The sour part about living in Vegas, (besides the scorching heat) is that a lot of bands and artists skip Vegas while on tour. I’m sure a lot has to do with why an artist or band skips the 702 but either way, it sucks. That being said, it is no surprise that the heat seeking Chicago Pop Punk band Real Friends would skip over our little gold painted desert oasis and move on down the road to California.
My friend/ roommate and I embarked on a journey to Los Angeles. Took a six AM flight out of McCarran International Airport on Thursday October 25, 2018 to see Pop Punk powerhouse, Real Friends and company. Real Friends is currently on their fall in the usa 2018 tour, which spans 32 dates from coast to coast and everywhere else in between. The tour only lasting about a month long, from mid October to mid November. This go around, Real Friends brought out three supporting acts, the UK’s Boston Manor, Philly’s Grayscale, and Australia’s Eat Your Heart Out.
The show was on Friday October 26, 2018, located downtown LA at The Teragram Ballrooom on 7th street just down the way from the newly renovated Mayfair Hotel. Real Friends booked five shows in California, three of which were in the LA area, two of which were booked at the world famous Chain Reaction venue in Anaheim, California.
Every band, right from the first openener, Eat Your Heart Out, brought high intensity to the shwo. Every set leading up to Real Friends was non-stop energy, in your face Pop Punk and Rock N Roll. The sound inside the venue was A1, shout out to the sound man! Grayscale brought out a lot of sing alongs like Pallete, Beautiful Things, and Fever Dream. The Philly rock outfit ended their set with a ballad, aptly named Forever Yours.
Blackpool alt rock outfit Boston Manor really set the tone and got the crowd moving, hitting them with songs from their new record Welcome To The Neighbourhood,
like Bad Machine, Hate You, and England’s Dreaming. The record was released early September of this year.
Boston Manor really set the bar high at that moment in the show. Which is no surprise because Real Friends seems like the type of band who would want to follow a strong band such as Boston Manor. Real Friends, being the headliner played a set that lasted almost an hour and a half. Jamming songs songs from the new record Composure which was released July 13 of this year.
Songs like, Me First, From The Outside,Smiling On The Surface, Get By, and Unconditional Love. Real Friends even brought out the oldies but goodies like Summer, I Don’t Love You Anymore, Home For Fall, and Mess. The Illinois Pop Punk outfit seemed to bring out every facet of the band and a taste of every album, pleasing all the RF die hards, myself included. Real Friends brought the house down and played a great rock show for the books!
With all of that being said, I was very content with my trip to LA, Real Friends and friends really brought the “fire” as the kids say. There was a never a dull moment during that show. The energy and good vibes were mixing well that October night. I’m a huge fan of all four bands and own all their records minus Eat Your Heart Out release Mind Games.
This tour was booked well and Real Friends is a hot band right now, proving that they will have longevity in the world of music, dare I say every band on this tour will. Be sure to check this tour out if it hits your town, even if you aren’t a Real Friends fan. If you are a fan of good vibes and live music go check out Real Friends this Fall!
FrankenCulture 