The ZRockR team ended day 2 of Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival by going our separate ways to different club shows around Downtown Las Vegas. My show of choice? Billy Bragg.
I will fully admit that I had heard of Billy Bragg numerous times throughout the years, but he was an artist that always escaped my ADHD riddled brain when it came to sitting down to actually listen. Day 1 of the festival completely changed that.
We sat around the breakfast table, curing our hangovers from the night before, and I turned to fellow photographer, Alex, and asked, “Please don’t take away my punk card, but why all of the hype around Billy Bragg?” In the simplest terms he responded, “He is punk’s Bob Dylan. You’ve heard his songs, but you’ve probably heard covers from other artists. Everyone covers him.” He could’ve stopped explaining after “punk’s Bob Dylan”, because I fucking love Bob Dylan.
As I stood there with my camera in the photo pit, listening to the lyrics, I found myself tearing up. I was an instant fan. I knew I had to keep my stamina up during the second day of the fest, because I was absolutely treating myself to a ticket to the club show.
I made my way up the staircase to the Citrus Pool Deck at the Downtown Grand (luckily I didn’t have to go far since that’s where we holed ourselves up for the weekend), greeted my friends that I was meeting with during the end of X bassist John Doe’s set. After a little socializing and spending far too much money on a few shots of Jameson and a beer, my friends and I made our way over to the small stage on the other end of the deck.
I think the thing I love most about finally being exposed to Bragg is the fact that it is just him and a guitar. Nothing fancy. Just stripped down, raw music.
One of the most powerful things Bragg said, before the start of one of his songs, was in regards to the upcoming election here in the states. It isn’t just about women’s rights, the wall, gay/transgender rights, etc., but if we the American people will allow ourselves to vote people into power who are above the law. As a man from England, he mentioned history of the English people taking matters into their own hands with a previous King who thought they were above the law.
Throughout the show, there were songs and comments regarding the importance of unions, fighting for the betterment of the healthcare system, basic human rights, and references to Woody Guthrie, as well as a joke about needing Kleenex for men due to his main festival performance (which was also an absolute need at the club show).
If you’re not a political person, or you don’t like music with a political message, then this music is probably not for you. Is every song like this? No. However, as someone who does give a damn, I was completely enthralled.
The fact of the matter is that punk music has always been, and will always be, political; no matter what side of the fence you stand on. Do I agree with every single message? Not necessarily, but I’m inclined to understand the meaning behind them a little bit better. That’s kind of what’s important at the end of the day though, isn’t it? Being able to hear a message, or a person’s point of view, and learn something, accept it, or agree to disagree (so long as it doesn’t put people in fucking danger). I’d like to think so.
Bragg closed out his set with “A New England”, which had the entire crowd singing at the top of their lungs, fists in the air, arms around each other and pulling each other closer; their voices in unison, singing as one. Looking around at the crowd, tears were absolutely flowing. I stood there in awe, yet again, of what I’d just had the honor to witness.
I’ve been coming to Punk Rock Bowling since 2019, and I am very pleased that this was my first club show. Hell, it’s 3:15 in the morning right now, the fest is over, and I’m writing this sipping a Magners Pear Cider alone in my hotel room, listening to Bragg & Wilco’s “California Stars”, tearing up thinking about Sunday night’s show. It will certainly stick in my mind as a core memory.
“The currency of music is empathy.”
Setlist.
The Wolf Covers Its Tracks
A Lover Sings
Why We Build the Wall (Anais Mitchell cover)
The Buck Doesn’t Stop Here No More
Levi Stubbs’ Tears
Rich Men Earning North of a Million
Upfield
Freedom Doesn’t Come for Free
The Busy Girl Buys Beauty
Richard
Lovers Town Revisited
The Man in the Iron Mask
To Have and to Have Not
The Milkman of Human Kindness
A New England
PHOTO CREDIT: Cell phone photos by Stephy Muzio for ZRockR Magazine – All Rights Reserved