With each subsequent tour, PUP and Jeff Rosenstock‘s respective scopes continue to grow. Between well-received albums and increasingly dedicated fanbases, both acts have been able to fill bigger venues just about every time they embark on a new run (and deservingly so, might we add). Fortunately, they’ve also managed to successfully scale their high-energy stage show with each jump, retaining a sense of intimacy even as the crowds grow more expansive. Now, as the two acts combine their forces in a glorious display of DIY and pop-punk for a joint run dubbed the “A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS” tour, PUP and Jeff Rosenstock make a remarkably compelling argument that not only are they not slowing down anytime soon, but that they’ll continue to rage on their own terms.
Over the past weekend, the acts graced the outdoor stage at Chicago’s Salt Shed (along with opening act Ekko Astral) to put on what just might be one of the most fun-loving programs of the year. I mean, Rosenstock walked out to the theme from Friends, PUP did so to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie,” and the night ended with a double-band set that culminated in a ripping cover of the Alanis Morissette classic “You Oughta Know,” and that’s all without even touching on the meat of each band’s performances.
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As the sun set on the Chicago skyline, Rosenstock and his band blistered through a smattering of fan-favorites and surprises. After opening with two numbers from Rosenstock’s 2015 LP We Cool? — the relative deep-cut “The Lows,” which they haven’t pulled out since 2019, and the singalong “Nausea” — they launched into the full song suite from the second half of WORRY., much to the excitement of the growing mosh pit. With other live staples, saxophone solos, and a notable cover of Rosenstock’s former band Bomb the Music Industry!, during which someone in the audience got engaged, DEATH ROSENSTOCK managed to pack in a whopping 24 songs into their tight hour-long set.
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For their part, PUP matched the infectious scrappiness with a cleaner, even more amped-up hour of their own. Between their massive guitar tones, soaring choruses, and commanding presence over the sea of punks pushing each other and screaming along, the Canadian group had me fully convinced they could succeed in an arena just as much as they could in a sweaty basement.
The confidence of frontman Stephen Stefan Babcock was particularly striking. When I had caught the band on previous runs, like on their 2019 tour in support of Morbid Stuff, Babcock exuded an endearing nervous energy that manifested in, to steal from that album, brief instances of a “Full Blown Meltdown.” In PUP’s current form, however, he reminded me much more of a towering hardcore vocalist thanks to a certain fury in his eyes, his stylishly oversized cotton t-shirt, and his defiant march across the stage that he’d break out during the tunes that found him without a guitar in his hands.
As mentioned, PUP’s time on stage ended by inviting all of Rosenstock’s band back on stage for a genuinely rousing superjam. It was the ultimate rapture of friendship that the night had been building to all along, with Rosenstock and Babcock roughhousing and leading chants as they traded lead vocal duties back and forth.
It was a party, though not one without a purpose. Through all of the silliness and smiles on stage, both PUP and Jeff Rosenstock took several moments to address political causes, community safety, and widespread injustice. As Rosenstock himself pointed out, the stop in Chicago served as an unfortunate intersection of Trump’s ongoing abuse of power. With Ekko Astral hailing from D.C. and Rosenstock now based in Los Angeles, each has seen the President flood their cities with an armed federal presence. With the recent threats that he’ll soon do the same in Chicago, the show’s messaging hit particularly close to home for both the performers and the audience.
PUP and Jeff Rosenstock understand that catharsis and resistance don’t have to be exclusively doomy, gloomy affairs. In fact, the positive vibes and sense of togetherness of “A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS” is just what the punk doctor ordered, providing relief without numbness or complacency. Take as often as possible for best results.
Editor’s Note: Get last-minute tickets to PUP and Jeff Rosenstock’s remaining North American tour dates here.
Jeff Rosenstock Setlist:
The Lows
Nausea
Pietro, 60 Years Old
I Did Something Weird Last Night
Blast Damage Days
Bang on the Door
Rainbow
Planet Luxury
HELLLLHOOOOLE
June 21st
The Fuzz
…While You’re Alive
Perfect Sound Whatever
Scram!
DOUBT
Teenager
Festival Song
Future 86 (Bomb the Music Industry! cover)
Checkerboard Ashtray
Pash Rash
HEAD
LIKED U BETTER
9/10
You, in Weird Cities
PUP Setlist:
No Hope
My Life Is Over and I Couldn’t Be Happier
Free at Last
Dark Days
Concrete
Totally Fine
Morbid Stuff
Kids
Scorpion Hill
Hallways
Paranoid
Familiar Patterns
If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will
DVP
Hunger for Death
PUP and Jeff Rosenstock Setlist:
Shut Up
Hey Allison!
Get Dumber
We Begged 2 Explode
Reservoir
You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette cover)
PUP and Jeff Rosenstock 2025 Tour Dates:
09/08 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^
09/09 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! ^
09/10 — Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre ^
09/12 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem ^
09/13 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount ^
09/15 — Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
09/17 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia ^
09/19 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz ^
09/20 — Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte ^
09/22 — Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
09/24 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^
09/25 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas ^
09/26 — San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger ^
09/27 — Austin, TX @ Radio East ^
09/30 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren ^
10/01 — San Diego, CA @ The Sound ^
10/02 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium ^
10/04 — Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^
10/06 — Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom ^
10/07 — Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^
10/09 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell at The Complex ^
10/11 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom ^
^ = w/ Ekko Astral
