Concert Review: PUP and Jeff Rosenstock reunite after 10 years on tour in Atlanta.

Pup, which originated from an acronym coined by lead singer Stefan Babcock’s grandmother, stood for Pathetic Use of Potential. Some could argue they immediately went on to prove her wrong. Formed in Toronto, Pup signed with SideOneDummy Records to go on and write and tour and write and tour.

A member of the crowd shot by Rayna Sklar

In the wake of the release of their fifth LP, Who Will Look After The Dogs?  Toronto legends Pup joined with Jeff Rosenstock made their comeback with their co-headline “PUP + JEFF ROSENSTOCK PRESENT: A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS” tour. 10 years ago, Pup and Jeff Rosenstock toured together supporting Modern Baseball. However, not everything went according to plan. Jeff’s van broke down, twice. All of Jeff’s gear was stolen out of said broken down van. Stefan (Pup, singer) ruptured a vocal cord on the last week of tour and had to cancel the last week of shows. It wasn’t all bad that came out of those mishaps, Pup wrote an album called The Dream is Over in reference to that tour.

Stefan Babcock of PUP catching some air shot by Rayna Sklar

Now, ten years later both bands are keeping the spirit of punk rock alive and on stage. Walking out to Who Let The Dogs Out, Pup set the stage to open with Hunger for Death off their latest record, immediately connecting with the crowd. With lyrics such as “Fuck everyone in this venue, especially me especially me” you can’t help but to stick a middle finger back up at Babcock.

The energy of the crowd held up all the way from their opener Ekko Astral through the co-headliner's individual sets and then their joint set finishing up the show. I don't think I have ever seen a mosh pit that consistent for three plus hours. I've been adjacent to this genre my whole life and honestly knew the bands that PUP & Jeff had influenced more than themselves. And I see why an entire wave of genre has come from them. There's a brutal honesty to their lyrics and music, that you can really hear in the authenticity of their voices.

Jeff Rosenstock waving to his fans shot by Rayna Sklar

Shooting the first three songs from the photo pit resulted in getting lyrics shouted in my face, a foot in the back of the head from a crowd-surfer getting pulled out and seeing genuine joy from the stage and the crowd. It almost feels like an honor in a photo pit to be between such great energy. I don't think it was a matter of getting their fans to come back after all these years, I think they've been here the entire time and gave Pup and Jeff a warm welcome back.

The crowd shot by Rayna Sklar