Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club, November 24, 2026

On Tuesday, November 24, 2026 Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, the punk rock cover band born in San Francisco in 1995, play Traffic Club in Rome, Via Prenestina 738 (00155 Rome), for an Invincible Fest date organized by Hub Music Factory: doors at 20:30, start at 21:30, entry for adults only. It's one of the two Italian dates of the tour, together with the one the next day in Milan. From the center you reach Traffic by tram 14, which runs along Prenestina from Termini to Viale Palmiro Togliatti, and then by surface transportation, to check on the ATAC journey planner. By car, there's plenty of parking around the venue. The ticket costs 33 euros on the authorized presale circuit named by the organizers, with the warning that the door price may be higher.

A band that for 30 years has taken famous songs of every genre, from 1960s singer-songwriters to musicals, from country to diva pop, and played them faster and louder. On stage, as always, matching costumes and an irony that turns the concert into a party. In the lineup, in recent years, musicians from Lagwagon, the Ramones, Rocket from the Crypt, Strung Out and The Damned.

Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic: the night of November 24

The Spike and the Gimme Gimmes concert at Traffic Club is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, 2026, with doors at 20:30 and the start at 21:30. The promoter, Hub Music Factory, presents it as the Rome date of Invincible Fest, the series that brings names from the international punk and alternative scene to Rome in autumn 2026.

Two dates in Italy

The band returns to Italy for just two dates: November 24 in Rome, at Traffic, and November 25 in Milan, at Circolo Magnolia. For audiences in central and southern Italy, the Rome date is the only chance.

Times and entry conditions

The authorized presale circuit lists doors at 20:30, the concert start at 21:30 and a minimum age of 18. There's no dress code: the official line is come as you are. Traffic has a coat check.

The price

The regular ticket costs 33 euros, with the warning that at the door the price could be higher. My advice is to buy it in presale, also so you don't risk finding the night sold out.

What the night promises

The official description speaks of a show all about energy, irony and fun, and calls the two Italian dates a ritual of collective fun, in which the repertoire of great classics gets swept up by the band's punk attitude. The setlist isn't published.

Who Spike and the Gimme Gimmes are: the band's story

Spike and the Gimme Gimmes are a punk rock supergroup and cover band formed in San Francisco in 1995. Until 2025 they were called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. They play covers only: lightning-fast punk versions of songs of every genre, often with a humorous slant, spiced up with melodies and riffs from punk classics.

A simple idea

According to the promoter's description, the project was born from an idea as simple as it is effective: having fun. It brings together some of the most important names of the international punk scene and runs alongside their main bands, with the aim of turning mainstream songs into punk.

The name from a children's book

The band's original name came from a children's book by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione, published with the title Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. On April 21, 2025 founders Fat Mike and Spike Slawson announced that the touring band would be billed as Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, without explaining the reason for the change.

The first single, devoted to John Denver

The first release is from 1995: Denver, a seven-inch with two John Denver covers, released by the label Fat Wreck Chords, founded by Fat Mike. Between 1996 and 1997 four more singles followed, each on a different label and named after the artist being covered.

The labels

The band's main record label has always been Fat Wreck Chords, with releases also on the Japanese label Pizza of Death.

The lineup: from Lagwagon to the Ramones

The current lineup includes Spike Slawson on vocals, C. J. Ramone on bass, Joey Cape on guitar, Jake Kiley on lead guitar, John Reis and Andrew Pinching, known as Pinch, on drums. The lineup that will play Traffic isn't published.

Spike Slawson

The band's voice since 1995, and now the name at the top of the bill, is Spike Slawson, who also sings in Swingin' Utters and the Re-Volts. The ticket seller's description calls him the theatrical frontman: he's the one who runs the show between songs.

Joey Cape and C. J. Ramone

Joey Cape, the voice of Lagwagon, has played guitar in the band since its founding. C. J. Ramone, bassist of the Ramones, joined for the 2018 summer tour, invited by Jay Bentley of Bad Religion, and has been the regular bassist ever since.

John Reis, Jake Kiley and Pinch

John Reis, known as The Swami, of Rocket from the Crypt, debuted with the band in 2021. Jake Kiley of Strung Out has played lead guitar on and off since May 2023. Andrew Pinching, drummer of the Damned, played with the band at two concerts in 2021 and 2022.

