On September 22, Bikini Kill brought the riot grrrl scene back to Boston at Roadrunner. A sea of dyed hair in different styles filled the crowd as fans, young and old, geared up for the show. As the legendary band took the stage, the audience came alive, cheering and immediately singing along to “New Radio.” The mosh pit quickly took shape, or rather, a purposeful lack thereof, as audience members bobbed around like pinballs. The constant mosh allowed fans to experience different perspectives of the show: one moment they were in the fifth row, the next they were pushed into the ninth. They seemed unbothered by this, even with the constant, aggressive physical contact with strangers. Yet, they also seemed to enjoy it. Even when one fan wanted out, the audience quickly reverse crowd-surfed them over the barricade, and they casually walked to the back of the venue. Some might prefer to watch the mosh pit rather than participate; it was like watching a well-oiled machine in action. Seeing it play out was nothing short of exhilarating.
Lead vocalist, co-founder, primary lyricist, and punk icon Kathleen Hanna took several moments throughout the show to interact with the crowd. She called out a fan at the barricade celebrating her 15th birthday and first punk show, sending her well wishes and reminding her to not drink or do drugs. Though she added, “I’m just saying that because your mom is next to you. We’ll talk later.” The band went on to perform more hits like “Carnival” and “DemiRep.”
Hanna also brought up the divisive political environment currently in the United States multiple times throughout the night, assuring the crowd, “You’re not crazy. This is absolutely f*cked.” This made for a perfect segue into longtime fan favorite “Double Dare Ya,” which the band famously prefaces by shouting, “We’re Bikini Kill, and we want revolution!”
As the encore began, Hanna thanked the crowd earnestly for letting them keep playing shows so far into the band’s lifespan. “This didn’t used to happen,” she noted. Not before grabbing a fan’s letter and stuffing it into the top of her poofy pink cupcake dress, the band descended into “Rebel Girl.” Everyone in the room, no matter who they were or how they identified, screamed every lyric with their whole chest.
