The Queers returned to Chicago, headlining at Reggie’s Rock Club on December 7, 2022. Playing in support were Don’t Panic, Capgun Heroes, and Goodbye Sunshine. The midweek show was a high octane show from start to finish.
The Queers is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. Joe Queer is the only founding member active in the group, but its spirit remains alive. Queer bounded around the stage, matching his younger bandmates’ energy as they zoomed through their set, including “Ursula Finally Has Tits,” “Fuck the World,” and “This Place Sucks.” The Queers also performed covers of Screeching Weasel’s “Like a Parasite,” and Ramones‘ “The KKK Took My Baby Away.” The 17+ show crowd tore up the circle pit and one even did literal backflips in tune to the music coming from the stage. The sheer number of The Queers logos on the younger fans’ clothes and even inked in their skin demonstrated that four decades on, the band, and its music, still strike a chord with many fans, old and new.
Don’t Panic, out of Stroudsberg, PA, brought a high level of enthusiasm to its time on stage. Lyrics such as, “Pretending to be someone else or lying to hide the fact she was afraid,” from “Ramona,” and the title/lyrics of their latest single, “Friends Make Better Enemies” delivered in an upbeat manner can be intoxicating. Certainly, sometimes more so than laments and wistful memories encased in equally mournful music. Don’t Panic remained consistent as the band members Ted Felicetti, AJ Larsen, Keith Slader, and Anthony Paesano continued through a setlist that also included “Watership Down,” “Woe I,” and “Fall of ’99.” The band connected with the audience and at one point took a group photo with the crowd. It’s apparently a regular part of its performances. Rather than seeming derivative, there was warmth to it not often enough associated with a punk rock show.
Since its founding in 2018, Chicago’s own Capgun Heroes has steadily been building a devoted fan base. The songs are short bursts of utterly infectious music and lyrics. “Judy” is a call back to the protagonist of the Ramones classic “Judy Is A Punk.” In this case, the assertion being that Judy is no longer a punk, nor does she even like Ramones. Indeed, Capgun Heroes makes no secret of its affection for the legends out of Forest Hills, Queens. Along with the aforementioned tune, Joe Capgun, Matt Cappy, Nick Nativo, Jimmy C, Scotty Lars, and Andy Hero zipped through “Back it Up,” “Lobotomy,” “Nuthouse,” “Wanna Go,” and “Operation Chaos,” among others. Name-checking bands and places from its hometown, the band got the heads of those in attendance bopping and their toes tapping. Every once in a while I caught myself joining in, even as I tried to document the set. It made for a few shots a bit too blurry for use, but I had a blast.
Goodbye Sunshine, is newer Chicago band whose debut EP, Keep Failing, You’re Doing Great! was produced and engineered by Joe Queer, who also contributed guest vocals. The band, comprised of August Fllr, Shane Shultz, Ryan Scaccia, and Brad St. Leger, did a fine job of starting out the night with a solid performance. The tight set included, among others, the entire five-song EP. Those five being, “Hide and Seek,” “Plugger,” “She Doesn’t Care Anymore,” “What You Don’t Know,” and “Outlaws In Charleston, Illinois.” If this night is any indication, they won’t start failing anytime soon.
