If I asked you to name an essential modern-day pop punk record, what would come to mind? As you ponder the quick riffs and catchy vocals of the 2010’s, you may hear the echo of six striking words in your head: “I’ll tell you everything is copacetic.” We have none other than Knuckle Puck to thank for that.

10 years ago, the Chicago pop punk quintet released what would become their beloved debut record, Copacetic. It’s an album that poetically traverses the hardships and heartaches that come with being human — and still hits close to home for fans, from start to finish, a whole decade later. That’s why the Copacetic Anniversary Tour packed out Philadelphia’s Union Transfer last week, selling out the room to 1,200 of Knuckle Puck’s biggest supporters all with one mission in mind: to show the band just how much Copacetic meant to them.

On-stage, a sign of what was near poked through the dark in the form of four distinctly familiar objects (an origami frog, a pair of glasses, a die, and a stopwatch) as if they had been cut directly from the cover of the record. Then came the band — and a collection of anticipatory screams. Vocalist Joe Taylor, guitarists Kevin Maida and Nick Casasanto, bassist Ryan Rumchaks, and drummer John Siorek filed onto the stage and responded with smiles that pierced the black of the room as the lights flashed on.

That decade of listening and longing was shattered in mere seconds with the punchy vocals and infectious guitars of “Wall to Wall (Depreciation).” As the opening track of the record penetrated the room, each member of the band took turns firing themselves into the sky with undeniable spirit. The crowd was moved to do exactly the same, catapulting crowdsurfer after crowdsurfer forward and giving the band a glimpse into the pent up adoration for the record everyone there that night had been waiting to release.

Everyone was warmed up and ready for anything by the time “Disdain” arrived. The angst-filled anthem, and fan favorite, sent the crowd into a continued frenzy of flying bodies that fed the band’s vigor. Joe triumphantly sprung forward with his fists in the air and any anxiety that originally fueled the song vanished, his unearthed bravado proving not just the power of time, but the positive effect of endless support. “Tonight’s sold out, you did that,” Joe claimed as the song ended, placing his palms together and holding them out to the crowd in deep appreciation. “Thank you.”

That support was rewarded with a track the band hadn’t played since 2017. Fans followed the wandering guitars of “Ponder” to that signature Knuckle Puck lyric: “I’ll tell you everything is copacetic.” This lyric is significant for so many reasons, but the most important is the hope that seeps into its defeat. The latter half is a phrase you may share with others when you desperately want to be okay, something you find yourself reciting in hopes of becoming true — words that, in hindsight of a hurdle, do. Faint echoes flourished into booming voices as Joe pointed his microphone out to the crowd and let everyone come to the healing revelation that, if not then, one day they’d be able to speak those three words truthfully and confidently. And if anything’s proof of putting in the work to achieve progress, it’s a band’s personal and professional decade-long growth.

“This record we’re playing tonight would never be possible without Philadelphia,” Nick expressed as he shared his affinity for the very city we called home. “This was one of the first cities to pop off for us and it’s like a second home. We really mean it. Knuckle Puck is always tied to Philadelphia. Never forget that.” In that moment, the night transcended the typical band and fan dynamic and showcased the simple, but powerful notion of people encouraging people and welcoming those pursuing their passions into a community of unwavering support. One decade ago, we decided to give that unwavering support to a band called Knuckle Puck. Standing there in the midst of that experience filled by 1,200 others who made that same decision, I know I can speak for everyone when I say we felt thankful we did.

This sentimental speech tugged at every heart in the room and we sat with its sincerity until an iconic Knuckle Puck riff unleashed a whole separate set of emotions that can best be described as pure chaos. The biting anger of “Pretense” crashed over the stage as Joe darted back and forth and spat his words into the room alongside Nick. The crowd spat the same aggression back, pointing fingers at invisible wrongdoers and moving through the anguish caused by them — but not without the realization that we were all in this together. Crowdsurfers piled over the barricade, some on top of one another, smiling as they sprinted back into the insanity and continued to let the intensity of their feelings from the past 10 years loose. It was catharsis at its finest.

As Copacetic neared its end, Joe prolonged this inevitability with a quick story about the record’s final song. It went a little something like this: They were all in their van discussing song names as they struggled to identify a title for the last track. They didn’t want to go with the obvious choice (if you’re a Knuckle Puck fan, chances are you can figure out what that obvious choice would have been). Thus, “Untitled” was born. 

As soon as the song’s slow strums began, all eyes were fixated on the stage for a breathtaking seven minute and fifty-one second performance. The vulnerability in Joe’s words filled the depths of each and every person’s previous introspections. Then, the vocals faded and gave way to pure instrumentation with Ryan gently tapping two drumsticks on the edge of a giant drum and Dante Melucci of Anxious joining the band on stage to help round out the song with his acoustic guitar. Joe’s voice swept in for one final reminder of those same six words we had heard before: “I’ll tell you everything is copacetic.” Then with transparency, he sang, “I’ve been much better but at least I’m healing.” As we listened to those two statements alternate, we felt defeat turn into hope again — accepting that life would throw seemingly impossible and unrecoverable difficulties our way, but remembering that if we take them one step at a time we’ll eventually end back up on our feet.

Witnessing the entirety of Copacetic live was a special experience that I hope everyone has the pleasure of participating in one day. We learned a lot, not just about the record, but about ourselves, the way we process life, and what it means to find a community of people navigating it all too. My personal favorite insight from the evening? Copacetic will always be a reminder, the motivation we as complexly emotional humans need, to keep pushing forward. And we have Knuckle Puck to thank for that too.

In honor of its 10 year anniversary, the band just released a newly remixed and remastered version of Copacetic. Listen to it here!