With anticipation running higher than we’ve ever witnessed, Jeff Rosenstock and his immensely talented band stormed into Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater on a mission. Currently on their NO DREAM tour, this one of the rare shows where the band played 2020’s ska version of the record in full, aptly titled SKA DREAM. Plain and simple, this was the only place to be in the world for one night where everything felt quite right.

With the addition of a few members to the show, most notably Matt Appleton of Reel Big Fish on horns and Oceanator on guest vocals, there wasn’t a single moment during the set that was powerfully driven by the highest energies. Considering this was our first glimpse into any Jeff Rosenstock show while also hearing about how legendary the live sets can be, it somehow still surpassed our wildest expectations. To be honest, we’ve had SKA DREAM on constant repeat since the moment it dropped, but witnessing it in full made this a night we’ll never forget.

Of course the rest of the set was filled with plenty of Jeff’s biggest hits from records like WORRY., POST-, and We Cool?. However even with the addition of horns into these punktastic songs, it added such a much needed and unassuming depth to tracks we already loved. It probably just goes to show that adding horns to anything is going to result in total greatness.

While the music was the main attraction, we also need to point out just how accommodating Jeff Rosenstock was to the audience and his legitimate concerns for everyone’s safety. Nowadays it’s always a risk whether you’re a male or female to go to a show with infinite safety concerns, but his reassurance and guidance on what to do if something happens was extremely helpful and made us feel more at ease right at the beginning. We’re already Jeff fans for life, but this solidified us going to any and all future shows when he comes to our city.

Lastly, we just want to reiterate once more just how incredible the entirety of the band was from start to finish. Not a single solitary second passed that the energy dipped or they looked like they were having a bad time. We’re all so lucky to be able to attend concerts these days, but it’s shows like this that make the effort to get out of the house totally worth it. Long live Jeff Rosenstock and long live the return of live music!

For more, please check out our full photo gallery from the El Rey Theatre below: