Much like the nuclear weapons program they were named after, Operation Ivy was a combustible band that burned hot, bright, and all too briefly back in the late 80s before officially breaking up in 1989. Through their legendary live shows at Berkeley’s famed 924 Gilman Street, they effectively established what would become known as the “East Bay Sound” and were essential to the emergence of the third-wave ska movement that blew up in the subsequent decade, paving the way for bands like Rancid in the process.
Their final live performance as a band fittingly took place at 924 Gilman Street on May 28, 1989, and is captured in its entirety in the below video. Although fans have long been clamoring for a reunion over the past three+ decades, the band members have consistently poured cold water on that idea, which, in a way, has only added to the band’s allure and legacy over the years (as Catbite + Laura Jane Grace’s superb Op Ivy set at Riot Fest earlier this month aptly demonstrated). Whether or not fans will ever get the real deal is TBD, but whatever the case, we’ll always have this rad final performance of the band going out in their prime to savor. Pick it up!
