Less Than Jake
Regency Ballroom
August 1, 2025
Photos by Raymond Ahner
Ska-Punk masters Less Than Jake hit the road earlier this Summer for a 31-show tour that sees them crossing the country this month. Bringing alone fellow legends Fishbone, as well as Suicide Machines, Bite Me Bambi, and Catbite, the Summer Circus 2025 Tour offers something for punk and ska fans of all ages. The circus pulled up to the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco recently, and gave the packed to the rafters venue a night of skank, fun and smiles.
Opening their set with “Gainesville Rock City,” the band were all high-energy as they reminded everyone in the crowd why ska-punk still matters. They couldn’t have been more enthusiastic from the moment they hit the stage, and it clearly radiated into the crowd. “Lie to Me” and “Johnny Quest Thinks We’re Sellouts” followed, complete with a toilet paper gun that streamed everyone in the first few rows.
As much as the fans were enjoying the show, trombone player Buddy “Goldfinger” Shaub seemed to be having more fun than any of them, as he paced the stage with trombone in hand, hilariously interacting with his bandmates and his fans.
Highlights from the set included “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads,” “The Science of Selling Yourself Short,” and “Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding.”
Frontman Chris DeMakes kept his banter light and playful as always, joking about the band’s decades-long career. As they wrapped up their set with “Look What Happened,” Less Than Jake showed no signs of slowing down. Their set may have been tight and polished, but it never once lost that loose, party atmosphere and vibe that they have been delivering for over thirty years.
Direct support for this tour comes from perhaps the MASTERS of Ska-Punk, Fishbone. The band may have a revamped line-up with leader Angelo Moore being the only constant member since the band’s inception in1979, but that did not stop them from putting on an extremely energetic set of their own. Fishbone opened their set with “Secret Police” from their just released Stockholm Syndrome record, which is their first studio album since 2006. From there, the band tore through an all too short seven-song setlist highlighted by another new song, “Racist Piece of Shit,” (which is not so subtly dedicated to President Donald Trump) as well as “Sunless Saturday” and of course, “Party at Ground Zero.”
Here’s a slideshow with more photos of Less Than Jake and Fishbone by Raymond Ahner:
