Vincent Matthew Franco
Social Media Editor
The streets of Downtown Pomona was a bustling scene Friday night, filled with live music blaring out of every other door in the Arts Colony. On Second Street alone, from the Glass House to The Haven, there were three different shows happening simultaneously.
But of all that was going on, Tijuana Panthers’ first of two shows at the Glass House was the place to be. Accompanying them for the night was local grunge rockers SEPT from Moreno Valley and garage rockers Together Pangea.
Doors opened at 8 p.m., and the crowd slowly made their way into the venue. With bands like Together Pangea and Tijuana Panthers, who have been around for a little more than a decade, it was a refreshing sight to see such a diverse crowd when it came to age.
At 8:30 p.m., SEPT made their way to the stage where they were welcomed with roars of applause from the crowd, a clear indication that their fan base was in full attendance for the night. To open things up, they started off with their newest single, “Stacy (F*ck ur mom).” This was the perfect song to set the overture for the rest of their set and the show, letting people know their place on stage was well-deserved.
SEPT’s sound is the perfect blend of pop-punk and grunge, providing the backdrop music for smoking weed and heartbreaks all around the Inland Empire. But do not get it mistaken, their set is just as emotional as it is energetic. It only took a couple of songs until the kids started pushing and shoving, taking over the floor from the rest of the old heads. From crowd surfing to a mini wall of death, this is exactly the kind of energy you would want to see for the opening band at any show.
With songs like “Build a Bong Workshop” and “It’s Always Sunny Wherever the Hell This Is,” these kids are bound to go far.
After a short but solid 30-minute set, SEPT thanked the crowd and made their way off stage.
Not long after, Together Pangea was up on stage, immediately going into their first song, “Alive,” off their 2014 album “Badillac.” The 20 seconds of ear piercing feedback starting off the song made it the perfect start to their set. Pumping up an already lively crowd, sending them into another frenzy of pushing and shoving.
A scene very reminiscent of my youth of backyard shows, high watered pants with Doc Martens boots and every band wanting to be a Burger band; before their disreputable fall of course.
By their fourth song, “Marijuana,” technical difficulties ensued on their pedal boards. Taking them out for only a few short minutes, but they were back to riffing in no time.
Together Pangea played a couple more songs, including a cover of the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” then made their way off stage, only to be summoned back up by the audience for one more song.
For their encore, they decided to end their set with “Too Drunk to Come” off of their 2011 album “Living Dummy,” a song that needs no explanation and demands full participation from the crowd.
The title of the song is the main chorus meaning that anyone hearing it for the first time could catch on quickly. Due to that, the entire crowd was chanting along in unison as if they were letting out all of the built-up stress from the week.
Once Together Pangea left the stage, Tijuana Panthers came right up and went right into it. It was then that I felt a sense of nostalgia strike me again. I was immediately taken back to my very first show as a puny 12-year-old, at this very same venue, watching this very same band 13 years ago.
Even after all these years, they still have that same heavy rock and roll energy that I loved so much that undoubtedly left a lasting impression on me. I am not talking about Black Sabbath heavy either, I am talking about that primitive three chord rock and roll.
In proper rocker fashion, they started off a bit off-key and a little sloppy but thankfully, this type of music leaves room for mistakes like that.
A few songs in, I knew it was my time to leave the comfort of the photo pit and take my place with the rest of the crowd crushing their ribs up against the railings. Songs like “Torpedo,” “Creature,” and “Red Headed Girl” kept up the spirit of the crowd, leaving no room for dance breaks.
Thrown into the mix of their faster paced songs were songs like “Nobo.” A personal favorite of mine, this song has sort of a Roy Orbison feel that makes me want to wear my sunglasses at night and walk into the first seedy bar I find. Which in Pomona should not be hard to find.
The set came to an end with a bang as they played their final song “Send Down the Bombs” and the kids pushed, shoved and crowd surfed as much as they could.
But of course, they were demanded right back up to play a couple more and the crowd conjured up every last bit of energy they had left. Both the crowd and the bands gave everything they had that night. As if they are still making up for the lost time given up to COVID-19 in 2020, three years later.
Vincent Matthew Franco can be reached at vincent.franco@laverne.edu.
Vincent Matthew Franco is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He has been involved in journalism and print media in high school, community college and is now at the social media editor of the Campus Times and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. He previously served as arts editor.
