Bowling for Soup in Riverside

About Bowling for Soup

Bowling for Soup is a pop punk band from Wichita, Kansas that made a career out of being the smartest joke in the room. They broke through in the early 2000s with "1985 (Jimmy Eat World)," a song that perfectly captured the specific sting of realizing you peaked in high school. Their whole thing is combining genuinely catchy hooks with self-aware humor and references that land because they actually mean them. Songs like "Girl All the Bad Guys Want" and "Almost" became staples of mid-2000s MTV rotation, but beneath the novelty appeal is solid songwriting. They've maintained a steady presence for two decades by refusing to take themselves too seriously while writing songs that stick around way longer than novelty songs should. Their fanbase tends to be fiercely loyal, which tells you something about the actual quality underneath the funny hats.

Bowling for Soup shows are basically sing-alongs with a band that clearly enjoys the ridiculousness. Crowds come loaded with nostalgia, everyone knows the words, and the band leans into the fun without being condescending about it. Expect audience participation, banter between songs, and a general sense that everyone's in on the joke together.

Known for 1985 (Jimmy Eat World), Girl All the Bad Guys Want, Almost, The Bitch Song, Ohio (Come Back to Texas)

Bowling for Soup in Riverside News

• A Look Back: 25 Years of the SXSW Outdoor Stage SXSW · Nov 18, 2025
• DS Show Review: Less Than Jake, Fishbone, The Suicide Machines, and Catbite (Riverside Municipal Theatre – Riverside, CA, 8/1/2025) Dying Scene · Aug 8, 2025
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• AUTHORITY ZERO To Celebrate 25 Year Anniversary with 24-Track Double LP IDIOTEQ.com · Oct 3, 2019
• Interview: Jaret Reddick (Glasgow, Sept 13th 2017) The Moshville Times · Sep 16, 2017

Live Music in Riverside

Riverside's rock scene has quietly developed some staying power, but it's mostly been alternative and hard rock territory. Pop-punk is rarer here, which means Bowling for Soup could actually cut through the noise. The city's got the infrastructure and the audience for this kind of thing — it's just a matter of bands actually showing up. This feels like a natural fit for a place that doesn't get enough bands doing catchy, deliberately silly rock.

Riverside road trip to see Bowling for Soup?

Stay in the Magnolia Center area near downtown Riverside, where restored historic buildings sit alongside new boutique hotels and wine bars—it's the only neighborhood that actually feels like somewhere worth spending an evening. Before the show, dinner at Duane's, a reliable California steakhouse with real cocktails and actual craft to the food. Spend your afternoon at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum or walking through the Mission Inn's sprawling Mission Revival campus—it's genuinely stunning architecture, the kind of thing that reminds you why people actually settled this part of California.