Who came before

Among the historic members are Fat Mike of NOFX on bass, Dave Raun of Lagwagon on drums and Chris Shiflett, guitarist of the Foo Fighters, who stayed until 2019. Over the years musicians from Bad Religion, Minor Threat, The Vandals, Social Distortion and many other bands of the scene have stood in for the regulars.

The discography: a theme for every album

Every Spike and the Gimme Gimmes album has a different theme, and the choice of repertoire is part of the joke. The first album, Have a Ball, came out on July 29, 1997 and is still the best-selling one today.

Have a Ball and Are a Drag

Have a Ball focuses on songs by singer-songwriters of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, like Elton John, Neil Diamond and John Denver: the promoter's description cites it as one of their most representative works. Are a Drag, from 1999, is made up entirely of show tunes.

From the 1960s to R&B

Blow in the Wind, from 2001, is devoted to 1960s classics. Take a Break, from 2003, to contemporary R&B, with songs by Boyz II Men, Lionel Richie and Vanessa L. Williams. Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah, from 2004, was recorded live at a bar mitzvah, with pop from the 1960s to the 1980s and traditional songs like Hava Nagila.

Country, Australia, Japan and divas

Love Their Country, from 2006, is devoted to country, with covers of the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Then came the compilation Have Another Ball in 2008, the EP Go Down Under with Australian songs and Sing in Japanese in 2011, and in 2014 Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!, with covers of Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.

The 15th birthday party in Las Vegas

In July 2023 the band played a quinceañera, the Latin American tradition's 15th birthday party, in Las Vegas, and the concert was recorded for a new record. Blow It... at Madison's Quinceañera! came out on June 14, 2024, previewed by a cover of ABBA's Dancing Queen. The promoter's description calls it a record that reinterprets mainstream pop, Latin music and great classics.

We Are the World

On July 22, 2026 the first single under the new name came out: a charity cover of We Are the World, benefiting the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, with many guest voices, including Milo Aukerman, Nikki Corvette, Jim Lindberg and Stacey Dee. With the single the band announced a new album, expected in 2026.

A curious fact about Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club on November 24, 2026

The funniest curious fact is about the costumes. Spike and the Gimme Gimmes take the stage in matching outfits, often tied to the theme of the current record: dressed as cowboys for the country album, as musical characters for Are a Drag. They've played in pajamas, in red suits, in cheerleader uniforms, in shiny suits with fezzes. The most frequent costume, though, is a set of matching Hawaiian shirts, in ever-changing patterns and colors. The promoter's description speaks of eccentric costumes: at Traffic the surprise is part of the show.

The second episode has gone down in American punk history. At a Warped Tour stop in Camden, New Jersey, the band showed up dressed as AFI, while AFI, returning the favor, took the stage dressed as the Gimme Gimmes. It's the perfect example of the humor that surrounds the band.

The third is a lesson in humility. In August 2006 the band was supposed to play three nights at PNC Park in Pittsburgh after Pirates games, together with fireworks. On the first night the baseball crowd booed them, and the other two dates were canceled. The Traffic crowd, in our view, will be friendlier.

What you'll hear at Traffic

At Traffic you'll hear fast melodic punk rock, built on songs almost everyone knows. The setlist isn't published, but the catalog is vast: six theme albums, compilations, EPs and the 2024 live record.

The recognizable songs

The fun of a Gimme Gimmes concert is the recognition game: the verse starts at double speed, the guitar distorts everything, and after a few bars the audience figures out what song it is. It's a punk concert where you sing along by heart even without knowing the band.

The punk quotes

The band slips melodies and riffs from punk classics into the covers: a second level of play if you know the history of the genre. With a bassist who comes from the Ramones, the tribute is also a matter of biography.

What to listen to beforehand

Two records are enough to prepare: Have a Ball, the best-selling one, and Blow It... at Madison's Quinceañera!, the most recent, recorded live. The first shows the original formula, the second how the band sounds today in front of an audience.

Traffic Club, the concert venue

Traffic Club, also called Traffic Live, is at Via Prenestina 738, in the east of Rome, between Quarticciolo and Alessandrino. It's a live music club with a single room, a stage, a large floor and a bar, a reference point in the city for metal, punk, hardcore and rock. The venue page is the one for Traffic.

From Via Vacuna to Prenestina

Traffic's story begins on Via Vacuna, in the Portonaccio area, where the venue built its audience. The move east, onto upper Prenestina, took the name and the regulars along with it.

