The Summer’s end means different things to everyone. Going back to school, closure of beaches, colder nights, but for some it means the yearly Bouncing Souls’ Stoked for the Summer show at the Stone Pony on the Asbury Park beach. Funny enough, the Souls just played on the Stone Pony’s Summer Stage a month prior while on tour with Rancid and Dropkick Murphys. However, the Stoked for the Summer show has more bands with each one handpicked by the Souls themselves. Opening the show was Timeshares and Mickey Rickshaw, which were unfortunately missed, but the following band was long time friends of the Souls, The Menzingers. The Menzingers have come a long way from the mountains of Scranton, PA and is considered one of the hardest working bands out there today. With only a short time slot, The Menzingers played 12 songs which featured songs from their last 3 albums with a emphasis on the latest one, After The Party. No deep cuts, but a good setlist for fans and anyone who didn’t know them, which is hard to believe at a show like this.
As the sun began to set, Lucero took the stage and made for a great soundtrack. Lucero’s folk/country sound moved the crowd to the point where Lucero could’ve played longer than they were allotted. At one point it seemed like they wanted to play longer. Ben and company played a wide range of songs including a new one, covers, and some with Ben solo, a well rounded band that everyone should listen to.
Closing the night was curators of the show, The Bouncing Souls. Performing a little bit of something from each album, the Souls put on a great show to close out the summer, even The Menzingers came on stage to help with a song. Seeing the Souls outside of their home state is a great experience, but let it be Stoked for the Summer or Home for the Holidays, there is nothing better than seeing them in their home state and city. The energy of the band and crowd is hard to describe, but the closest thing is love. Everyone is there to have a good time and celebrate the Souls for always continuing on. Here’s to next year’s Stoked for the Summer.
Favorite Sights & Sounds 