Written and photos by Neal Cribb
On October 18, 2025, legendary Los Angeles hardcore band Circle Jerks delivered a blistering performance at San Antonio’s Paper Tiger, bringing decades of punk urgency to the 210. The venue filled with anticipation as frontman Keith Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson led a set packed with fast-rhythm anthems and unfiltered attitude, reaffirming their status as pioneers of hardcore punk.
From the moment the first chord rang out, the crowd was locked in. The band tore through fan favorites like “Sick Boy,” “Give Me Fire,” and the landmark “City Baby Attacked By Rats,” their blistering speed matched by Morris’s snarling delivery and Hetson’s gritty riffs. With such raw energy coursing through the room, every song felt like a manifesto for resistance and unrelenting action.
As explosive and precise as ever, the Circle Jerks capitalized on the charged atmosphere at Paper Tiger—where the stage felt like a hero crucible and the audience a loud-voiced congregation of punk devotion. By the time the final chord faded, there was no question: they hadn’t just played a show, they had reaffirmed why punk’s fire still burns in places like San Antonio.
