Written by Kaitlyn Musgrove; Photos by Kaitlyn Musgrove

December 10, 2023 at Big Night Live, Boston’s TD Garden’s small but beautiful music
venue, Real Friends and Knuckle Puck took the stage bringing an exciting night of
pop-punk and emotions. The openers, One Step Closer and Arm’s Length, spent the
first hour and a half getting the crowd pumped for the main acts. Their energy was
electric and the entire venue could feel it. If you had never heard of either band before
they took the stage, you were a fan by the end of their sets.

The venue was filled with fans already having a night to remember and then Real
Friends took the stage opening with a fan favorite, “Me First,” capturing the attention of
the crowd immediately. Cody’s crowd interaction along with his addicting energy had the
entire venue dancing and singing… more like screaming, along the entire set. Halfway
through their 14 song setlist, Cody had the crowd split down the middle, took his mic
and stand and sang the emotional, “Teeth,” in the crowd while everyone circled around
him with their flashlights, singing their hearts out – making for a very intimate and crowd
pleasing 3 minutes and 28 seconds. They concluded their set with an oldie, “Late Nights
in My Car,” that helped satisfy old school and new fans alike.

The anticipation was building, the crowd was high on life after Real Friend’s set but the
night wasn’t over yet. The lights dimmed and one by one the guys in Knuckle Puck took
the stage. They opened with, “The Tower,” a song off their newest album, Losing What
We Love, making the crowd lose their minds. Joe’s energy from start to finish was
contagious, he even had me singing along while capturing his energetic moments. They
played a 13 song setlist that kept everyone feeling alive and having the time of their
lives. They concluded their set with the fan favorite, “Untitled,” which made for an
emotional and powerful ending to an incredible night.