Photos and Review By Christina Hernandez
It was a sold-out night at the Observatory in Santa Ana, CA, as Knuckle Puck arrived in Orange County, bringing along two amazing bands, Between You & Me and Real Friends. The American Rock band, Knuckle Puck, was formed back in 2010 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Throughout their tremendous growth in the music industry, they have released multiple EPs in their career that fans have loved and rocked out to since the beginning. In addition to their growth, it is incredible to see how fast they are growing, considering just a little over six months ago, they were opening for Four Year Strong and now are headlining their own sold-out show at the exact same venue! Australian band, Between You & Me, was the first opener for Knuckle Puck, and they put on the best opening I could have possibly imagined. It was absolutely unbelievable. Not only did they get the energy up from the crowd, but singer JT shocked everyone by showing off his shoey skills on a shoe that was thrown onstage. Who else could have possibly done that? Stunned by this act, the crowd went crazy and couldn’t wait for what else was in store.
Next up was Real Friends, a headbanging pop punk band from the suburbs of Chicago. They shook the crowd with their music and style. There was a fan nearby me who was only there for the sole purpose of seeing only Real Friends live since it was one of her favorite bands. It’s always incredible to see and experience the energy that fans have from seeing someone they love and genuinely enjoy. Not only was everyone having the time of their lives, but the crowd surfing activity was also continuous throughout the whole show. Personally, punk shows are always exciting to be at because there is not a single moment you feel bored or underwhelmed.
Knuckle Puck came out after performances by Between You & Me and Real Friends, and the crowd went wild, absolutely bonkers. They started off with their song Gone, which was met with a crowd screaming lyrics and multiple rounds of applause. The band continued to play a 17-song set chalked full of hits like Tune You Out, No Good, and the encore song, Give Up. A funny note for the night is lead singer Joe Taylor wearing a shirt that said “Knuckle Puck isn’t cool anymore” and on the back, “... So what?” Taylor made sure to perform to the absolute maximum he could, and everyone absorbed that energy to go wild during the show. I don’t think I have ever seen as much crowd surfing as I did that night. Knuckle Puck put on an astonishing show, and no one who was there will forget it.
See more photos from the show here!
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