A jester's surprise: The Garden hits The Regency Ballroom

In one of their final stops on the Horseshit on Route 66 tour The Garden gave their first of two nights at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom on November 29th. Despite a notably lackluster energy from the band onstage, both new and returning fans were satisfied with a setlist composed of their newest hits, as well as unmistakable staples from previous work. Yet with a questionable crowd, one was left feeling like they bought tickets to a circus.

Based from Orange County and made up of twin brothers Fletcher (Vocals/Drums) and Wyatt (Vocals, Bass, guitar) Shears, The Garden released their fifth studio album Horseshit on Route 66 (2022) on September 8 under their independent label Vada Vada. The Garden has taken a genre-bending, out-of-the box approach to punk rock. Horseshit on Route 66 is arguably what the band has been trying to achieve so far. With muddy, gritty guitar and drums and bass laid under punk vocals, the duo’s fifth studio album hasn’t exhausted their disregard for genre boxes just yet.

Fans adorning the signature jester makeup of the Shears twins featured on their album artwork, were found lined up around the block after doors opened at the Regency Ballroom. Soon enough though, jesters packed the floor and could be spotted from the balcony above our heads.

On most occasions, opening acts get the short end of the stick. From either having a different sound from the main act or failing to properly match the audience’s excitement of the night, or lack thereof, it can be difficult for an opening act to properly rile the crowd up for the remainder of the night. Machine Girl beat these odds. The electronic hardcore duo performed fan favorites, including “This is Your Face on Dogs” and “Scroll of Sorrow,” properly inciting an excited crowd into forming a pit. Their performance set the proper atmosphere and excitement that the audience felt for The Garden, getting the adrenaline pumping and bodies braced for impact in a pit.

Machine Girl by Dorothy Eck

When the time came for The Garden to come onstage, you could hear a woman’s voice whispering “There were ghosts everywhere…” followed by ghoulish laughter that begins their album-opening track “Haunted House on Zillow.” The energy of the crowd leftover from Machine Girl was not wasted and the crowd erupted.

Several tracks off their latest album including “OC93,” “Puerta de Limosina,” and their lead single “Freight Yard” were performed to an ecstatic crowd. The grunge, Southern California punk rock sound of Horseshit on Route 66 live is perfect music for a band to play live. Having been to previous shows by The Garden in 2017, it’s difficult to stay on the sidelines when a pit welcomes you in.

The Garden by Dorothy Eck

It’s hard not to giggle at the seemingly ridiculous lines throughout The Garden’s discography, particularly the iconic “Scum shit/dumb shit/drumstick vanilla/expiration date/that can give you salmonella” off of “Thy Mission.” Regardless of how absurd these lines may seem by some songwriting standards, one cannot deny how much fun it is to belt them out. Not a single fuck given in the crowd as a clown on stage asked us “Have you ever seen… horseshit… on the side of route 66” before getting into their chaotically playful title track “Horseshit on Route 66.”

Many were pleased when they began their 2015 hit “Call This # Now.” The audience could be spotted jumping en masse to Wyatt chanting “Kiddie cooder cuddie call this number now” — then it was my turn to go berserk. An intro jam turned to my personal favorite “Vexation,” off their first album haha (2015),a song about hunting down predators. Those around me, especially myself, could be heard screaming “I’m gonna straighten you up, if I find ya, I’m gonna make you feel, I’m gonna make you feel just like they felt.”

The night ended with the twins coming on stage to perform “Banana Peel” with Wyatt instructing the crowd “if you have one of these in your pocket, eat it or throw it” before their post-punk jam “Banana Peel” blared. Fletcher joined Wyatt’s side for the encore to hype up the fans in front of them with microphone helicopters and dramatic movements, before ending with their 2020 track “Hit Eject.”

I was particularly pleased with the setlist. As someone who’s followed this band since 2017, I have observed their ability to push boundaries and explore the possibilities of punk rock and hardcore throughout each album release without exhaustion or repetition.

Regency Ballroom by Dorothy Eck

However, going into this concert I held some reservations. Since live music’s return, there have been talks of a shift in crowd culture and etiquette, yet it could be chalked up to drama and speculation. On this night, however, the shift in attitude and demeanor toward one another had undoubtedly shifted from previous tours.

For starters, there were circles opening up in the pit throughout the crowd. Efforts made to mosh in the center of the crowd where people’s movement seemed the greatest became nearly impossible without sustaining a painful blow to the gut and knocking into stoic individuals with their phones raised the entire song. It became excessively messy, to say the least. It was hard not to compare the crowd culture to that of just a few years ago where one could participate in a pit without worrying about pissing off the person worried about filming that perfect video.

Undoubtedly one is going to sustain a few painful blows in the pit. On Tuesday night, however, it became obvious that most people had a blatant disregard for the wellbeing of those around them. Therefore, there became a growing irritation among audience members that does not belong in a pit. People get excited, no doubt, but the sea of phones in the front half of the crowd and a crowd that lacked cohesion made it difficult to enjoy the show.

In the moments that one could, it wasn’t hard to note that the excitement and energy of a rowdy crowd outmatched the energy on stage. The twins are known for their chaotic energy on stage, from jumping from their kickdrum, front flips, somersaults, and even jumping to hang from balconies at different venues, none of that was found on Tuesday night. The most was an occasional jump or two by Wyatt before spinning the microphone around and thrusting it toward the audience. Without a doubt the music was good, but their performance lacked the balance that an artist should have with their crowd.