Images: Strung Out, Jughead’s Revenge, The Sheds, Guilty By Association, Battle Born January 29, 2012 at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip

The metal-meets-punk sound that Strung Out helped pioneer and popularize has influenced countless musicians in the 2+ decades since the band’s formation, but there’s just nothing like seeing the real deal.

If I were to say only one thing about their show at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip, it would be that singer Jason Cruz is one of the best frontmen in the biz. His natural singing stance is a perfect rock star pose, and he’s quick to jump down on the barrier and share a verse with the people who have supported his band all these years.  The signature precision the band plays with is impressive, particularly guitarists Jake Kiley and Rob Ramos, whose non-stop shredding is nothing short of hypnotizing. While Strung Out is obviously, first and foremost, a punk band, they let their metal side bleed through in a particularly crowd-pleasing moment – the inclusion of Pantera’s “Walk” during the bridge of “In Harm’s Way.” Strung Out’s live show acts as a physical explanation of how they’ve managed to stick together for so long. These are some of the best technical musicians around, and they obviously love what they’re doing just as much as fans love watching them do it.

Jughead’s Revenge took the stage to the type of applause you’d expect of a headliner, their status no doubt bolstered by this being their first show in Las Vegas in over ten years (more than a few barrier-standers yelled out that they’d seen the band at the Huntridge and Sanctuary during their first run). The time off seems to have left the band more refreshed than rusty, and there was a healthy pit raging along with their fast brand of punk rock.

Vegas is turning into a second home for Agoura Hills, CA’s The Sheds, this being their third stop in our town in only two months. However, this was the only show of the three that featured actual bass player Evan Miller, so the ska and hardcore-influenced punks were able to dig deeper into their most recent EPs for a longer set than we’ve previously gotten. After a shaky start that culminated in the complete loss of power to the stage, the band was warmed up and ready to play to their growing fanbase that lined the barricade, screaming every word back to frontman Mac Miller. The crowd was unfortunately thin during their set, likely due to their spot in the lineup being between two hometown heroes and two much-loved 90s acts, but those that skipped the bar for the floor found it hard to resist skanking to the upstrokes in “Heart” and head bobbing to “Namesake.”

Long-running local punk bands and frequent partners in crime Guilty by Association and Battle Born opened the show, bringing with them a sizeable group of native fans, eager to get the night started right. It’s always a pleasure to see both of these bands, and they didn’t disappoint.

-Emily Matview

Photos by Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/

and Tyler Newton | http://500px.com/spottedlens