Review By Val Tapia
Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Live Nation (https://www.livenation.com/
Venue: The Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ (https://www.thevanburenphx.com )
Date: May 13th, 2026
Let me start off by saying I was honestly surprised at the turnout for the Pennywise show on Wednesday May 13th at The Van Buren.
Truth be told, with 1700 in attendance (according to staff), it was the biggest crowd I’ve witnessed there since September 2018 when Tempe’s own Gin Blossoms and opening act Big Head Todd and The Monsters sold out the 1800 capacity venue a week before the show.
It’s been 35 years since Pennywise released its self-titled debut album. Songs like Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Living For Today still put fans in a frenzy after all these years.
I suppose this show brought out the youngest of Gen Xers for the most part. Yes, there was plenty of moshing throughout the night, and some body passing for “good measure”, for lack of a better way to put it. I hope the fans who chose the latter didn’t fall on their heads. Because at times, it certainly looked like they did.
Even though it was a 75-minute set, to their credit, at least Pennywise still played a 20-song set. Like I’ve always said, every musical artist with a sizable catalog should be playing either 20 songs or two hours onstage– minimum. Whichever comes first.
It bears repeating: anything less than that from any headline act in 2026 is absolutely unacceptable. From every conceivable angle.
Back onstage, Peaceful Day was a standout track, and maybe one of their better songs overall. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many people watching the show from the stage, at least in recent memory that I can recall.
Even though there were no encores, the fans in attendance didn’t seem to mind. They concluded the set with another song from the first album, Bro Hymm. That’s when all the fans on the sides of the stage had a “sing-along” to close the night.
Musically, the band is pretty tight overall, but the songs just aren’t there to my ears. In other words, the longevity of Pennywise is more impressive than its music.
By contrast, it could be argued that Circle Jerks gave Pennywise a run for the money onstage. The first thing I noticed was the incredible spot-on rhythm section of bassist Zander Schloss and drummer Joey Castillo. It’s also hard to believe that lead vocalist Keith Morris is still onstage at 71 years young. And still seems to love it.
Song-wise, they played a healthy dose of their 1980 debut album Group Sex. It’s perhaps the shortest LP with the most songs I’ve ever seen. 14 songs in 15 minutes! Now that’s what I call punk rock. But I digress.
There was an intense moment when Morris made mention of Luigi Mangione, the person accused of shooting and killing the CEO of United Health Care, Brian Thompson, in late 2024. Morris said “the world needs an army of Luigi Mangiones”. Needless to say, there were both cheers and jeers from the audience that immediately followed.
On a lighter note, it was pretty funny when Morris alluded to a “huge, free punk rock show” that should be played “at Sun Devil Stadium” in Tempe. That drew roars of approval… from pretty much everybody.
Apart from getting hit with a plastic bottle on my shoulder thrown from the balcony, the show wasn’t bad overall. But I wouldn’t call it great either. Let’s just say it was solid, but I’ve definitely seen better that’s for sure.
The final verdict? As the night’s headliner, I’ll give Pennywise three out of five stars. Mostly for effort.
Pennywise
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
Circle Jerks
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
H2O
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
DFL
Photos © Fred Kuhlman 2026, All Rights Reserved
