NOFX brings the Punk in Drublic festival to Washington one last time
In a time where a final tour usually doesn't hold much weight when it comes to touring musicians, NOFX has promised “These Are the Very Last Shows” they will be performing with one last tour. After 40 years of making music, NOFX announced initial dates for the final tour, promising to play 40 dates and 40 songs per show that would encompass their entire 40 year career with no show having the same setlist, ensuring each show to be a truly unique experience. The tour rolled into Tacoma, Washington this past weekend in the form of the two-day Punk in Drublic festival, with both nights being headlined by NOFX. They didn’t come alone, bringing punk legends Pennywise, Circle Jerks, Strung Out, Suicide Machines, Adolescents and others.
When gates opened up at noon on day one, there was already a line going down the street and wrapping around the parking lot of the Tacoma Dome - the large empty lawn of the LeMay Car Museum next door would be the host of the outdoor festival. When people think of the Pacific Northwest, thoughts of clouds and rain may come to mind - not this weekend, though. Without a cloud in sight, it was a hot 80 degrees with sunshine that wouldn’t deter the crowd from sending a farewell to NOFX. Local band Hilltop Rats kicked off the festivities as people were making their way in, and just like that the festival was off to a hot start that didn’t let off the gas for the next 10 hours.
Pennywise was tasked with performing directly before NOFX and were more than successful in getting the crowd amped up for what was to come. Inciting circle pits in the very dry field kicked up plumes of dust into the setting sun, giving a dusty, hazy view of the stage. The well loved band played fan favorites “Society,” “Fuck Authority,” a brief medley of a few NOFX songs (assuring the fans that NOFX would not be playing any of these songs tonight), then transitioned into their song “Pennywise.” As they traditionally do, Pennywise closed out their set inviting their punk brothers and sisters to join them in singing “Bro Hymn” as some fans joined them on stage.
At last Fat Mike of NOFX came out to the crowd's excitement, dancing across the stage with “Time Warp” from Rocky Horror blasting through the speakers. They then began their set with songs off Wolves in Wolves’ Clothing - one of the four albums that would be played in full over the weekend. As fans have come to expect, the next two hours was full of jokes, banter with the crowd, a crowd surfing banana, and a setlist ranging from fan favorites to deep cuts that had never been performed live. NOFX promised they wouldn’t get emotional Saturday night and would save that for Sunday - tonight they were going to have fun. As the sun finally began to set on Tacoma, the audience had the time of their lives.
(Artists: Strung Out / Pennywise / NOFX)
Day two started off a little slower than the first, with the crowds steadily flowing in throughout the day - it could be that we older punks can’t quite handle two full days of music under the sun as we once did. Another full day of music awaited us with performances by legendary bands, including Adolescents, Suicide Machines and Circle Jerks. Suicide Machines brought a memorable performance that saw lead singer Jay Navarro jumping down from the stage and onto to the security barrier, inviting the crowd to sing along with him. He would then make his way into the middle of a circle pit as the security team tried holding the microphone cable above the crowd to keep it from getting caught up in the moving bodies. Circle Jerks took the stage before NOFX with their own set of fan favorites, at one point in the set promising that they were just going to keep on playing until they were told to get off the stage (much to the delight of the fans).
NOFX hit the stage to wrap up the festival with another amazing two hours of music, a majority of the set consisting of songs from their albums So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes and White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean. To close out the show, as Fat Mike had promised on night one, they performed the full 18 minutes of the song “The Decline” that included a special guest appearance from MxPx guitarist Tom Wisniewski. The emotions which were delayed from Saturday did eventually come when it was finally time to say goodbye to the crowd Sunday night.
(Artists: Adolescents / Suicide Machines / Circle Jerks / NOFX)
It was amazing to see NOFX so many times since I was 14 - to be able to be in attendance and take photos for one of their last shows on this final tour was, to put it simply, a breathtaking experience. There are still a few more chances to catch NOFX on this final tour before it concludes in October 2024. For the most up to date news for show announcements and currently scheduled shows can be found at punkindrublicfest.com