The Adicts – Billy Bones – and Raptors – at The House of Blues – Anaheim, CA

The line for The Adicts, The BillyBones, and Raptors show was filled with Punk fans from all walks of life for the St. Patrick’s Day 2013 extravaganza at the House of Blues, Anaheim. Once doors were opened audience members celebrating the spirit of the day partook in the green libations of the evening, all seemed to be exclaiming their excitement for the holiday and the night of Punk music to come. However like all House of Blues shows all ages were in attendance.

The Morgan family consisting of: Drew Morgan, Jennifer Morgan, and their son Noah Morgan did well to represent the family centric aspect of the night. According the Drew, he and his wife had met in Hollywood on sunset strip at an Adicts show, and in true Punk fashion decided to raise their son on the music they are fans of, stating that “Our Son [Noah], has been listening to The Adicts since he was in the hospital after being born less than a year ago.” The Morgan family left off with exclaiming that this will be a St. Patrick’s Day to remember for the rest of their lives.

The first band up for the night was Raptors. The band took the stage in typical Raptors fashion, choosing to forego a long winded introduction and instead opting for a simple “We are Raptors,” and delving head first into their signature hardcore Punk-Style they are known for. Performing tracks off of their new EP entitled “Destroy, Pain, Survive” and finishing their set strong with their fan favorite “Stick to your Guns;” Setting the stage for The BillyBones to make their grand entrance.

Formerly known as Death Punch, the band changed their name to Raptors in the past year. When playing under the name Death Punch the band accumulated a good deal of their fan base during a successful time playing Warped Tour 2009-2010. In an industry where the newest musical sensation seems to come and go in a moment’s time; for any band to change their name it is reasonable to call any name change a bold move on the bands part. When asked about the name change after his bands set, Ike (lead singer of Raptors) responded with “We changed our name for a number of reasons but the key reasons were that we had a few band member changes and we wanted to separate our band from all other bands that had similar names. Now that we are Raptors, and we have our iconic logo, we will be staying with the new name for the foreseeable future.”

The BillyBones was next on stage, and from the start of their set The BillyBones had the audience excitement peaked. Billy of The BillyBones sauntered his way onto stage exclaiming “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” to the audience as his band opened up with the hard Punk-Style that only bands with their level of experience can command; and ended their set with a nod of thanks to The Adicts for having them perform with them for the past few days.

After The BillyBones finished their set Billy Bones took time speak about how he felt about the show so far. He took time to note that the band had an amazing set thanks to the crowd and went further to say “We think The Adicts are one of the coolest bands, and we are lucky enough to count them among our friends and grateful to have the opportunity to play with them.” Though brief in statement Billy Bones, a veteran musician that has been in the Punk scene for decades, is if anything a man of a humble elegance.

The Adicts were the last act of the night. As the crowd waited for Monkey, and the rest of the band to take the stage the air seemed to fill with a growing sense of restlessness. That restless tension was broken the second the band took the stage and Monkey in true showmen fashion would go on to fill the rest of the night with bowler hats, magic tricks, and Punk-Rock.

The Adicts began their set with classics tracks like “Bad Boy,” “Straight Jacket,” and “Joker in the Pack.” Monkey brought his signature style to the entire performance to follow. Wielding a white glittered and party streamer emblazoned mic stand he took command of the stage and with the aid of a few roadies showered the audience with confetti, and handed out stuffed animals.

The band only stopped for a few moments during their entire set. The one moment of note was seen when Monkey took time to give praise to the bands 35 year history stating “Thirty-Five years ago in England some Punks decided they had the balls to be The Adicts” as if to say thanks to the fans for allowing them the opportunity to still be performing today.

Towards the end of the bands set The Adicts left the stage only to be called back by the cheers of the audience and finish off with their fan favorite track “Viva La Revolution.” The band exited the room as soon as the song was done. Ending the night on a quite note, and leaving the audience to hang around the area a bit prior to leaving and ending their Punk-Fueled St. Patrick’s Day evening at the House of Blues, Anaheim.

            More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Ryan R.-
Big Wheel Contributor

 

 

 

 

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