A few years ago, I had a nice little slate of concerts on the horizon including Pearl Jam (April 2020), Rage Against the Machine w/ Run the Jewels (July 2020), Built to Spill (August 2020) and Deftones (September 2020).

Well, you know how that ended.

Now, about two years later, I’ve seen a couple live shows, but none that I had really been looking forward to until the pop-punk band The Regrettes visited Piere’s on Sunday, Feb. 27.

As has been common with venues reopening, there was a snag, as the show was originally slated for a month earlier. But it finally took place, and a good time was had.

Despite living in a Fort Wayne for 10 years now, this was my first trip to Piere’s, and I evidently entered through the wrong door as I walked right in without needing to show my ticket to anyone. I eventually spotted the ticket-taker and had mine scanned because I’m that kind of fella.

The venue was actually more intimate than I guessed, and I went to the bar, and with it being a school night, opted for a Mountain Dew instead of the “adult pops.”

I had never heard of The Regrettes until putting the show in our calendar (go to whatzup.com/today to get our daily email of events!), but saw they were playing at Bonnaroo and Coachella, so figured I’d give them a listen on my streaming service. After liking the sound, I decided this would be a show I’d enjoy.

I also came to the realization that a 41-year-old guy might stand out a bit at this show, and I was correct.

After spotting a guy in my demographic who had brought his 14-year-old daughter and her friend down from Kalamazoo, I grabbed a seat at his table while opening act Kississippi out of Philadelphia took the stage. They were pretty good, with solid playing and an engaging lead singer.

After a longer-than-expected setup between bands, The Regrettes took that stage with lead singer Lydia Night encouraging fans to go “ham” while dancing along.

Flanked by guitarist Genessa Gariano and bassist Brooke Dickson, the trio kept the energy up while drummer Drew Thomsen kept the rhythm.

While I was familiar with their two albums, there were some singles that I didn’t know, and no one was aware of a new song, which Night said she was hoping wouldn’t be “cringey.”

I was pleased to hear “Has It Hit You?” before the lights went up after about an hour. I initially thought the encore could be coming as there was a bit of a delay in the full lights coming on, and since they didn’t play their latest single, “You’re So F****** Pretty.” But, alas, that was the end.