A line had already formed 30 minutes before doors opened at the Fine Line last Wednesday night. Although the venue was sparsely populated, it soon filled with a diverse crowd, all here to enjoy the kick off to the final leg of the Bad Time Records Tour. 

The Best of the Worst opened the show with a metalcore-inspired ska sound all the way from New Jersey, and a monster mascot head set up on one of the amps. Almost immediately, members of the other bands were brought up on stage to perform with them, as well as a member of local ska band Space Monkey Mafia to play saxophone. Best of the Worst used traditional metalcore breakdowns with the bumpy rhythms of ska to create music that had almost all the crowd moving with the beat. 

After The Best of the Worst finished, New Orleans band Bad Operation took over with matching black jumpsuits and a more traditional ska sound. Along with the brighter, poppier sounding songs, Bad Operation frontman Dominic Minix encouraged the crowd to sing along and shout responses to the songs. At one point, slowing down and getting everybody to wish for world peace before starting a ballad. Audience members began crowdsurfing to the stage, jumping off only a few moments after being delivered. JER, sometimes known as Skatune Network, joined the band onstage to play trombone with them, along with the saxophonist from JER’s band. 

Kill Lincoln began after Bad Operation, bringing a more pop-punk sound from Washington D.C.. They also brought a hype-man on stage to dance with the music and keep the energy of the crowd up. With lyrics about lying and being too old, Kill Lincoln brought a jaded but high energy feeling to the show. This show also happened to take place on Tyler’s birthday, the drummer of the band. A cake was brought out and the audience sang happy birthday before the band jumped into another high-energy song, this time with the trombonist and singer from The Best of the Worst joining them on stage.

The final performance of the night was JER, sometimes known as Skatune Network, who put the punk in ska punk. Although every band had called out political messages to the crowd, JER made several impassioned speeches urging people not to give up, even as the world gets worse. There were messages of encouragement to trans audience members, and an anti-ICE declaration, punctuated with fast and loud ska songs. Members from the other bands appeared on stage as well, making this performance truly feel like a grand finale. Crowdsurfers were lifted onto the stage and carried around the room, and the pit was full of people slamming into each other. When the band finished its last song, the energy in the room did not dissipate even as people began to leave. 

The show was packed with energy from start to finish, every band with their own unique spin on the familiar ska sound. The crowd hardly stopped dancing throughout the night, despite the show going until 11 p.m. 

Show Review: Gimmick Doboszenski