Alright, millennials, let’s talk about the video game that’s basically your spiritual animal: TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER. Those pixelated skateboards and gravity-defying grinds are practically coded into your DNA. So when they announced the remaster of Pro Skater 3 + 4, the collective scream of nostalgia could’ve shattered a halfpipe. To celebrate, Activision, Goldenvoice, and AEG Presents are throwing THPS FEST—a concert that’s like the game’s soundtrack come to life, but with way less button-mashing.
Who’s on the bill? Glad you asked. We’ve got punk legends THE ADOLESCENTS (the OGs of skate-punk anthems), San Diego’s pop-punk squad URETHANE (yes, like the skate wheels—no, they don’t come with bearings), and the lyrical maestros LUPE FIASCO and DANNY BROWN. Because what’s a skate sesh without a rap verse about kickflips, right?
Mark your calendars: THPS FEST goes down Thursday, May 8th at the El Rey Theatre in LA. Tickets? ¯(ツ)/¯ No one knows if they’ll actually sell ’em to the public, but you can catch the whole thing live on Twitch at 6 PM PT/9 PM ET. Pro tip: Stock up on pizza rolls and pretend you’re grinding the Venice Beach boardwalk from your couch.
Now, for the deep cuts: THE ADOLESCENTS’ “Amoeba” isn’t just a song—it’s a Pro Skater 3 relic that’s been resurrected for the remaster. And shoutout to DROPKICK MURPHYS, who once covered their track “Who Is Who” for American Wasteland. Fun fact: That game’s soundtrack was basically the gateway drug for punk-curious 12-year-olds everywhere.
LUPE FIASCO’s “Kick, Push” is the skate anthem your mom accidentally knows the words to, thanks to its cameo in Downhill Jam. Meanwhile, DANNY BROWN is the new kid on the block, dropping bars into the remaster like he’s grinding a rail for the first time. And URETHANE? Their track “Dog Years” marks their debut, but their founder, Steve Caballero, is a skate legend who once rolled with Tony Hawk in the BONE BRIGADE. (No, that’s not a metal band—it’s a skate crew. Close enough.)
