Going to huge festivals can be a bummer: huge stages and barriers so the bands you want to see are mere dots on the horizon, disgusting port-a-potties, bros everywhere, and it’s you against the elements all day long. Still, my wife, daughter, and I flew out to Chicago to see Jawbreaker’s first proper show after more than 20 years.
I was at the right place and right time, and always made a point to see the punk band from L.A. play dives like The Anti-Club, Raji’s, Al’s Bar, Club 88, Jabberjaw, the pizza joint at UCLA, as well as my friend Eric’s backyard, not to mention the occasional pilgrimage to Gilman St. Over time, I became become friends with Adam and when it was announced that he, Blake, and Chris were finally getting back together–rising from the ashes of burning out decades after a much too brief and painful but beloved existence to headline a gigantic festival thanks to generations of music lovers who discovered them too late–how could we miss it, even if it was all the way out in Chicago? 
Of course, it wasn’t just Jawbreaker. Tucked into Riot Fest’s massive lineup on Sunday were killer sets by Engine 88 (featuring Dave who worked Lost Weekend Video with Adam), Upset (who has played with Adam’s other band California a few times, including once at a Save Music in Chinatown show), That Dog. (friends who played with them at Jabberjaw a few times), and Versus (friends of Jawbreaker including James who worked at Lost Weekend as well). Too bad J Church couldn’t have been there but I wore a T-shirt in Lance’s honor.
We missed Adam’s sister’s band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black because we couldn’t pull ourselves away from seeing our friend Rachel Haden with That Dog., but it was pretty much the Jawbreaker drummer’s All Tomorrow’s Parties and Fantasy Island smushed together, and it was no problem for us to walk right up to the barricade to see most of Jawbreaker’s support from as close as possible. (Sorry, Best Coast, Beach Slang, Kitten Forever, TVOTR, Built To Spill, MIA, GWAR… We’ll catch you later!)
We saw plenty of friends on our side of the barricades, too. My pal Scott, who I met way back when he was in J Church but kept in touch with through our love of comic books, happened to be Blake’s guitar tech and brought us many cold waters from backstage. Jon and Ron played much bigger parts in Jawbreaker’s West L.A. days than me, said hi, and hooked us up with bottles of water, too, and I regret not taking a picture with them. Wendy, Eloise, and I also introduced ourselves to Adam’s kids, gave copies of our new Save Music in Chinatown zine to Lauren from Upset, and met up with our friend’s sister Veena who flew in solo from the Bay Area to finally see Jawbreaker. Hardcore!
After all that plus some mediocre food, I was pretty stoked and relieved that 9-year-old Eloise could handle the growing, thickening crowd during Dinosaur Jr. and Prophets of Rage and even make it to Jawbreaker going onstage–and then ride my back during the entire brilliant, cathartic, and tight-as-shit set from “Boxcar” to “Bivouac” in the middle of the sweaty and swaying masses. With so much on the line after so much time off, the band totally could have flamed out but what a payoff and how beautiful was it to see them playing their guts out with Adam grinning like Billy Zoom the entire time until demolishing his drum kit?
While the Windy City was already of our favorite places to visit, it was pretty awesome to catch up with Adam and say hi to Blake in front of their hotel after having lunch with Scott the day before. And for James to approach us at the Art Institute and then lead us over to where the rest of Versus was meeting up. To spend time with our dear friend Tim, a fellow Jawbreaker fanatic who has hosted my family at his cool film festival and have him take us to donuts and drive us to Chinatown.
So many of us gathered to see one of our favorite bands and some of our favorite people finally get their due. How rare is that these days and how often does it happen someone or something you literally know and love? And how cool was it for my family to be present at that crucial moment of release and redemption? I loved all the songs before but now they are a soundtrack to something completely different.
We got more than stupid T-shirts out of the concert. In this messed-up world, the good guys won for once and we saw it happen from the trenches.
p.s. Don’t miss the L.A. debut screenings of Don’t Break Down: A Film About Jawbreaker at The Vista in Los Feliz on Wednesday, October 4. See you there!
By Martin Wong 