NOFX / Against Me! / Chixdiggit

"Holy shit, they played the entire Decline!" was a much echoed statement at the first of this two night mega punk rock show, since NOFX did indeed unveil a live version of their 17-minute epic skate punk single, The Decline, from a few years back. With hundreds of teenagers and un-grown-ups packed into the huge venue, excitement was set on approximately "super duper high" for NOFX's first return to Canada in about three years. In affinity with their newest release, a "best of" suitably titled The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us), the hour-and-a-half long set was packed to the brim with choice oldies, such as the crowd-pleasing "Linoleum." Though shout-outs to long-time fans were many, popular sections of their latest full-length, the War on Errorism, did make appearances. Fat Mike's declared best song ever written, "The Separation of Church and Skate," caused extra tussles in the pit, and the synth-laced (huh?) "Franco-Unamerican" capped things off in splendid melody. A special guest graced the stage for her namesake song when Nubs herself came out for "She's Nubs." Against Me! played a decidedly un-acoustic set that maintained tinges of their folk-punk prettiness within the chant-along vocals. Originally slated to open the show, that spot was thankfully given to the mildly appreciated Chixdiggit, who proved that not much has changed in the last whack of years when they played their only real hit, the nostalgic but tiresome "Chupacabra." When it comes down to it, NOFX are still a handsomely good-natured band who know what they're doing because they've been tops in the business for so long. It's hard to match them on a bill, and thankfully Against Me! were certainly up to it.