LIVE: SPIKE AND THE GIMME GIMMES – Tampa, FL, USA – August 17, 2025

Venue: The Ritz Ybor

City: Tampa, FL

Date: August 17, 2025

Review and Photographs by: James Zambon (https://jameszambon.com)

Saturday night at The Ritz Ybor was a wild ride with Spike and the Gimme Gimmes headlining their Wet Hot American Summer Tour, and honestly, the whole lineup was stacked. Kate Clover kicked things off and immediately grabbed everyone’s attention. She’s got that perfect mix of grit and polish, with a sound that feels classic and fresh at the same time. On top of that, her stage presence was magnetic, confident, cool, and totally commanding the room. Then The Schizophonics came out and just blew the doors off the place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a frontman throw down as much energy as Pat Beers did. Throughout their entire set, he was a whirlwind of energy—singing, shredding, and practically bouncing off the walls like the stage could barely contain him. At several points, he left the stage and was dancing with the audience in the pit! The whole band fed off that chaos and turned it into one of the most electrifying sets I’ve seen in a long time.

By the time Spike and the Gimme Gimmes hit the stage, the crowd was thoroughly hyped up and ready to go. True to form, they delivered a tongue-in-cheek, punked-up party full of covers that had everyone singing along. They’ve got that rare ability to make a set feel half like a comedy show and half like the tightest punk rock band you’ve ever seen. The whole room was grinning, laughing, and shouting the words to songs we all grew up with. What makes Spike and the Gimme Gimmes so much fun live is that they never take themselves too seriously, but they still play with absolute precision. The costumes, the crowd banter, the ridiculous song choices, all of it just adds to the atmosphere. They can take a track you’d never expect to work as a punk song and somehow make it the highlight of the night (like my newest favorite of theirs: “Good 4 You” originally by Olivia Rodrigo) . It’s equal parts parody and celebration. This was one of those perfect nights where every band brought something unique, and together they made for an amazing, chaotic, high-energy show. Pack up any excuses that you have for not getting tickets, put those in the cabinet for another night, and go buy tickets to see this tour. This is one of those must-see shows.

SETLIST: Jolene – Take Me Home, Country Roads – Riders in the Sky – On the Road Again – Queen of Hearts – Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down – Changes – Love Will Keep Us Together – Leaving on a Jet Plane – Wild World – Summertime – Straight Up – Karma Chameleon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard – Dancing Queen – Estos celos – Good 4 You – Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) – Crazy for You – Over the Rainbow – Sloop John B – End of the Road

[Show as slideshow]

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries