Guitarist Jacob Tsafatinoss, left, and lead vocalist Nick Frostt, right, jump during their set at Quartyard San Diego on April 5, 2024. The performance was dubbed “a chaos show” due to the rain and other random occurrences. (Photo by Noah Lyons)

Off the first week of their biggest headlining tour, “THIS CAN’T BE THE END”, Good Kid brought a blend of pop-punk and indie rock to San Diego’s Quartyard on Friday, April 5th. Opener Adan Diaz joined Good Kid in a night of heavy rain, band antics, and Beyblade fights. The band’s most recent EP, Good Kid 4, came out on March 27 and includes many of the group’s notable tracks that have jumpstarted recent success. 

The show began at 6:30 with Adan Diaz coming on stage to perform. Diaz is a 19-year-old Mexican-American bedroom pop artist whose charismatic personality made for an entertaining opening set. His soft-spoken vocals in many of the songs he performed such as ripped jeans and Ethan’s Place gave for an easy to listen experience with reflective and relatable lyrics. At one point, fans behind me were chanting water repeatedly whenever the artist took a sip of a water bottle in between songs. His most popular song, “legroom,” which currently sits at 15 million streams on Spotify, was the last of the set he performed. 

Jake D, left and Adan Diaz, right, open for Good Kid in San Diego on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Noah Lyons)

After a performance from Adan Diaz, cheers and applause came from the surrounding venue as Good Kid came out on stage at 7:30. As the band walked on stage, lead singer Nick Frosst brought out a cardboard cut-out character display of Nomu Kid, the group’s mascot, that’s primarily featured in marketing and social media. 

Although bassist Michael Kozakov was absent from the lineup due to a family emergency, the band still performed at a high energy level. They opened the set with “No Time to Explain,” an uptempo song that details the different paces you have to take life. The group then went into playing other fan favorites such as “Alchemist” and “Bubbly”. The crowd remained loud and active when Frosst took a drink in between songs, fans yelled for the lead singer to chug over and over before he exclaimed, “It’s seltzer, not beer!”

Good Kid’s San Diego set on April 5, 2024 includes a “Beyblade battle” involving fans on the crowd. (Photo by Noah Lyons)

As winds became stronger, rain soon poured in and at a heavy rate. Ironically, Frosst noted when they booked to play at the outside venue downtown, they asked management if they were sure, to which they said “it was ok, it never rains in San Diego.” 

Fans from the audience helped guitarist David Wood begin “Down with the King,” singing along to every chorus. 

Once 40 minutes to an hour of the show passed, Good Kid became part concert, part entertainment, and more. In a bit between Frosst and guitarist Jacob Tsafatinos, it eventually led to the group pulling out a Beyblade arena for two fans to fight for both members. If you were an outsider, you would’ve assumed the crowd was moshing in a pit as opposed to circling seeing who wins the Beyblade battle.

The band hosts a wheel for a random challenges during their San Diego show on April 5, 2024. The wheel landed on a challenge to sing sea shanties with the audience. (Photo by Noah Lyons)

Not long after, the group pulled out the “Wheel of Chaos.” A wheel made for a fan to come up and spin with titles that’d make the band play their next song blindfolded, end the show altogether, or sing a sea shanty, the latter being the landing spot on the wheel. The band then proceeded to sing the sea shanty, “Drunken Sailor,” with all of the audience singing along in a moment I didn’t think I’d get anywhere else. 

In the band’s encore, they performed the softly sung “Madeleine” before finishing the night with the aforementioned cover of “Laufey’s From the Start” in a stylized pop-punk cover, and “Summer.” The band’s performance created an entertaining night that would be sure to be the perfect gateway to the various pop-punk and indie-rock genres. Even for those not heavily invested in the group’s music, there’s still plenty of fun and games to be had with Good Kid. 

Guitarist Jacob Tsafatinoss, left, and lead vocalist Nick Frostt, right, perform at Quartyard San Diego on April 5, 2024. (Photo by Noah Lyons)