H.R. (Bad Brains, Human Rights) autumn 2025 Tour.
H.R. at The Sanctuary, Detroit MI 11/06/2025 - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
Bad Brains were pioneers of punk rock, and it would be hard to understate the influence that they had on every punk rock band (and half of every other band outside of punk rock) that came after them. The music was faster than we thought possible, and the live shows were unbelievably chaotic (the only comparison I can think of is SNFU's Chi Pig). "Pay To Cum" was the first song that I heard, and even today, it's one of the most covered songs from that time period. The Beastie Boys have said that their name (with the initials BB) is a tribute to Bad Brains, and Dave Grohl also cites them as a major influence (in his life and the lives of every person that saw them play live).
H.R. at The Sanctuary, Detroit MI 11/06/2025 - All photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
I missed their very early period, but I was lucky enough to catch them live in 1990 at Detroit's Latin Quarter (35 years ago now). I knew that seeing HR today would be nothing like seeing Bad Brains in their prime, both because of his health and age but also because it would be a reggae show. It wasn't a given that I would go, with Black Flag & The Queers playing over at The Loving Touch on the same night. I checked setlist.fm and saw that HR was playing a couple of Bad Brains songs, and that sealed the deal.
It was a Thursday, and we got there early enough to catch Detroit Riddim Crew and Leaving Lifted. They weren't bad, not my taste in music but appropriate support for HR. Before the show, HR (Human Rights) took a few pictures with fans. When it was time for them to play, he had to be helped onto the stage to a chair in front of a shortened microphone. He was in good spirits, the sound was great, and the sax player from Detroit's Detroit Riddim Crew joined them on stage for a few songs. A worthwhile way to spend a Thursday night, it was an honor just to be in his presence.
