Flogging Molly performs at Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Misc Festival at Doheny Beach in Dana Point, California.
Kicking off the summer early KLOS & Sabroso Craft Beer, Taco and Music festival warms up Southern California with not one, but two days, of craft beer, tacos, and badass music! The combination of Lucha Libre, tacos and music was a perfect fit and I bellied up to the bar. I arrived a little later in the day on Saturday and I was peckish. Before I pulled out my gear and headed for the photo pit I got the lay of the land then grabbed some grub. My food choice of carne asada fries would lock me in for the night with no distractions while I was covering the bands.
Lagwagon filled the stage for some lively alternative Punk inspired Rock. The 5 members were a no-frills hard rocking group that put on a lengthy set with people tightly packed crowd at the front and fans eagerly watching the action far from the stage. They kept the energy high making the way for the much anticipated Bad Religion show.
Bad Religion performs at Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Misc Festival at Doheny Beach in Dana Point, California.
Bad Religion is a no brainer when it comes to these kinds of shows. Greg Graffin brought the rock and then some as he led the band through the hits with great banter and on point performances of the songs. Brett Gurewitz sizzled mindfully through the expansive Bad Religion catalog. Jay Bentley was obviously loving this gig. The fans were involved the whole time. When Greg introduced “Sorrow” it became a became an expansive sing-a-long because everyone knew the words to the song. It was a solid set and I could tell all were really unengaged with the band.
Flogging Molly closed things up for the evening by kicking off with their unique high energy show that was a continuous explosion of action till it vibrant end. Dave King entered the stage with a Guinness in hand touting its delightful qualities and delightful banter raving up the fans. It was a very Irish moment setting the tone for the rest of the night. Every musician in the band was active and roaming the stage. Nathan Maxwell and Matt Hensley would meet together for a jam while Dave would be belting out the hits with fierce strumming of his guitar and authoritative delivery of the tunes. On occasion and in a synchronized manner the band would form the phalanx with Dave front and center and they would charge and withdraw to the rhythm to the song. It was visually effective and created quite a dramatic effect on their overall stage presence. Flogging Molly is an amazing live band and I’d highly recommend seeing them in their element!
The closeout to Saturday’s performances naturally led to the more ambitious Sunday set be for me and so many others. Outside of Doheny State Beach people were in full-on party mode and surely the next day with more beers, Lucha Labre wrestling, and awesome bands would fill Sunday with a bang-up opportunity to rock some more after a nutty night of fun!
