More than 150 bands played their hearts out for the 25th anniversary of Punk Rock Bowling over Memorial Day weekend in Downtown Las Vegas. Thousands of punks from all over the world and representing all ages came out to partake in the annual nihilistic triathlon of fast music, drugs, gambling, and alcohol.
This festival is exclusively for the most devoted of punk rock enthusiasts, starting at 11 AM with free poolside shows—complete with aquatic mosh pits—and continuing until 3:30 AM, featuring supplementary club shows with different headliners than those performing at the main festival.
Many crashed and burned under the unforgiving Las Vegas sun and ended up on the Passed Out Punx Instagram account, but the ones that weathered through it all were rewarded with one of the most diverse lineups in years.
Nostalgia was a strong theme in general. Plenty of tears were shed as skinheads sang along to working-class anthems and punk lifers moved their bodies to Gang of Four's "Damaged Goods" before the band calls it quits for good after this tour. For legendary British band Cocksparrer, it was their last time ever to play the festival.
It was also the first time in five years that all three Stern Brothers played a complete Youth Brigade set on the Monster Street side stage. Additionally, almost half the bill consisted of emerging bands that had never played the festival, despite a handful of international bands having to cancel due to Trump's current immigration policies.
Perhaps in a bit of karmic retribution, there was even a Nazi getting punched in the face!