Recap The Riverdales, Shot Baker, and Jetty Boys at Majestic Theatre

Remember how The A.V. Club advised you to go to one of this weekend's shows for the openers? Well, that would also have been good advice for The Riverdales' CD-release show Saturday at the Majestic Theatre. It wasn't pop-punk veteran Ben Weasel's (a.k.a. Ben Foster) performance that dominated the night, but rather the abundance of energy, passion, and well-written tunes from Sheboygan band Jetty Boys and Chicago's Shot Baker. Punky power-pop trio Jetty Boys—which features two members of beloved Wisconsin punk band The Leg Hounds—ripped into its killer set with “No Me Digas,” which collided bassist-vocalist Eric Mahnke’s shaky vocal melodies with the backup howls of drummer Jon Mickelson and guitarist-vocalist Drew Fredrichsen. Fredrichsen nailed all of his brilliantly sugary guitar lines on tunes like “Telephone Man” and the punchy chords of “Gimmie My Heart” as he jumped around the stage and swung his headstock like he was deflecting bullets.

As Shot Baker introduced its pummeling blend of neo-punk and '80s hardcore with “Sick Of Promises,” charged-up vocalist Tony Kovacs playfully prowled the stage, howling, “Your change of heart has left me so goddamn sick of promises.” Throughout the set, the four Chicagoans wove between speedy punk blasts and pop-infused, Fugazi-sounding bits. “They gave us a 45-minute set. That’s a fucking joke,” Kovacs explained with a smile as the quartet ended its punishing stand all too quickly with “Sorry Illinois.”

The crowd—which had been sprawled across and even outside the venue—finally piled to the front to watch The Riverdales play selections from their brand-new love letter to the Ramones, Invasion U.S.A. “One, two, three, GO!” screamed vocalist-guitarist Dan Schafer (who also fronts excellent Chicago power-pop outfit The Methadones) before launching into set opener “Make Way” (and pretty much every other song). Schafer handled most of the Ramones-sounding lead vocals, and Weasel threw his nasal delivery into just a few numbers. The crowd went batshit for snotty rockers like “Mental Retard” and “Lead The Way,” pogo-ing gleefully and pumping fists as Weasel strummed away, aiming his guitar toward the crowd.

While the focus of the performance was on Invasion U.S.A., the set also stretched into 1995’s Riverdales, 1997’s Storm The Streets, and 2003’s Phase 3. Drummer Adam Cargin (of Madison’s Blueheels) beat the shit out of his drums with amazing endurance, not catching a break until ending the set proper with “Cementhead.” The band came back out and sent the audience into a final frenzy with a handful of songs including “Don’t Let Them Beat My Baby” and “Riverdale Stomp.” During some stage banter, the band discovered that several fans had traveled from all over the United States to see the show, and one supposedly flew all the way from Scotland, proving once again that a band doesn't have to be oozing with originality to enjoy a die-hard fan base.