Punk Legends Rock Legendary Valley Venue
On an unusually overcast and cool night in mid-April, downtown McAllen filled with crowds of the young and old converging at the historic Cine El Rey for a once in a lifetime experience. Punk Rock legends Circle Jerks celebrated their (kind of) 40th anniversary by performing their catalog with vigor and raw energy, a quality seemingly nonexistent in modern music. The band served as a reminder that live music, regardless of how shameless current artists are in their desire for mass appeal, can be and, in this reviewer’s opinion, is best as an opportunity to unleash the ephemeral, primal instincts inherent in us to the surface for an evening of collective catharsis.
Local openers Disease Freaks set the tone for the night by blending latin rhythms with punk vocals and indie-rock instrumentation. The locals were well received by the crowd and set the mood for a fun night of debauchery.
Next up were Los Angeles hardcore legends The Bronx, who tore through a setlist covering their 20-plus-year career. The band delivered a blistering and engaging hour or so of full-on pump-your-fists-in-the-air anthems which left the crowd wanting more. Singer Matt Caughthran commented on how it was the band’s first time in the Valley after almost a quarter century touring. During the set, Caughthran made his way off the stage to join the crowd and mosh pit for a solid block of the band’s set. Let’s hope this will not be the band’s last show in the Valley and if they do come back, maybe they could treat our Hispanic-heavy audiences to their more traditional side band, Mariachi El Bronx, who I think would go over well in this area.
Finally, the main event took the stage. In a sort of meta-commentary on the show and tour, singer and punk legend Keith Morris (who has fronted many notable bands over his decades’ long career including Black Flag and OFF!), began the set by giving an oral history of the band itself. Quickly, Morris and company began to tear through a series of songs twice the age of at least half the crowd.
Throughout the set the 67-year-old Morris continued to banter with the energetic crowd, telling stories about the old days of punk while never stepping into messy political territory, which was a welcomed gesture. The singer also mentioned how the band declined a 200k payday from Coachella to be with what he referred to as “true fans” here on the ground floor. Morris also discussed how this was officially the 41st anniversary of their debut but was unable to tour the year before due to COVID lockdowns. Jokes were told between members onstage and the overall feeling was one of levity and joviality.
The real stars of the night, though, had to be the incredible production and staff of the historic Cine El Rey. As an iconic venue for the area, everyone involved truly worked to provide a great night out for the old and new punks alike. For that, we have our friends at Tiger’s Blood to thank for bringing these diverse and ionic bands to the area. Tiger’s Blood owner Patrick Garcia summed up the evening by saying “The show was an absolute shredder, and there was a great, sort of ‘this is going to be remembered for a while’ vibe in the air. I loved it. Every single act killed it in front of a packed house. Legends. It was one for the books!”
