The Menzingers finished out a three-for-three Thursday at Liberty Hall

December 19, 2023

Andrew Dodderidge,

The Menzingers. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

The last time modern punk group The Menzingers played in Lawrence was back in 2021, where they opened for the nearly 50-year-old pop punkers Descendents, who played a whopping 37 of their very brief but triumphant hits. Fast forward two years and the Scranton, PA natives were back at Liberty Hall on Thursday, December 14, and headlining a tour full of emo/indie-rock goodness, nearly doubling their set list in the process.

Cloud Nothings. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

If you came for The Menzingers and knew nothing of their openers, Microwave and Cloud Nothings, you surely went home to do some research the following day. Cleveland indie-rockers (light genre definition) Cloud Nothings impressed more and more with each consecutive track during their limited 30-minute time frame. Drummer Jayson Gerycz was the standout, leaving fellow drummers Tito Pittard and Joe Godino in the dust with his impressive and crafty maneuvering, all culminating in the final 9-minute “Wasted Days” off 2012’s Attack on Memory. The set ended with multiple applauses from the light crowd, with Gerycz left on the stage by himself after vocalist Dylan Baldi and bassist Chris Brown exited.

Certainly unable to match the energy of their counterparts, Microwave appeared around 8:30 p.m. to spice up the night in new and exciting ways. The emo group had previously opened for Motion City Soundtrack back in 2016 at the Granada, but this return visit was a true awakening, with proof that many fans have been waiting for this day to mosh their way to the very wide but narrow lower level of Liberty Hall.

Microwave. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

The best thing I could say about this light nine-song frame is that every cut felt new and fresh. Singer Nathan Hardy had a calm and nurturing stage presence, with quiet and thoughtful interludes between songs followed by abrasive and stage commanding turns throughout the set. Interspersed were some satisfying screams from bassist Tyler Hill. Consider me a fan now.

The Menzingers came on at around 9:40 p.m. with much to be desired after the first two hours of tunes. Having seen a few videos that lacked some energy and vocal consistency, the 21-song set was pleasantly surprising and felt like the easiest thing these guys have done all year.

Latest album Some of It Was True was a misstep in the band’s massively touted catalog, but even with six tracks mixed in from the average turn, there wasn’t a feeling of being washed, especially given the likability and live-worthy energy of first two tracks “Hope is a Dangerous Little Thing” and “There’s No Place in This World for Me”, the former of which they opened with.

The night was very hit-heavy, with 17 of the 21 songs coming from Some of It, 2012’s On the Impossible Past and 2017’s After the Party. The back-and-forth vocal switch-up between Greg Barnett and Tom May kept everything crisp, and May’s enthusiasm was electric. Bassist Eric Keen was having the time of his life deserted on the left side of the stage.

The Menzingers. // photo by Andrew Dodderidge

A surprise turn came from 2011 compilation Mixed Signals, where the guys mentioned their previous appearance at Liberty with Descendents, ending the spiel with saying they were about to play their most Descendents song in their catalog. Mini-hit “Irish Goodbyes” followed. Three songs later, after blazing through the penultimate After the Party title track, the group said goodnight, only to come back claiming they had two songs left.

First up, a fan selection.

“I heard someone request this earlier. It’s always great when a request is something we love to play,” said vocalist and guitarist Barnett.

Party’s “Charlie’s Army” was then played, a selection I had not seen on a setlist since December 5. The gents ended the night with “Casey”, followed by gracious goodbyes.

It was disappointing to see the crowd thin out by the night’s end, but a weeknight in December will do that. It’s very refreshing to have quality act after quality act in a live setting like this night provided, almost a lost art in 2023. And dare I say Microwave and Cloud Nothings stole the evening? Regardless of who you came out the most excited and passionate about, there wasn’t a thing that screamed ‘dud’ during this winter weeknight excursion.

Menzingers