Review: Descendants lead Q.C. punk fans in a night of aggression and joy, joined by Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Nobro

This past Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day in the Quad Cities, which boasts the only bi-state St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States. The occasion saw hundreds of people dressed in green and imbibing drinks throughout the day.

As a veteran bartender, I know that the madness of St. Patrick’s calms by roughly 6 p.m., and what would normally be a busy industry Saturday night is often very tame after the dust has settled. Several hundred punk fans, however, either maintained their day-long buzz or avoided the celebration entirely to make it to Davenport’s Capitol Theatre to see the legendary punk band the Descendents. 

The show opener, Canadian garage pop-punk act Nobro, brought their fun, playful energy to the Q.C. With songs like “Let’s Do Drugs” and “Delete Delete Delete,” Nobro deliver upbeat anthems that feel sweet, but with a little bit of grit — perhaps the perfect tribute to parade candy. The crowd was enthusiastic, even if some people were still trickling in during their set.

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls took the stage next, and though I was unfamiliar with his music and sincerely doubt I would vibe with the recordings of the rising pop-punk superstar, Turner knows how to put on an entertaining show. He was very engaging with the audience, starting slow circle pits that would erupt as the music built up and inspiring multiple singalongs. His biggest song, “Be More Kind,” is a touching acoustic number that capitalized on the good spirits and nature of the crowd.

A friend of mine remarked that Frank Turner’s performance at Codfish Hollow was the best show of the season at Iowa’s famous barn venue, and I can see why. Few artists that I have seen in my long history of going to concerts have brought that kind of crowd work and energy. 

It occurred to me that Turner was a hard act to follow, but I shouldn’t have underestimated Descendents. The Cali-punk legends are indeed legends for a reason.

Multiple generations of fans were represented in the crowd. Between that, the crowd’s enthusiasm, and the posts on social media following the show, it became apparent that Descendents occupy a very special place in the punk canon. They are perhaps the one band that could be labeled “pop punk” that appeal to punks who hate pop punk. They were, arguably, the fathers of pop punk, after all, with apologies to the Undertones. 

Beyond that, Descendents have a long legacy. Likely, every punk playlist curated by major streaming platforms feature at least one Descendents song, and though I have been a fan for over two decades, it seems nearly impossible to have an interest in punk as a genre and be somehow unfamiliar with the band.

One friend of mine named his daughter after the lead singer and mascot, Milo. Two other friends got Descendents tattoos the day of the show. For a certain portion of the Quad Cities and surrounding areas, seeing Descendents live was closer to a religious experience than simply attending a concert.

Towards the end of the show, as Milo descended into the audience to lead singalongs with the crowd to classics like “Good Good Things,” the communal energy and joy radiating throughout the venue was otherworldly. The set was functionally a greatest hits play-through, but the charm and enthusiasm of the band made each song, no matter its age in their catalogue, feel vibrant and fresh. 

That is ultimately the magic of punk rock — striking the balance between aggression and joy that transcends age and social divisions so that the entire crowd moves as one to the music. If only for a moment, you have kinship with anyone around you. For all of my years of going to shows and bigger production concerts, that feeling is most pronounced at punk shows. With Black Flag, Mike Watt from The Minutemen, HR from Bad Brains, and now Descendents playing here, I hope that classic punk trend continues, because we all need community as much as possible right now.