What it's like

The room is a single space, with the stage on one side: from every spot the connection with the band is direct. The bar area is small and very brightly lit, in contrast with the dark of the room. On the restroom doors there are old school drawings, the hand-drawn graphics typical of heavy music clubs. The presale circuit also mentions the coat check and an outdoor space.

Traffic's autumn

In autumn 2026 Traffic hosts Clan of Xymox, Slomosa and Soror Dolorosa. For Invincible Fest, besides Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, after Crashdïet on October 22, Gvllow is on the bill on November 26.

Something nobody tells you about Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club on November 24, 2026

What people rarely say is that Spike and the Gimme Gimmes were born as a side project, and that's exactly why the lineup has always been fluid. The regulars had and have main bands with packed schedules, and over the decades the substitutes have come from half the American punk scene: Brian Baker of Minor Threat and Bad Religion, Jay Bentley of Bad Religion, the touring bassist for years, Eric Melvin of NOFX, Chris Cheney of The Living End, Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop. So if you go to a Gimme Gimmes concert, you never know for sure who you'll find on stage besides Spike Slawson. It's part of the appeal, and for those who know the scene it's almost a guessing game.

The second rarely mentioned thing is about the name. The change from Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, announced in April 2025, came with no official explanation. In practice it puts the longtime voice, Spike Slawson, at the center, the only member present on every tour since 1995. Italian fans, used to the old name, should search for both versions.

The third is practical: the concert is on a Tuesday night, on upper Prenestina. Plan the way home before going out.

Tickets for Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic

Tickets for Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club have been on sale since April 17, 2026 on the authorized presale circuit named by Hub Music Factory on the official concert page, at a price of 33 euros.

The door price

The sales circuit warns that the door price could go up. For the only date in central Italy, with a band that has a loyal audience, presale remains the most sensible choice.

Adults only

Entry is for those over 18. It's best to bring ID, because checks at the entrance are common in clubs.

Information

For general information on concert rules, Hub Music Factory publishes a page of useful information on its official website, under Informazioni utili.

My advice for Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club on November 24, 2026

My advice is to arrive when doors open, at 20:30. In single-room clubs you claim your spot early, and with a band that gets the whole crowd singing it's best to stand in the central area, not at the back near the bar. The hour of waiting before the start goes by fast between a beer and the merch table, if there is one.

Second point: prepare by listening. You don't need to know the Gimme Gimmes discography, but you do need to know the original songs. A playlist of the songs they cover on their records, from John Denver to ABBA, turns the concert into a very satisfying recognition game.

Third: dress in layers and bring filtered earplugs. A punk concert in a single room heats things up even at the end of November, and the volume is that of a rock club.

Fourth: getting home. It's a Tuesday night, on upper Prenestina: if you come by public transportation, check the last runs and night lines beforehand. If you come by car, you'll find parking easily but have to keep in mind what you drink. A radio taxi is still the safest solution if you live far away.

How to get to Traffic Club

You get to Traffic, at Via Prenestina 738, from the center by tram 14 along Prenestina to Viale Palmiro Togliatti and from there by the surface lines that continue east along the consular road. By car, there's plenty of parking around the venue.

By tram and bus

Tram 14 leaves from Termini and runs along Via Prenestina to Viale Palmiro Togliatti: it's the most direct connection from the center. From the end of the line to number 738 you continue by surface transportation. Check lines, stops and evening schedules before going out with the ATAC journey planner.

By car

Traffic is one of the few Roman venues where parking isn't a problem. From the center, follow Prenestina east from Porta Maggiore, beyond Viale Palmiro Togliatti. From the Grande Raccordo Anulare, take the Prenestina exit and head back toward the city.

Getting home

The concert ends late on a weekday. Before going out it's best to check the night lines, arrange a shared car or book a taxi. Roma Capitale's radio taxi answers at 060609.

Another well-known fact, and yet not often mentioned

It's well known that Spike and the Gimme Gimmes are tied to NOFX, because Fat Mike was among the founders and the band grew up on his label, Fat Wreck Chords. It's mentioned less often that Fat Mike hasn't been part of the touring lineup since 2019, along with Dave Raun and Chris Shiflett, and that as early as 2014 live bass was entrusted to Jay Bentley of Bad Religion, until C. J. Ramone arrived. Today the most visible link to historic punk is with the Ramones, not with NOFX.

