If someone were to ask me how old I was when I first got into Hot Water Music, I would tell you I have no idea because it feels like they have been with me for most of my life. The amount of times that band hits my ears is likely excessive, but if you are a fan, you totally understand why.

I was slightly thrown back when I learned earlier this year, they were playing Cleveland in celebration of being a band for 30 years. Three freaking decades of being one of the most prolific punk bands out there. Wild.

To make things even more amazing with their anniversary tour, they announced special guests Tim Barry and Quicksand would be playing Cleveland. There was no way in hell I was going to miss that. Thanks to an old pal, I even was able to snag a photo pass to make it even more memorable by capturing the night.

Seeing Hot Water Music, Quicksand, and Tim Barry on a Friday night in downtown Cleveland was the best way to start the weekend. Outside there were boomers rocking their Rolling Stones shirts a night early to the show they probably spent more than they should have and just tons of other people were enjoying their evening with food and music on Euclid and around E. 4th.

I can tell you through that they all missed out on the best time inside good ol’ House of Blues. The best part was that it was not overcrowded and there were people of all ages in attendance. Worst part was that there was one dude doing merch for all three bands – nice dude, but come on, nothing beats not waiting in line. Back in my day we cut people to get our merch because we had the cash ready… Ok, I am done being grandpa punk.

Tim Barry started the night off to a slew of adoring fans. Armed with his trusty guitar, he came out and did what he does best. I loved that he played “Dog Bumped” with fans singing along, but the best was “Fine Foods Market” when everyone shouting appropriately how fine they were. Storytelling folk punk rock doesn’t get much more entertaining than Barry. He had a great span of tracks from his solo career, but I personally would have loved to have heard more.

Did I wish I was seeing Avail? Well yes, but seeing Barry live is one of my favorite things as I adore this dude.

Now I have been a fan of Quicksand for a long time now, but never had the chance to see them play. Seeing them rip through songs like “Omission”, “Inversion” and “Brown Gargantuan” had me in pure awe. They sounded amazing and, for a brief moment while I was in the photo pit, I just stood there and stared almost forgetting what I was supposed to be doing there for the first three songs.

I love how happy Walter Schreifels and Sergio Vega were on stage. They were just getting into their songs and eating up the crowd’s reaction. They were certainly well-received by almost everyone there.

Walter, Alan, and Sergio had no problem delivering one hell of a set. I hope some of the younger generation at that venue who may had never heard of this post-hardcore band went home and did their homework. My only complaint is I wished they were able to play a proper set. I understand they were a special guest so their time was limited, but come on, it is freaking Quicksand. Hopefully they will come back again soon.

Chuck Ragan and the rest of Hot Water Music took stage just around 10p kicking things off with “Menace”, a new track off their latest release with Chris Cresswell helping with strong vocals.

I about lost my shit when they moved into “Remedy”, perhaps my all-time favorite Hot Water Music track. Once again, I may have froze in that photo pit for a moment as the 25-yeal-old me was freaking the hell out. Needless to say, I was loving every moment of that track.

One cool part of the night was when Ragan paused and offered thanks not only to his band and stagehands but also to the entire venue crediting it not possible to have lasted this long in the business without their help.

The band played “After the Impossible” after admitting they had not played it live yet. They all took a moment to look at one another and just tore into it. I am not sure about the rest of the folk in the house, but it sounded good.

A memorable part of the evening was when Ragan started talking about reaching out for help if you are in a dark place and admitted when he wrote the song he was about to play that he was in a very bad state of mind. He encouraged people to talk about it and not hold it in. Moments later he broke into “Drag My Boy” and I got chills.

I was thrilled they played “Trusty Chords” but it was their last song that just turned a great evening, into the perfect evening.

As they were thanking everyone for coming out, a stagehand ran out with a mic stand and picked up the mic that was on the ground. They broke into “Simple Song” with Tim Barry. I am fairly certain everyone in attendance sang along. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to hear Barry sing that Avail song. Looked like I got some of that wish that I wanted.

No lie, this was one of the best nights of music I have had in a while. Three of my favorite bands playing their hearts out. It does not get much better than that.

Here are a few photos I was able to take. I love I get to do this. Enjoy.