Less Than Jake live at Starland Ballroom
by Holly Van Ness | June 20th, 2025
All images are from Less Than Jake’s - Summer Circus Tour in Sayreville, NJ on 6/20/25.
This past week, I had the opportunity to catch Less Than Jake at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey and if I could sum it up in one word, it would be: wow.
Before this show, I never really had any interest in punk ska music. Mostly because I had a particular view about what I thought it was like without actually listening to any punk ska bands or watching any videos. I figured there would be an array of instruments that you typically didn’t see like trumpets and synth-style keyboards but I didn’t expect the call-and-response verses that the whole venue seemed to know, or the entire band dancing around the stage, or how many families showed up together.
The entire bill was jam-packed with notable names in the punk ska world and even the first opening band, Bite Me Bambi, was full of energy and had absolutely magnetic stage prescenese. The other two opening bands, The Suicide Machines and Fishbone, were equally as charming and exciting, performing songs from their many years as bands and leaving a continued legacy within the ska punk community.
When Less Than Jake finally came out, the crowd was lively and it quickly became clear why they were considered legends in the scene. From the moment they came onto stage (or should I stay danced onto stage), their energy was closer to a full-throttle experience than anything else. They had everything to put on a punk ska show and more; including horns, nonstop engagement with the crowd, and a sense of belonging that only transpired with music like that. Every member radiated joy and that energy spread throughout the Starland Ballroom like a wildfire.
I never thought I would be a ska punk kind of person but after Less Than Jake and the Summer Circus tour, ska punk are the only kinds of concerts I want to go to from now on.
Remaining tour dates below:
Tue, JUL 29 The Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA *#~
Wed, JUL 30 The Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA *#~
Fri, AUG 1 Riverside Municipal Auditorium – Riverside, CA *#~
Sat, AUG 2 The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA *#~
Mon, AUG 4 Revolution Hall – Portland, OR *#~
Tue, AUG 5 Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA *#~
Thu, AUG 7 Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID *#~
Fri, AUG 8 Union Event Center – Salt Lake City, UT *#~
Sat, AUG 9 Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO *#~
Mon, AUG 11 Emo’s Austin – Austin, TX *#~
Tue, AUG 12 House of Blues – Houston, TX *#~
Wed, AUG 13 Studio at the Factory – Dallas, TX *#~
Fri, AUG 15 The Pageant – St Louis, MO *#~
Sat, AUG 16 Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN *#~
Fri, SEP 12 Fort Monroe Fishing Pier Hampton, VA
Sat, SEP 13 Fort Monroe Fishing Pier Hampton, VA
