Comeback Kid Brought 20 Years Of Wake The Dead to Las Vegas
All Photos and Write Up by Casey “CJ” Wong of _mus_702
LAS VEGAS, NV -- On March 11th in Las Vegas, I had the honor of photographing one of my favorite bands, Comeback Kid, as they performed a full set from one of the pinnacle hardcore albums.
This show was put up by Blackpath Booking and was the first hardcore show at Swan Dive, and it was a blast to be there.
Species started the show right with a hard-hitting hardcore punk rock set. They were fast and hard with raw energy from their performances. They don’t disappoint every time I see them live.
They played a solid 20-minute set with one cover, "Bugs" by Pearl Jam. I was hoping they had played "Freeze Up" by Operation Ivy (the cover they put out last month). Overall, they set the mood right for the show, and it was awesome to see them as usual.
Up next was Big Ass Truck IE. Just like the last time they played Vegas, they played their asses off. Even though they played a bit of the same set as last time, they played a new song that came out not too long ago, called "BIG ASS BEER." They’re so fun to see perform and even better on a stacked lineup like this one.
From LA hardcore, Desmadre came up to the stage to kick some ass, and they didn’t pull their punches. With bouncy and fight riffs, they got the crowd moving for them. They went from a fast-paced d-beat section to a groovy two-step moment effortlessly. Glad they were on the bill because they’re a good band to mosh and go wild to. They played a solid set. I was kinda surprised they didn’t play System Of A Down as they usually play either "Sugar" or "Prison Song." Overall, their set was killer and I was glad to catch them again when they came into town.
Koyo was the next on the bill, and they’re a good change-up to the lineup. From Stony Brook, NY, Koyo is one of the most exciting new bands in the pop-punk/emo world with fun, bouncy songs and memorable singalongs. They got everyone to move up to the stage and started the set off with "Moriches," and holy shit, they got people jumping for them.
I love their sound because it’s just pure fun. People were diving off the stage (which is appropriate with the venue name Swan Dive hahaha) and circle pitting. The set was pretty damn solid. Can’t wait to see them again whenever they play a headline show back in Vegas.
Finally, we got the main event, Comeback Kid, and their performance of Wake The Dead. I don’t know where to start because Wake The Dead is one of the albums that got me into hardcore, and getting to hear it in full is special to me.
They started the set with "False Idols Fall," and hearing the crowd scream “YOUR TIME IS UP!” won’t get old for me because it’s a damn good album opener. They played everything off Wake The Dead and with a funny false start of "Wake The Dead" to trick everyone that transitions to "The Trouble I Love."
"Talk Is Cheap" was a very unforgiving hardcore song with a mean-ass breakdown that made one of my homies into a wild dog and went sicko onto the crowd.
Once they played "Partners In Crime," I had to stage dive to this song, especially with a good crowd in front of the stage during the opening of the song.
It was all gas, no breaks in this set with Wake The Dead album and a handful of other songs, and it was probably one of my favorite Comeback Kid sets I have seen this far.
Once we got to their final song, they played "Wake The Dead." With a slow build-up with the iconic chorus, the crowd felt like a ticking time bomb. Once the song kicked in, the song really kicked the fuck in. People went wild. -- moshing, mic grabs, and stage dives. It was pure chaos, and I loved every single second of this song.
It was a memorable set, and I’m glad to witness and hear the album performed in full.
False Idols Fall
My Other Side
The Trouble I Love (preceded by Wake the Dead false start tease)
Talk Is Cheap
Partners in Crime
Our Distance
Bright Lights Keep Shining
Falling Apart
Losing Patience
Final Goodbye
Heavy Steps
All in a Year
G.M. Vincent & I
Step Ahead
Broadcasting
Wake the Dead
Overall this show was amazing with a stacked lineup and seeing Swan Dive with a hardcore lineup was pretty cool, and it was my first time at the venue, I'm interested to see Swan Dive for more heavier or crazy shows in the future. Blackpath Booking knocked it off the park with this one and seeing LVHC thriving is amazing just to see.
