The 2nd Annual Punk Rock Prom was a roaring good time! Punks young and old showed up to dance the night away with Heatwaves, A Summer Better than Yours, RAF, and Graveyard Smash.
First off, a huge shout out to Dave Campbell and Midwest Elite Concerts for all of their hard work. From putting up decorations and providing snacks, to working with all the bands, the show wouldn’t have happened without their dedication.
The show kicked off with pop-punkers Heatwaves. These guys had a great set with upbeat tunes reminiscent of Blink 182 and NOFX. Most of the set was filled with originals, but the band did an awesome cover of “Tarzan Boy” by Baltimora. Parts of the crowd were more enthusiastic than others with the “whoa-oh” chorus, but it was still a really fun time.
Next up was A Summer Better than Yours out of Lincoln. I missed this band when they played with Smoking Popes as I was coming from a work party. But, my friend who left the party early and went to the show said they were great. It turns out my friend was totally right! I was really impressed with ASBTY’s set!
They had a fun party vibe and sounded like a mashup of Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday. All of the songs were super fun and really kept the energy level up. Like Heatwaves, ASBTY played originals and a Bouncing Souls cover. I wasn’t familiar with that particular song, but they rocked it nonetheless! A Summer Better than Yours will be playing at the Royal Grove soon with rap-rockers Trapt and Saliva. So run out there and get your 2000s fix and see an awesome local band too!
Following A Summer Better than Yours were the local punk legends RAF. Right off the bat these dudes started ripping it! Guitarist Paul was shredding, bassist Derek was laying down the funky grooves, and drummer Tim pounded the drums with ferocity! A lot of the songs had an upbeat punk feel, but I was also surprised at how many songs were just straight up Motley Crue-type rockers! If you get the chance check RAF out! I guarantee you’ll have an awesome time. They’ll be playing with old school punk rockers T.S.O.L at the Lookout Lounge on May 28.
After RAF the Punk Rock Prom anti-queen and anti-king were crowned.
After a few slow dance songs the final act of the night Graveyard Smash took the stage. With spooky lights and rockstar threads Graveyard Smash was a force to be reckoned with! With a fun horror-pop sound the crowd shook their bones and grooved the night away. With songs about “first bites” and falling in love with demons, these guys put on one hell of a party!
Again, thanks to Dave Campbell and Midwest Elite Concerts for putting on this awesome event.
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