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Apr 26, 2024 By Matthew Berlyant Photography by Matthew Berlyant Web Exclusive

Headlining the final night of a tour featuring their ‘80s punk brethren the Circle Jerks and The Adolescents (who I got there too late to properly review, only witnessing part of their set), Descendents just pummeled the sold-out audience at the newly restored Brooklyn Paramount (this was only the seventh show there since the restoration) with hit after hit after hit, most coming from their incredible first four albums (1982’s Milo Goes to College was very well represented in particular), but songs from 1996’s Everything Sucks, 2004’s frequently slept-on Cool to Be You, and 2016’s Hypercaffium Spazzinate were also played as well, feeling like a celebratory greatest hits set by a band forty-five years into their career (thirty-eight years on and off with the same lineup!) and perhaps only peaking as a live band NOW. In fact, they opened with “Feel This” and ended the twenty-nine songs main set with “Smile,” both songs from Spazzinate. It was a great joy to witness and hear. After rapturous applause, they came back out for a four-song encore featuring the rarely played “Good Good Things” from their 1985 sophomore album I Don’t Want to Grow Up) and the even less-played “Global Probing” from their second single (and first release with longtime lead singer Milo Aukerman. What a terrific set!

While the Circle Jerks set was enjoyable, it made me realize several things. The first is that I much prefer the songs on Group Sex (one of the best punk LPs ever) to most of the rest of their catalog (even 1982’s fine but nowhere near as potent follow-up Wild in the Streets). That said, it was also thrilling to hear songs from their 5th album, 1987’s overlooked and much different VI, played on this evening as well. As for most of the rest of it, well again, I enjoyed it, but I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if they hadn’t played so many of their songs at such an unnecessarily fast tempo. It just wasn’t a great fit. If they slowed down each song by a little, it would’ve been an absolutely killer set.