Knuckle Puck and Real Friends Deliver Perfect Pop-Punk at Boston’s Big Night Live [Photos]

Driving on a Sunday night in a storm probably isn’t anyone’s first choice, but this girl will do almost anything for a concert. It had been a while since I saw a pop punk show, and Knuckle Puck and Real Friends happened to be stopping in at Big Night Live with One Step Closer and Arm’s Reach. Once I saw that Knuckle Puck and Real Friends were co-headlining a show again, I knew I had to go for old-time’s sake.

Arm’s Reach began the show with their song “Object Permanence.” It’s a catchy song that got the crowd moving. They played for about 25 minutes with their set, including “In Loving Memory,” “Up in Smoke,” and “Tough Love,” and closed with “Garamond.”

Up next was One Step Closer. They played about ten songs and opened with “I Feel So.” Other favourites included  “Dark Blue,” “Autumn,” and “Turn to Me,” and they concluded with “The Reach.” During the majority of their set, the crowd was quite responsive and engaged.

Co-headliners Real Friends stole the show after. They had a 14-song set, which included many old and familiar songs. The band started with “Me First” and “Tell Me You’re Sorry.” Other songs included “Six Feet,” “Mess,” “Lost Boy,” and “From the Outside.” During “Teeth,” vocalist Cody Muraro went into the middle of the pit, and they performed the song acoustically. While crooning the lyrics, the audience turned their phone lights on and lit up the room. The band ended things off with “Late Nights in My Car.”

Lastly, it was time for Knuckle Puck! Knuckle Puck is a perfect band to see with Real Friends. Starting with “The Tower” and “No Good,” the audience got right into it. The mic was held out to the crowd a lot while everyone sang along to their many favourites. Other songs included “Double Helix,” “Want Me Around,” “Poison Pen Letter,” “Groundhog Day,” “Pretense,” and “Gone.” They concluded the night with “Untitled.”

This was a great tour, and I hope they do another run together in the future! I can’t wait to see what shows 2024 has in store!

Knuckle Puck and Real Friends (w/ One Step Closer, Arms Length) at Big Night Live (Boston, MA) on December 10, 2023

70 photos