For the second time this year, the Bay Area got a taste of the Coachella-inspired Refused reunion, this time at the Fox Theater in Oakland … the second to last stop on a short west coast tour that was capped off by a slot at Los Angeles’ FYF Fest on Saturday. Poking a little fun at themselves when they mentioned that they have been meaning to play Oakland for 20 years, Dennis used the excuse that they became “distracted with other things, like life.”
Refused may have pulled themselves back from the brink of legendary status when they announced their initial demise back in 1998 but, now having been apart longer than they were together, the members of Refused seem to have largely embraced their status which now has them playing crowds that largely wouldn’t have been previously imaginable.
A little older, maybe a little wiser but no less emphatic in the message that their music brings which, as frontman Dennis Lyxzén was quick to point out, is indeed as relevant today as when it came out over a decade ago. While the ideology holds true, the band seems accepting of the fame, if not only for the fact that it allows them to bring their messages to a wider audience.
The crowd that largely opted to pack the floor of the Fox over the safety of the balcony was clearly in tune with what was going on up on stage. The pit area was a churning, frenetic mass but even to the back of the floor level, the crowd was right there … clearly soaking up every note that they were lucky enough to have the opportunity to see twice in the same year and possibly for the last time. Refused finally doing final justice to The Shape of Punk To Come.
Setlist:
- Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull
- The Refused Party Program
- Liberation Frequency
- Rather Be Dead
- Coup d’état
- Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine
- The Deadly Rhythm
- Hook, Line and Sinker
- Refused Are Fucking Dead
- Life Support Addiction
- The Shape of Punk to Come
–Encore–
- New Noise
- Tannhäuser / Derivè
Supporting act: Sleigh Bells
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