Five Iron Frenzy rolled into Beer City Music Hall on June 28th like a ska-powered locomotive fueled by nostalgia, brass, and inexplicable energy. The night kicked off with special guest So Much Heaven, who lived up to their name by delivering a set so sweet and shimmering it felt like getting hugged by a synth-pop cloud. The crowd, clearly ready for anything, welcomed them with polite head nods, enthusiastic applause, and at least one poorly timed attempt at crowd surfing that didn’t quite get off the ground.
When Five Iron Frenzy took the stage, the entire room collectively remembered how to skank—and also how out of shape everyone has become since the last time they tried. The band tore through their set with the kind of chaotic precision only ska veterans can pull off, horns flying, drums pounding, and everyone somehow on the same page despite looking like they’d just met in the parking lot. The energy was loud, joyful, and just unhinged enough to keep things interesting.
The vibe inside Beer City was part punk show, part group therapy, part ska revival tent. People danced like no one was watching, mainly because everyone was too busy trying to catch their breath. The band didn’t take themselves too seriously, and the crowd followed suit—embracing the glorious weirdness with open arms and sore knees. By the end of the night, the venue was a humid, happy mess, and everyone left just a little sweatier, a little louder, and a lot more convinced that ska, somehow, still rules.
