Fiddlehead played Lynch Family Skatepark – 8/1

Post-hardcore heroes Fiddlehead took part in the annual Back To School Jam at the top of the month.

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I have not been blogging much this month, obviously. A two-week jaunt to Spain took a sizable bite out of my August showgoing, as did the lead-up and comedown. I’d be remiss if I didn’t throw something together on one of my favorite Saturday afternoons of the summer, however.

Any time I see Pat Flynn perform – whether with his iconic and occasionally reunited hardcore band Have Heart, his New Wave-y outfit How Much Art or his current main project Fiddlehead – I remark to someone in my vicinity that he should be the mayor of Boston, or the president. Flynn, punk veteran and high school history teacher, surely has no political ambitions, but he’s the kind of guy who can make you believe in something anytime he gets on the mic to talk community, art and belonging.

This month’s massive outdoor Fiddlehead show was no exception, as Flynn had plenty of opportunity to speak to the power of the scene on an inspiring afternoon. Part of a release celebration weekend for their excellent new EP Baby I’ll Change which also included a surely-unhinged underplay at the Middle East Upstairs, the band’s appearance at the annual school supplies fundraiser/skate jam at Cambridge’s Lynch Family Skatepark was something of a punk rock summit, drawing what felt like thousands out for a spirited afternoon that also included sets from Haywire, Dizeaze and the final show by scene stalwarts Colin of Arabia.

The pictures say it better than I will, but the crowd’s fervent enthusiasm for Fiddlehead’s raw, openhearted songs and Flynn’s natural magnetism as a bandleader are really something to see, particularly in a huge, sunny setting like this. Any Fiddlehead show is a great time, but this felt like a particularly special one.

I wasn’t able to catch the whole bill for a variety of reasons, but I did make it in time for C.O.A.’s big finale just before Flynn and company. Check out photos from both sets below.