Don’t Have a Cow, Punk in the Park SF
All Photos by John Greenwood
May 3, 2025. The big day had arrived, and all roads to punk rock in the San Francisco Bay Area led to the legendary Cow Palace for Punk in the Park.
This venue has a long history, with many famous artists as well as hosting boxing, basketball, ice hockey, wrestling, roller derby, and—amazingly—track & field events. I know I’ve attended at least one Destruction Derby there. True to its name, the Cow Palace has also regularly hosted professional rodeo events since it opened in 1941.
Photo by John Greenwood
The event was sponsored by Brew Ha Ha, who offered a craft beer tasting session from 10 a.m. to noon.
Punk in the Park was originally slated to take place in the Cow Palace parking lot, but due to forecasts of high winds and inclement weather, it was moved indoors at the last minute. Kudos to whoever made that call. It was no doubt a significant logistical challenge; it was a smart decision overall—and a blessing, as the high winds did arrive and would have made an outdoor event awkward at best. Most importantly, it kept everyone safe.
Photo by John Greenwood
There were two stages with simple, well-organized access and close proximity to each other. Stage Two, the smaller of the two, shared space with merch booths, the beer tasting event, and an outdoor catering/smoking area—all thoughtfully planned out. La Probeska got things started over on Stage Two, making sure everyone was awake for the 1 p.m. kickoff with some hard-hitting hardcore.
Knocked Down opened up Stage One, as far as my day was concerned, delivering a set of melodic punk-pop that gave early arrivals a low-key way to ease into the festival. Next up on Stage Two were SoCal’s Side Eyes, who brought throwback female-fronted hardcore with a song about “Shit Talkers” (like me).
The Queers - Photo by John Greenwood
I had been looking forward to The Queers on Stage One as a standout name in the lineup, and they did not disappoint. Joey Queer was in top form, delivering a rousing and energetic set. Back over on Stage Two, things were heating up with a rowdy performance from local '80s punk veterans CH3. They haven’t lost a step and put on a very solid, engaging show.
R.K.L - Photo by John Greenwood
The tempo of the day picked up with R.K.L. unleashing a particularly volatile set on Stage One. It was a welcome surprise, and I’d rate it as one of the best sets of the day—full of captivating energy and enthusiasm.
But in this humble scribe’s opinion, the best band of the entire festival came next on Stage Two: Manic Hispanic. Absolute chaos, spontaneity, and hilarity ensued as they took the room by storm. It was Cinco de Mayo weekend, and they represented their culture and heritage with the force of a rodeo bull trying to unseat its rider.
Manic Hispanic - Photo by John Greenwood
From the photo pit, it was breathtaking—bodies flying, faces smiling, wires tangling. At one point, I was lassoed by a mic cord while trying to help one of the vocalists untangle himself from a monitor. Later in the set, I took a hit to the head from a flying cellphone, which may have been launched by a crowd surfer or collided with a band member—it’s hard to say. The true story of that phone may remain a mystery, filed away next to the JFK assassination in the “only the perpetrators know” vault. But these are the kind of high-energy, on-the-edge performances I live for. Thank you, Manic Hispanic—you made my weekend.
Manic Hispanic - Photo by John Greenwood
Good Riddance followed on Stage One and had the tough job of playing after Manic Hispanic’s spectacle. They gave it a solid go and delivered a satisfying set.
Good Riddance - Photo by John Greenwood
Dead To Me was the penultimate act on Stage Two, and I was impressed with the aggressive stance of their bassist, who burst onto the stage like a caged tiger. He even dropped into a full split at one point—either out of passion or maybe due to restrictive pants. Either way, it was a cool moment.
Dead To Me - Photo by John Greenwood
I returned in time to catch Leftöver Crack on Stage Two. This performance surprised me in the best way. I had miscategorized them as strictly hardcore, but their ska-infused sound, thoughtful lyrics, and variety defied my expectations. It was an enlightening set and a great way to close out Stage Two.
Leftöver Crack - Photo by John Greenwood
The final run of the night took place on the Main Stage, with three consecutive heavyweights.
Photo by John Greenwood
Lagwagon delivered a no-nonsense, energetic set that had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. I even got landed on by a crowd surfer in the photo pit—always a good barometer of the energy level. Screeching Weasel followed, and things only intensified. Bodies were flying, the crowd was manic, and Ben Weasel even pointed me out from the stage, declaring me the number one correspondent at In Spite Magazine. I’ve got the photo to prove it. I think I remember a cover of “I Can See Clearly Now,” but after the phone incident and being a human landing pad, it might have been a hallucination.
Screeching Weasel - Photo by John Greenwood
And then came Pennywise. Not the band Total Chaos, but actual total chaos—starting with the lights going out. I couldn’t see a thing and accidentally took a photo of a fellow photographer in the dark. It was like playing hide-and-seek with my camera.
Fat Mike - Photo by John Greenwood
Partway through the set, Jim Lindberg and Fletcher Dragge began calling for NOFX’s Fat Mike to come to the stage. Moments later, a clearly reluctant and possibly drunk Fat Mike was dragged out and presented to them. He looked like a disheveled Punxsutawney Phil was yanked out of his burrow a month early—and he was not happy. They wanted him to sing an NOFX song with them. He wasn’t keen. Alternate songs were suggested, which didn’t help. What began as a joke seemed to take a strange, uncomfortable turn, and at one point Mike looked to be escaping out of his shirt before reportedly charging through a few unsuspecting VIPs backstage to make his exit. Whether the whole scene was staged or not remains unclear, but it was a weird and memorable moment.
Pennywise - Photo by John Greenwood
We exited into the brisk San Francisco night with Pennywise’s off-key rendition of “Stand By Me” still ringing in our ears. It was fun. Truly fun. The overall takeaway from Punk in the Park was that it was an exciting, engaging, and well-executed event, full of smiling faces and people genuinely enjoying life—something increasingly precious in these trying times. Give yourself a round of applause, Punk in the Park. You’re doing a great job. 10/10.
