Music fans packed tightly into the Observatory in Santa Ana Sunday night for the final stop of the Tonight We Unite Tour featuring the Nekromantix, the Casualties, Down By Law, Lower Class Brats, the Sheds, Flatfoot 56 and a special performance by Narcoleptic Youth.

Click here for photos of fans and performances.

Punk rock fans, some with elaborate body art and brightly-colored Mohawks and liberty spikes, filed into the Observatory and the Constellation Room, the smaller room located within the venue, to catch one of these six performing acts. One of the most buzzed about acts, Down By Law, featuring vocalist Dave Smalley (also known for his work in All and Dag Nasty), didn’t receive much enthusiasm once it hit the stage. Most of those decked out in punk fashion seemed to just stare blankly back at the band, every once in a while bobbing their heads and only really coming to life during a cover of the Proclaimers “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”

The place got steamy (and a little smelly) for the Casualties and those in the audience mimicking the hairstyles of the band had their spikes start to wilt as they tore it up in the pit and managed to hop on stage to dive into the crowd. A floppy Mohawk is a sad sight indeed.

Finally taking the stage at 12:30 a.m., the Nekromantix came out strong. As vocalist and bassist Kim Nekroman spun his coffin bass, rowdy fans crawled their way onto the stage. Some immediately dove back into the pit for a short-lived crowd surf, but one young fan took his moment in the spotlight further, getting close to and posing for photos with Nekroman, who gladly stuck out his tongue out and shot a toothy grin towards the numerous flashes coming from the photo pit.

Photos by Jenny Montes de Oca, for OrangeCounty.com

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