Last week C=T sent writer/video gamer/lover of bad romance novels, DJ Elroy, to take in the Mike Ness & Crew show and here’s what he had to say.
Twenty years ago, life was good: A full head of hair, a clean criminal record, and a future overflowing with possibilities. High school was a social event, a week-long vacation interrupted by a few classes each day. Where all you needed to be cool was a fast car and a guitar. Bowling shirts, blue jeans, and Chuck Taylors. Back then, life was about living; about the experience.
And you couldn’t fully appreciate that experience without music. Who doesn’t remember what they were listening to the first time they made out with the girl next door? Or what was playing in their first car? Or which band had comforted their first heartbreak?
Music is life. And nobody could wax about Life quite like Social Distortion.
This is a band that plays for me. For you. Music written to the person, not the masses. Their songs seemed to be from the heart, speaking to my soul, about my life. Written about me.
And this past weekend I had a chance to re-live my youth for an evening, to forget the hard times and disappointments of being a responsible adult. The Fillmore hosted back-to-back shows from these Americana punk rock legends. The white heat blazed into the Mile High City with an arsenal of classics and blew the roof off the Fillmore. But first…
Frank Turner welcomed the crowd with his frantic folksy-punk attitude and good-humored banter. Sounded like? Hmm… If the DropKick Murphys epitomize rowdy drunkenness then Frank Turner is the friendly stranger at the bar with a quick smile and a story about everything. Well no, their sounds aren’t really all that similar. But the pub-vibe is there. Great music! I couldn’t help but sing along; the tunes were that contagious.
Next up: Lucero. Their sound has evolved with each album and I was eager to see them live. Honestly, I wasn’t sure as they started in on their opening jam whether this was the band or the roadies doing a soundcheck. Not that the music was bad (it wasn’t), but these guys didn’t look like rockstars, they look liked the hired help! Blue-collar music all the way… Think truck-stop rock that hasn’t slept for three days and hasn’t stopped drinking for six. A gritty western-punk attitude with a five o’clock shadow.
Yes, foreplay is always fun but the payoff comes after. Mr Turner broke in the crowd and Lucero hyped them, but as the empty floorspace disappeared and trash bins filled to overflowing with beer cups, the anticipation for the big guns was palpable. The lights went low; a quick soundcheck. People pushing to the front. And then…
The curtains opened to a huge IMAX-sized “Social Distortion” banner with their iconic brand stretching across the stage. