The Menzingers Rock The Roxy In Los Angeles
Concert recap by Giannina Fredo
April 22, 2022 - Philadelphia-based punk rock band The Menzingers are back on tour for their 2019 studio album Hello Exile. They had two Los Angeles dates at The Roxy Theatre and I got to attend the first night on 4/22. They are one of my favorite bands and the last time I got to see them live was years ago, so getting to hear their songs again in an intimate venue full of energetic fans was both euphoric and therapeutic. One of the members (vocalist and fellow lefty guitarist Greg Barnett) gifted me his guitar pick at the end of the set, so it was a great night.
The opening bands were Sincere Engineer and Oso Oso. Although I was not familiar with them before the show, I enjoyed their sets and the crowd seemed to as well. I look forward to listening to more of their music.
Chicago-based punk rocker Sincere Engineer (stage name for Deanna Belos) is talented and had a fun stage presence. In between songs, she introduced herself and her bandmates before casually asking “Does anyone have any questions?” to which someone yelled out “What’s your favorite Pop Tart flavor?!” She confessed that she actually doesn’t like Pop Tarts, and the crowd simultaneously gasped in disbelief. She does, however, like corn dogs, which was the name of one of the best songs from the set: “Corn Dog Sonnet No. 7.” Another memorable track was “Trust Me”, a heavy self-loathing anthem that made the crowd go wild.
Pop punk band Oso Oso from Long Beach, New York went on after. They had a more laid back sound, but people still rocked out. Something about their music and style reminded me of Warped Tour (nostalgic tears). There was one particularly enthusiastic fan that kept asking them if there was any chance they would perform ‘This Must Be My Exit’, but they couldn’t due to the limited set time. This fan asked for that song at least four times— I loved his perseverance. Nonetheless, the band performed several other melodic rock songs like “Basking in the Glow” and “Penascola.” They also have more new music on the way!
The Menzingers went on around 10 pm and immediately started playing “Strangers Forever” from Hello Exile as soon as the curtains went up. The crowd welcomed them with deafening cheers and moshing. The high energy set featured several songs from their 2012 album, On The Impossible Past, the album that got me into their music. They mentioned that it had just turned 10 earlier this year. At one point, they asked the crowd to raise their hands if they went to their Rented World tour. After a show of hands, they thanked the fans for sticking around since they had taken a long break from touring (exacerbated by the pandemic). One of the most memorable moments of the night was when they stopped performing in the middle of “The Obituaries” so the audience could sing the bridge. They held out their microphones to the crowd and smiled as everyone screamed the lyrics back to them. That must be a sweet feeling for any musician.
This band is known for putting on amazing performances that sound just as good as the studio versions of their songs, or even better. Every member appears to have a blast on stage (Tom May is always a fun one to watch jump around) and they effortlessly get the crowd hyped up. Other notable tracks from their set include “Good Things”, which always activates the best mosh pits at their shows, and “I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore” (if you like Friday the 13th and creative music videos, you should watch this one.) A track from Hello Exile that I was looking forward to hearing live was “Anna” and it did not disappoint. Another memorable performance was “Strawberry Mansion”, a song that criticizes apathy and greed in modern society. I find it to be one of their most relevant songs at the moment with everything going on in the world.
Just a low-quality phone photo I took of The Menzingers. Most likely before getting tossed around in the pit.
After a long and intense set full of people crowd surfing, singing along to every song, and spilling beer everywhere, the band said good night and left the stage. However, the vivacious fans still demanded more. They repeatedly chanted “one more song” until they eventually came back to perform three encore songs.
The Jason shirt I wore to the concert. I bought it after seeing them open for Taking Back Sunday in Orlando in 2015. They had replaced one of the opening bands for that show at the last minute. That’s the only reason I discovered them, so thanks to the other band for the cancellation! It was fate.
Besides the music, another thing I love about The Menzingers is their merch. It’s wonderful when bands actually make an effort to create distinctive merch and hire illustrators for it. The shirts I saw at the merch table had some cool retro-inspired designs with the tour dates on the back. The black and white shirt I bought has a design of two rockabilly astronaut girls in space with the text “Hello, From Exile”— a fun reference to their new record. I’ll always choose a unique design like that over a basic tiny print of an album cover slapped on a shirt any day. Most of the people in the merch line were eager to buy vinyls and cassettes. After the show, a fan started handing out free drink coasters of the Hello Exile album cover that he made. Gotta love wholesome punk rockers.
I’m so happy that I got to see The Menzingers again and I’m already excited for them to come back to LA! I’ll make sure to request a photo pass next time.
Listen to The Menzingers on Spotify:
