This was easily underscored during the performance, in which vintage skinheads, skinny MC5-inspired longhairs, agitated mohicans and ageless rockers all converged in the slam zone as Tony hunched over, tending to his rabid flock. If a literary allegory exists for this scene, it's Peter Pan, Cadena attests, not Lord of the Flies.

The other violence the Adolescents evoke is the power of authority - corporations, government, and parents, the triple threat to kids and free-minded adults. This includes the "stupid science world" of anthemic "Amoeba," which they launched with tenacity.

It also underscores their ode to homeless kids formulating their own morals in "Kids of the Black Hole" and the endless industrial ills catalogued in "Monsanto Hayride." Hammering home that track from O.C. Confidential, they lyrically denounced pesticides, mercury poisoning, growth hormones and the dark side of "amber waves of greed."

Plus, to wrap up the set, they threw in token venom like the speedcore "I Hate Children" as well.

The superb treat of the night came in the form of the roiling "I Got a Right" -- Iggy and the Stooges' proto-hardcore fare -- which they unleashed during the encore's last minutes. Featured on their often overlooked gem Brats in Battalion, it is a bridge upon which the old and new generations dance feverishly, extending punk's grasp beyond the zero hour of 1976 to the bombast and factory blast of 1972 Detroit.

Though not all the crowd was equally aware of the history, it spoke loud and clear, nonetheless.

The Adolescents were no miming old stars mewling through the dank and ribald night; they were staunch soldiers of the American punk ethic, smart as heck and stoked to remember, and share, the gifts of their forbearers.