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The thousands of us who came to the Violent Femmes’ show tonight came for many of the same reasons: to recapture high school and college moments, including long-past summer days when we drove with the windows rolled down and sang "Kiss Off" at the top of our lungs.

But, although memories are painfully wonderful, we came for more. We came to reconnect with the trio that made Milwaukee music famous.

Prior to the show, I expected to see a bro-friendly party set at the Harley-Davidson Roadhouse, and even though the show started off with the most famous bass line in Brew City – the opening chords to "Blister In The Sun" – it later became evident that this show was going deeper than high-fives and sing-a-longs.

Now playing #ViolentFemmes - Blister In The Sun on Galaxy Fm 106.1 Patra — Galaxy Fm Patras (@Galaxy1061) July 8, 2016

The band, which consists of core members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie, along with newish drummer John Sparrow, ripped through a 20-song set with two encores, drawing material from their most recent release, "We Can Do Anything," along with super hits like "Gone Daddy Gone," "American Music" and "Add It Up." Three songs surfaced from "Hallowed Ground," including "Jesus Walking On Water," "Country Death Song" and a stand-out "Black Girls," complete with a horn section and improvised lyrics.

The change-up in the songs was evident throughout the show, which added fresh elements to these heard-a-zillion-times songs. Ritchie's deep-voiced and over-the-top "oh my oh my oh mys" during "Jesus Walking On Water" added jokingly sinister humor and the addition of multiple extra musicians, including Milwaukee's Jeff Hamilton and Blaise Garza on saxophone and the massive contrabass, brought new dimensions to the songs. 

The Femmes historical timeline is like a broken yellow line on the freeway. The band was active on and off for stretches from 1980 to the present. Gano and Ritchie have worked with four different drummers: Victor DeLorenzo, Guy Hoffman, Brian Viglione and Sparrow.

Sparrow, who was introduced tonight by Ritchie as "born and raised and still living in Milwaukee, Wis.," has already become known for having a Weber grill as an extension of his drum kit. 

Before tonight, I was not a huge fan of the new album, which is the Femmes’ 16th. Mostly, that's because I can’t get past the goofiness of the second track, "I Could Be Anything," which sounds like it should be on an early 2000s kids’ record. And yet, when I heard the stripped-down sincerity of "What You Really Mean" live tonight, I was reminded that they've still got what sucked me in so many decades ago.

As always, the most amazing aspect of the show was the two or three generations of fans, many of whom clearly felt the urgency, angst and beauty of the first album that launched the Femmes into a place of worship for decades. Because of these anthemic songs, the band could have been reduced to a party band steeped in douchebaggery, but they always rise above such trappings.

However, not all of the songs are timeless. There is something a little creepy about a 50-year-old man begging his dad for the car – as Gano did in "Gimme The Car" – and then going on to say what he plans to do with a girl once his dad approves the loan for the evening.

But the great moments far outweighed the not-so-great. Ritchie shined on stage and was clearly having a great time, ripping it up for the photographers and donning, initially, large sunglasses and an even larger acoustic bass.

There were also numerous moments of gratitude. At one point, they honored the band’s late saxophonist, Steve Mackay, who passed away last year, with "I Held Her In My Arms." Later, they played the strongest and most heartfelt cut from the new record, "What You Really Mean To Me," at the request of drummer Sparrow’s mother, as well as Kevin Hearn from The Barenaked Ladies, who left his tour for an evening and flew in just to play the accordion with the Femmes.

Despite issues in the past – Ritchie and Gano had a legal battle in 2007 about the rights to "Blister," which Gano sold to Wendy’s – tonight they seemed to generally really enjoy each other, if not as people, as musicians who have continued to evolve, while giving the audience the chance to both rock out and remember.

Set list:

"Blister In The Sun"
"Kiss Off"
"Good For/At Nothing"
"Love Love Love Love Love"
"Country Death Song"
"I Could Be Anything"
"Prove My Love"
"Life Is An Adventure"
"Jesus Walking On The Water"
"Issues"
"What You Really Mean"
"Old Mother Reagan" (excerpt)
"Freak Magnet"
"Gimme The Car"
"I Held Her In My Arms"
"Color Me Once"
"Black Girls"
"Gone Daddy Gone"
"American Music"

Encore:

"Memory"
"Add It Up"