Pennywise is one of the more prolific bands to emerge from California’s punk scene, and they arrived in the genre in the nick of time. The band formed in 1988 around songwriter/vocalist Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, drummer Byron McMackin, and bassist Jason Thrisk. At the time, hardcore punk seemed to be on its way out, with the heroes of the ’80s hardcore scene moving on from the genre or quitting music entirely. Pennywise, though, wanted to keep the party going and did so by implementing infectious, pop-leaning melodies into their ripping, head-spinning take on punk. Their self-titled 1991 LP proved that hardcore punk wasn’t fading away; it was merely evolving.
For this Golden Age Thursday, we take a look at one of the more iconic moments in punk history. The year was 1990, and Pennywise was going through the California punk circuit on their way to their timeless debut. The band had made so much noise in the scene that two legendary bands, NOFX and Bad Religion, invited Pennywise to open for them at the North Hollywood Theater. The show, however, came to a dramatic end as Pennywise wrapped up their set. A fire marshal appeared on stage to shut down the show due to overcrowding, and the West Coast punks did not take it lightly. Thankfully, the chaos that led to the shutdown was captured, that chaos being Pennywise’s opening set. We have the full opening set from Pennywise that highlights the band’s ripping tendencies and explosive live shows. You can watch the full pre-debut album performance from Pennywise below.
