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Sometimes, it's not entirely a bad thing to be classified.
Before the Descendents opened their Crystal Ballroom show with "Suburban Home," the skate-punk legends chanted the song's opening lines: "I want to be stereotyped/I want to be classified." Usually, the lines sound sardonic. But at the band's sold-out show last weekend, they signified a sense of unity.
Lead singer Milo Aukerman wore a water bottle strapped on like a messenger bag and a shirt the color of Cheez Whiz, which, he explained, was an ode to their last show in Portland just after President Donald Trump—who Aukerman referred to only as "the Cheeto" throughout the show—was elected.
By the time the band followed the blistering "Everything Sucks" with the comparatively sentimental "Hope," it was clear just about everyone in the crowd could shout along to all the lyrics. Beer cans and baseball caps were chucked onstage, and the crowd-surfing began during "Clean Sheets." Some fans began pushing their way to the back of the room to escape the heat near the stage, prompting Aukerman to spray them with water bottles during "Who We Are," a song that rails against the Cheeto. He eventually made his way down into the crowd for "Thank You" before "ending" the set with their self-titled track.
After the band's encore of "'Merican," "I'm the One," "Bikeage" and "Smile," a resolute "that was so fucking good" was a widely stated consensus.
