One of Southern California’s highly anticipated festivals made its way back for the eighth year to the OC Fair & Events Center in Costa Mesa. MUSINK, a tattoo and music festival, presented by Travis Barker of Blink 182, took place on March 20th-22nd, giving the event goers three days of great music and tattoo exhibitions. Among other bands, the headliners were Rancid, Bad Religion, and Blink 182 w/Matt Skiba.
Almost feeling the chilly ocean breeze, the sound of music and buzzing needles and the smell of delicious fried food welcomed the anxious fans into the almost sold out venue on Saturday, March 22nd. Besides music and tattoos, there were plenty more options; from hoping through the various food vendors and bars to a beautiful showcase of classic cars in flawless display.
The massive live tattoo exposition brought in more than 300 world-renowned tattoo artists who came ready to brand tattoo enthusiasts. While several brave souls offered their skin as a canvas for these talented artists while showing no signs of pain, other simply wore skimpy outfits to show off the masterpieces on their bodies.
The indoor-stage setup in a warehouse setting provided a good view for those closely packed inside and for those scattered comfortably outside. On this night, the stage would headline none other than punk-rock godfathers Bad Religion, but other bands like Off!, from Los Angeles definitely warmed up the night and proved that they too are one of the best punk rock bands of our time.
Between sets, the crowd, including children sitting on their parent’s shoulders, rushed to grab a spot closest to the stage. It was time for Bad Religion. The now mature men appeared to their public and wasted no time; immediately burst into “Spirit Shine” which instantly drew their faithful follower’s fists in the air. The thrashing of intelligent and controversial lyrics continued from vocalist Greg Graffin and his amazingly youthful voice. He introduced one song while ranting “Christopher Columbus, you know what we say about him…this song is called F*ck You!” The raised fists, moshing, and beer throwing carried on through their 28 song set, which included the classics “Sorrow” and “Infected.”
Bad Religion, with over 30 years of successful musical career, branded their fans with a night to remember. It was a true celebration of music and tattoo culture.