The second rarely mentioned fact concerns Chris Shiflett. The Foo Fighters guitarist was a Gimme Gimme for almost 25 years, but in the early lineups he appeared under the pseudonym Jake Jackson. In 2019 he said he left the band when it started releasing tracks he didn't play on, and that he left on bad terms.

The third is about charity. The July 2026 cover of We Are the World, the first single under the new name, supports the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, and like the original it's sung by many guest voices: this time voices of the punk scene, from Milo Aukerman to Jim Lindberg, from Blag Dahlia to Stacey Dee. It's an affectionate parody and, at the same time, a real fundraiser.

The right photo to take at Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club on November 24, 2026

The right photo at a Gimme Gimmes concert is the costumes. As soon as the band takes the stage, in the first minutes, with the lights still full, a full-length shot of the lineup in matching shirts or outfits tells the story of the night better than any close-up. You don't need flash, which flattens everything and bothers the players: just wait for a moment of steady light.

The second photo is of the crowd singing. At a covers concert, the moment the room recognizes the song and the chorus starts is the most photogenic: turn toward the room, not the stage.

The third is taken outside the room: the Traffic restroom doors with the old school drawings, a detail that tells the culture of clubs better than any caption. During the rest of the concert, keep your phone low: in a single room a lit screen can be seen by the whole audience.

Hub Music Factory's Invincible Fest

Invincible Fest is the Rome series with which Hub Music Factory, a concert and events agency, brings to the capital in autumn 2026 a series of punk, rock and alternative concerts, split between Traffic and Hacienda.

The lineup

Among the dates announced by the promoter, after Crashdïet at Traffic on October 22, are Codefendants at Hacienda on November 5, Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic on November 24 and Gvllow at Traffic on November 26, in their Italian debut.

Two nights in three days

If you love punk, you can combine Spike and the Gimme Gimmes with Gvllow, two days later in the same room: two opposite ways of understanding the legacy of punk, one ironic and festive, the other dark and darkwave.

Lagwagon in February

If you want to hear Joey Cape with his main band, Lagwagon play Hacienda on February 25, 2027.

Some important events that happened here in history

The history of the place begins with the road. Via Prenestina is an ancient consular road that linked Rome to Praeneste, today's Palestrina. It starts at Porta Maggiore, crosses Pigneto and Prenestino, meets Viale Palmiro Togliatti and continues toward the Grande Raccordo Anulare. For centuries this stretch was Roman countryside. The city reached it only in the 20th century.

The first decisive event for the neighborhood around Traffic is the construction of Quarticciolo, between 1940 and 1943: an official borgata designed on rationalist principles, with low buildings, courtyards and a square. During the nine months of the German occupation of Rome, between September 1943 and June 1944, Quarticciolo was one of the places of the popular Resistance. In the following decades Prenestina became an industrial axis, with workshops, warehouses and sheds: the east Rome where there's room for large venues.

For Traffic, the central event is the move from Via Vacuna, in Portonaccio, to upper Prenestina. In its new home the venue has become one of the city's reference points for harder rock, and in autumn 2026 it lines up a run of international names, from the dark wave of Clan of Xymox to the desert rock of Slomosa. On November 24 it's the turn of a band that brings 30 years of California punk history to the stage.

Who has been part of Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club on November 24, 2026

Some of the best-known musicians of American punk have been part of the history of Spike and the Gimme Gimmes. Fat Mike of NOFX, cofounder and soul of Fat Wreck Chords. Joey Cape and Dave Raun of Lagwagon. Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, for almost 25 years. C. J. Ramone, the last bassist of the Ramones. John Reis of Rocket from the Crypt. Andrew Pinching of the Damned. And a long list of star substitutes: Brian Baker and Jay Bentley of Bad Religion, Eric Melvin of NOFX, Warren Fitzgerald of the Vandals, Chris Cheney of The Living End, Jonny Wickersham and David Hidalgo Jr. of Social Distortion, Andrew McKeag of the Presidents of the United States of America.

Their covers have taken in John Denver and Elton John, Neil Diamond and Lionel Richie, the Beatles and ABBA, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga: the 20th-century songbook, redone at punk speed.

In autumn 2026 alone, Clan of Xymox, Sad Lovers and Giants, Slomosa, Crashdïet and Soror Dolorosa pass through the Traffic stage. On November 24 it's Spike Slawson and his Gimme Gimmes, with the lineup the tour will bring to Italy. And the Roman punk crowd comes too, singing by heart for one night songs they didn't know they knew.

Prenestina and east Rome

Via Prenestina is the ancient consular road that left Rome toward the east. In its first stretch it's a dense city street, with buildings, shops and the tram. Beyond Viale Palmiro Togliatti the city changes pace, with workshops, sheds and open spaces.

Quarticciolo

Around Traffic is Quarticciolo, an official borgata built in the early 1940s, with a strong memory of the war and of the Roman Resistance and an intense community life today.

The green spaces of east Rome

If you want to spend a whole day in the east of the city, the Aqueducts Park is among the most interesting destinations, with the arches of the ancient aqueducts in the countryside. Closer to the center, at Porta Maggiore, is the Underground Basilica of Porta Maggiore.

Where to eat before the concert

Around Traffic the food options are those of the residential neighborhoods of east Rome: pizza by the slice and round pizzas, bakeries, rotisseries and neighborhood trattorias along Prenestina and in the streets of Quarticciolo and Alessandrino, the most practical way to eat without straying from the venue.

In Pigneto

If you want a longer dinner, you can stop in Pigneto, along the tram 14 route, with its cluster of osterias and bistros, and continue east after dinner.

Next to the venue

Next to Traffic is bar Giolli, a late-night meeting point for the neighborhood, for a coffee or a beer before going in.

Accessibility and practical information

Traffic is a club with a single room: for accessibility needs or dedicated spaces, it's best to contact the venue or the organizers before buying your ticket.

What to bring

ID, because entry is for adults only. Filtered earplugs. A few bills for merch. Layers. The digital ticket on a charged phone and a clear plan for getting home.

Late November in Rome

At the end of November the evenings are cold and often damp: a heavy jacket is useful for waiting at the entrance and for the way home, and you'll gladly leave it at the coat check, because it's hot in the room.

Frequently asked questions about Spike and the Gimme Gimmes in Rome

When do Spike and the Gimme Gimmes play in Rome?

Spike and the Gimme Gimmes play in Rome on Tuesday, November 24, 2026 at Traffic Club, Via Prenestina 738, for an Invincible Fest date. Doors open at 20:30 and the concert starts at 21:30. The other Italian date is November 25 in Milan.

How much is the ticket for Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic?

The ticket for Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic Club costs 33 euros on the authorized presale circuit named by Hub Music Factory. The circuit warns that the door price may go up: it's best to buy in presale.

Are Spike and the Gimme Gimmes the same as Me First and the Gimme Gimmes?

Yes: Spike and the Gimme Gimmes are the same band born in San Francisco in 1995 under the old name. In April 2025 founders Fat Mike and Spike Slawson announced that the touring band would be billed under the new name, without explaining why.

Who plays in Spike and the Gimme Gimmes?

The current lineup of Spike and the Gimme Gimmes includes Spike Slawson on vocals, C. J. Ramone on bass, Joey Cape of Lagwagon on guitar, Jake Kiley of Strung Out, John Reis of Rocket from the Crypt and Pinch of the Damned. The lineup for the Rome date isn't published.

Can minors get into Traffic?

No: for the Spike and the Gimme Gimmes concert at Traffic Club the presale circuit lists a minimum age of 18. It's best to bring ID, because checks at the entrance are common in clubs.

How do you get to Traffic Club?

Traffic Club, at Via Prenestina 738, can be reached from the center by tram 14 along Prenestina to Viale Palmiro Togliatti and then by surface transportation, to check on the ATAC planner. By car, there's plenty of parking around the venue.

What music do Spike and the Gimme Gimmes play?

Spike and the Gimme Gimmes play covers only, in a punk rock key: songs by singer-songwriters, show tunes, country, R&B, pop and Latin music, played faster and louder, often with a humorous slant and quotes from punk classics.

Final advice on Spike and the Gimme Gimmes at Traffic

A band that for 30 years has brought together musicians from Lagwagon, NOFX, the Ramones and the Foo Fighters to play John Denver and ABBA in a punk key, the matching costumes, a repertoire everyone knows without knowing it and a single date in central Italy: in our view it's the most fun concert of Rome's punk autumn. It's best to buy your ticket in presale, arrive when doors open, listen to the original songs before going out and plan your way home from Prenestina before going into the room.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

Planning a trip to Rome? The English guides for visiting the city are on ItalyPlanner.com.