BAD RELIGION/SPEED OF LIGHT – COLLEGE STREET MUSIC HALL
Bad Religion and Speed Of Light at College Street Music Hall on 10/27/2023
College Street still remains one of my favorite Ct. venues. The house is run well and the promoters bring in some remarkable talent. On this evening, College Street hosted the punk icons, Bad Religion. The venue is packed and the vibe is electric. Punks of all ages have come to pay respect to the masters of righteous rock & roll. For direct support Bad Religion brought a squad of young punksters named Speed Of Light and were they an awesome surprise.
Let’s get to Speed Of Light. I had never heard of them before and was I blown away. The group is comprised of three siblings, two brothers and a sister. Riley Christensen is the 16 year old lead vocalist and bass player. Her voice packed ton of denatinated TNT. She was a powerhouse. Plus, she captured the audience like a seasoned pro. I was totally mesmerized. Her 20 year old guitar wielding brother, Cameron, hit riffs full of fire and brimstone. Drummer brother, Tyler, all of 18, drove the beat with thunderous clashes of audibel destruction. Besides being related, these three formed an air tight union of unabashed turmoil.
Speed Of Light’s 11 song set was highlighted by ruthless tracks like “Kill The Vibe” and “Feed”. Riley was totally manic in her presentation. Her voice fluctuated between powerful and edgy to gnarly snarls and screams. She had it going on. Cameron’s guitar flared with intensity. Hidden behind a waterfall of hair, his demeanor was brazen and his solos were crisp. Tyler’s drumming keep everything in place and he also proved to be a great backup singer. This trio hit the entire crowd with bullets of sonic propulsion and everyone was impressed.
They previewed a new single entitled “Teeth” Other standouts were “Release”, “Shuffle My Mind” and closer “Seance/That Girl”. I can tell you punk is alive and kicking. Speed Of Light’s punky grunge with slices of stoner rock is truly awe inspiring. This is a band for the future. Download everything you can, buy their shit and be utterly captivated by their tenacity.
Now to the audacious headliners. Bad Religion is a major mainstay in the punk revolution. My son reminded me how many times we saw them at the Warp Tour. He was amazed that they still are going strong. And strong isn’t strong enough. Bad Religion are not only survivors but still demand attention. They are righteous juggernauts full of incendiary vim and vigor.
The current lineup of the band consists of original members Greg Graffin (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and Jay Bentley (Bass/Backing Vocals). Brian Baker (Guitar/Backing Vocals) joined in 1994. Mike Dimkich (Guitar) and Jamie Miller (Drums) round out the group (joined 2013 and 2015 respectively).
This ensemble blew the roof off of College Street. Graffin’s vocals were on point. Bentley’s bass boomed with determination while Baker’s guitar delivered salvos of infectious depth. In addition, his pure punk attitude enveloped the entire audience. Dimkich’s guitar filled the room with galvanic riffs. Miller’s percussions were exuberant. He powered through all 27 (yes 27) songs in the set. Bad Religion‘s use of three part harmonies worked exceedingly well . Not something you see often from a punk rock band.
Bad Religion played songs from most of their 17 studio albums. Old favorites and new anthems. As soon as they entered the stage, the audience roared. and they continued roaring for over two hours, They opened with “The Defense” from their 2002 full length, The Process Of Belief. “Against The Grain”, “Past Is Dead”, “Anesthesia” and “Wrong Way Kids” followed. Every song brought another cheer from the audience.
Graffin was an eloquent frontman. He constantly brought the room in with insightful conversations on the band’s history. Graffin seemed to truly enjoy the audience reactions and feed off their energy. He even mentioned doing a residency at College Street in order to cover all of Bad Religion’s 300+ catalogue which enlivened the house even more.
Other highlights of the show were “Fuck You”, “No Control” and “21st Century (Digital Boy)”. The main set ended with smashing versions of “You” and “Fuck Armageddon…This Is Hell”. The encore brought out “Generator”, “American Jesus” and the Thin Lizzy cover “The Boys Are Back In Town”. And I can say “these boy are absolutely back in town”. Halleluiah
It was a glorious evening of music. Bad Religion brought the heat while Speed Of Light established themselves as an up and coming dynamic force.
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