Good Charlotte
RAC Arena, Perth, WA
Tuesday, February 17th
It’s hard to know what to expect from a band like Good Charlotte in 2026, especially when their ‘Motel Du Cap World Tour’ lineup looks more like a Warped Tour relic from decades gone by.
Good Charlotte debuted 26 years ago with their eponymous classic, and yet, multiple stints on The Voice and seven albums later, the band still fucking rock.
Kicking off the Australian leg of their world tour at the RAC Arena in Perth, the Madden Brothers and co. enticed throngs of tattooed limbs – and the occasional nuclear family – to their stacked bill. A show very of its time (including the notable lack of women or diversity across the lineup) found itself exploding over 20 years after most of these bands hit their peak.
Replete with ‘Pop Punk For Lyf’ t-shirts and lots of Blink-182 merch, the crowd were in their element. Melbourne’s Kisschasy delivered a set in promotion of their first album in over a decade. Vocalist Darren Cordeux displayed adequate frontman energy, his baggy shirt and even baggier pants a perfect look to accompany the reminiscence. Their set was loose, if a little sloppy. “We actually did a tour with Good Charlotte back in 2007. Were any of you there? I don’t believe you. You look too young,” they said.
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This wouldn’t be the first time the collective age of the crowd would be highlighted, though the self-deprecation was certainly needless by the time Good Charlotte were seconds into their set.
Yellowcard erupted with “Way Away”. With a screen display that felt right out of 2000s MTV and a hardcore energy that woke up anyone who may have been laying dormant in wait of the headliners, they made it abundantly clear just how they have managed to carry their career far and wide – even if it comes as a surprise to them.
Frontman Ryan Key espoused gratitude at every available moment. “What a special thing to be back in Australia. We have never played a show this big in our entire career in Australia,” he said.
Moments like “Lights and Sounds” and “Empty Apartment” sounded just as powerful as they did in the early 2000s, perhaps even better. Seamlessly weaving new tracks from their newest LP, Better Days, between deep cuts and crowd pleasers, the band solidified themselves as one of pop-punks most original and immovable acts. “We started in a garage and now we’re playing an arena in Perth, Australia,” Key reflected. I would be remiss not to mention Jimmy Brunkvist, whose drumming was so spectacular that he could have carried a one-man show.
Image: Yellowcard Credit: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images
Good Charlotte spanned multiple levels on the chaotically backlit stage, opening with “The River”. Joel and Benji Madden showed off vocals that sounded near identical to their 2007 recording of the track. The entire set was rife with faultless harmonies and carefully arranged vocals that betrayed the fast and loose reputation of the genre.
A relentless first few songs included the dancefloor hit “I Don’t Wanna Be in Love” and the upbeat classic “Last Night”. The crowd arguably took a while to warm up, but Good Charlotte were able to turn an arena event into an old-school house party with their casual intimacy and rapport.
“Good evening mother fucking Perth,” Joel screamed. “Those first three songs were the best three songs we’ve played in years.” Halfway through the set and they reminded the crowd of just how many hits they have. The few songs they played off Motel Du Cap sat comfortably beside moments like “Boys and Girls” and “The Chronicles of Life and Death”. The band were wholly unafraid to show love to their back catalogue, making the evening a celebration.
Self-aware to a fault, the band remarked on their longevity and ruminated on shock that more than half of the crowd were experiencing their first Good Charlotte show.
The band appeared high on the excitement of newness — new transitions, new songs, and new moments to be curated with a new crowd. “You guys changed our lives,” Benji admitted. “We really did this shit together,” Joel announced while asking for a rating out of ten for their performance. “We would’ve hung out at all the parties,” Joel said wistfully. “Passing around mixtapes, Benji would have had an acoustic guitar.”
It was comments like these that grounded the brothers, that made it clear that not a shred of arrogance had accompanied them on stage.
The band closed the show with an encore of “The Anthem”, a song that got the entire arena on their feet. There is zero chance that any diehard Good Charlotte fan left the night disappointed; if anything, they would be absolutely euphoric.
Ticket information for Good Charlotte’s remaining Australia and New Zealand tour dates is available here.
