual show, there was a meet and greet and all of the VIP ticket holders (around 50 of us or so) received a gold copy of the Toy Soldier/The Freaks 7-inch that was signed by all four members of the band. The concert itself was amazing though. Daddy Issues were great and Tiny Moving Parts were very impressive. The Menzingers are always sure to put on a magnificent and masterful performance and this one was no exception. I can’t wait to see them again when roll back into Los Angeles.

You can see some pictures of the show on the Punknews Instagram.