Punk rock legends Pennywise and Circle Jerks took over the House of Blues Anaheim alongside H2O and DFL for two nights (May 16–17), celebrating the venue’s 25th anniversary. Originally opened on January 12, 2001, at Downtown Disney with Lit, the House of Blues operated there until 2016 before reopening at GardenWalk on February 28, 2017, with Social Distortion. Given Orange County’s deep punk roots, a lineup like this felt especially fitting for the milestone. Notably, both Circle Jerks and Pennywise trace their origins back to Hermosa Beach, CA.
Following opening sets from DFL and H2O, Circle Jerks hit the stage. The band initially announced reunion shows in 2019 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their seminal hardcore album Group Sex, but those plans were delayed until September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That return marked their first performances together in over a decade. Since then, Circle Jerks have stayed active, including a 2022 West Coast run with The Adolescents and nearly 300 shows played since 2021. The current lineup features co-founders Keith Morris (vocals) and Greg Hetson (guitar), alongside bassist Zander Schloss—three-quarters of their final pre-hiatus lineup—and drummer Joey Castillo (formerly of Queens of the Stone Age and Scott Weiland’s band). Morris also formed OFF! in 2009, while Hetson spent nearly three decades in Bad Religion…