When the Punk Rock Bowling lineup was announced, it was clearly noted that Night Birds were on the bill. The last time that I was at the festival was with them, so it seemed like a great chance to crash the party and hang with them again. Plans were made and I headed out on Sunday to meet them up.

The drive in to Vegas on Sunday was pretty uneventful. I had gotten up early and was on the road by 8AM, which I am sure helped contribute to it. I got into Vegas and wanted to get some shopping out of the way. I also grabbed a late lunch, knowling that I was going to need the fuel for later. With my shopping complete a few hours later, I made my way to the hotel.

I got to the hotel and got both rooms checked in and set up. Night Birds were staying at the same hotel that night, so I made sure that the fridges were stocked and the rooms set up properly. With a few hours of free time, I headed down by thr venue to check it out. My time was short lived as the logistics issues that plagued the first half of the Night Birds tour continued. Rental car agencies were closed, flights were delayed, etc. I ended up making multiple runs, picking up PJ, getting him to the venue, picking up the others, dropping off gear, etc.

With everything at the hotel, we headed down to the festival to meet up with PJ. We arrived just in time to hear New Noise by Refused. We got in, got food (beware the Japanese burrito), and settled in for The Descendents. Their set was plagued with issues from the weather sending some rain to the PA dropping out multiple times. With them being the last band, everyone except for PJ decided to call it an early night and get some rest.

Monday was a much better day. Everyone was well rested, the rental car procured, gear and luggage easily transported, and food acquired. With everything in place and a nice hospitality tent set up, everyone was able to relax and focus on the show. To assist with some of the missing gear issues that they had, I had brought my guitar and bass in case they were needed. Brian also asked me to keep an eye on the stage and pitch in as necessary if there were issues with the drums. I got my guitars ready, studied the stage, and helped make sure that I was prepared for whatever I needed to handle

The show was a sucess. The gang went on at 4 and blew through a 30 minute set. The crowd, spaced out at the beginning, pulled in and a circle pit formed in the middle of it, like a tornado in Oklahoma. During Killer Waves, PJ broke the high E on his guitar. My SG got to pinch hit and get them through the last 3 songs in the set, closing with Left In The Middle. With the crowd awed, we broke the stage and started spectating.

The remainder of the day was full of good times. I was able to have a few beers and wind down with the gents. I saw Sonic Reducer by the Dead Boys. Joe and I got to grab dinner at Siegel's 1941. Greg and I were able to catch up for a while and I was able to share my new picks with him. I saw The Hives for the first time and was very impressed. After almost 7 hours of post show fun, the night came to a close. I walked with the band to the hotel, said my goodbyes, and headed to my own hotel to get some sleep.

Tuesday was an easy day for me. I got up and was very well rested. I drove around Vegas for a bit and begand the drive back to Phoenix.

I have a lot of gratitude that I was able to see Joe, PJ, Brian, Darick, Mike, Greg, Freddy, and Rhino again. I look forward to the next time.