Pop punk grandfathers Good Charlotte brought their Generation Rx tour to Skyway Theater this week. Along for the ride were scene staples Sleeping With Sirens, rising Chicago punk rockers Knuckle Puck and The Dose. This show embodied the past, present, and future of pop punk.

Opening strong with the title track off their newest release Generation Rx, the Madden brothers and company brought us back to the early 2000s with hits such as “The Anthem,” “Girls & Boys,” and more. Throughout the set, lead singer Joel Madden asked us where we were in 2002.

In 2002 I was in elementary school, going through my big sister’s CD collection, and stealing her Good Charlotte shirt. I remember singing along to “The Story of My Old Man” without really knowing what the song was about- only realizing last night and feeling proud of little Dylan.

The audience was a mix of people in their 30s proudly reliving high school angst and people in their early 20s who were here to be hit with waves of nostalgia from both Sleeping With Sirens and Good Charlotte. With such a stacked line up I truly felt like I was back at Warped Tour.

The Show Stops Due To A Fight

With a Warped Tour-style crowd came moshing, crowd surfing, and very rowdy fans. There was a moment within the set in which the band had to stop and tell the crowd to calm down. I personally witnessed three people ejected from the show.

Whether it was a real fight or just bad manners within the pit, I was shocked regardless. I’ve seen hundreds of acts and never considered Good Charlotte as a heavy show. You could say it comes with the territory as many of the fans are used to the classic Warped days.

The set was mainly made up of classics, with only 2 new songs performed. Among those was “Prayers,” a cheesy song that ponders why there is so much hate in the world I guess. It didn’t really do anything for me and I much favored their older material.

I am not against new Good Charlotte. Their song “Makeshift Love” off 2016’s Youth Authority was one of my most played songs on Spotify for a while. The group has a lot of longevity and proved to the audience at Skyway Theater that they still have a lot left to offer.

The openers for the show were perfectly selected. Sleeping With Sirens were described as Good Charlotte’s gift to us. They brought their brand of high energy angst and proved to be the highlight of my night.

I was pleasantly surprised with Knuckle Puck. This was my first exposure to the band and I loved every second of them. They could very easily be the next big thing as they have this Midwestern angst and attitude that reminds me of classic Fall Out Boy.

On the flip side, I found The Dose to be thoroughly unenjoyable. This California based group was an odd combination of Nickleback-esque vocals, failed attempts at humor, and one embarrassing jump off an amp at the wrong time.

Overall, Good Charlotte brought an excellent night of nostalgia to Skyway Theater. The band has been through a lot over the years. From being the anthem band for early 2000s high schoolers, appearing on Nickelodeon’s ICarly, and more- Good Charlotte proved they’re here to stay.

Setlist:

Generation Rx The Anthem The Story of My Old Man Keep Your Hands Off My Girl Girls & Boys Riot Girl Prayers Predictable Hold On Little Things The Young and the Hopeless The River Dance Floor Anthem I Just Wanna Live Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous