Descendents Smash The Steelhouse!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

WHAT....A....SHOW.

Punk rock legends and elder-statesmen Descendents brought their co-headline tour with Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls to Omaha on Friday (3.13). I've seen Descendents three times now and this was hands down the best show yet. Let's get into it!

The night started with newcomers Nobro from Montreal, Canada. These ladies (no dudes in the band, get the name?) got the crowd whipped into a frenzy in a hurry. They stepped out and started chanting "Let's go Nobro!" The band is cheering their own name.... so punk rock. Their bouncy, shreddy, candy-coated punk tunes were a lot of fun. They had so much energy and the crowd gave it right back. Lead singer Kathryn made her way down to the crowd, back to the stage and did a huge ninja kick off the drums! It was quite the spectacle. Give these punkers a look on all streaming platforms today!

Next up was Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls. I was definitely familiar with Frank by name but hadn't really dug deep into his discography. My buddy Dean has shot photos of them a few times and always had good things to say about their live show. Everyone say "Hi Dean!"

After seeing their set color me a fan! They were soooo good. Frank and The Sleeping Souls had so much energy and gave the crowd every penny's worth of their ticket price. I can't believe I went so long without seeing them live. Their acoustic-heavy roots rock tunes were so catchy and fun. With themes of music, love, and friendship their positivity was infectious. During one point Frank went solo to give his band a break. He played a song "Be More Kind" that was so moving the crowd was nearly brought to tears! I didn't realize the show was a co-headline at first but Frank played for over an hour. By the time he was done he was drenched in sweat and the kids on the floor were too. I saw a lot of shirts off whipping around like a helicopter. If you ever get the chance to see Frank Turner live you should make every effort, you won't be disappointed.

Before Descendents played a single note they stepped out and spoke to some people in the crowd. Rather than having bright lights spelling out their name or smoke and pyro they just show up, joke around with the crowd, and then proceed to rock their faces off for the next hour. Even in a huge room it felt like a fun hangout with old friends. They didn't even have a back drop! So punk rock.

The guy in the crowd said "I saw you guys in 1996 with Less Than Jake and now I'm here with my kids!"

Along the whole rail there were kids everywhere. It blows my mind that Descendents have been playing for nearly 50 years and they're still making new fans! Their legacy will truly live forever. The photo below says it all. A young kid seeing Descendents wearing a Blink 182 shirt. Mark Hoppus from Blink has said many times his band would not exist without Descendents. This show was steeped in history.

Side note: As a photographer I have to mention that this was the best lighting I've ever had for a show. No purple, pink, or deep red lights, just natural white. This NEVER happens. I'm super proud of the shots I got and wish every show could be like this. Well, maybe not every show. Sometimes the challenge of getting a good shot when there's terrible lights is part of the fun.

Milo, Bill, Stephen, and Karl absolutely blew the roof off The Steelhouse with their raw power and melodic pop-punk tunes. Ask any pop-punk band of the last 30 years where they got their influence and they'll tell you Descendents. They pretty much invented the pop-punk genre.

With over 30 songs played the band touched on every chapter of their discography and crushed their set. They still sound just as good now, if not better than when they first started. Getting to see a part of history not just once but multiple times has been such an honor. If this was the last time I'm happy to say it was the best time. But if Descendents keep going I'm all for it. Their shows will leave you smiling from ear to ear. If you're unfamiliar with Descendents your history assignment for the week is to check them out. I'm going to need a 500 word essay on Milo Goes To College on my desk by Friday.

Huge thanks to the Steelhouse for setting up photo access. Thanks for reading and we'll see you at the next one!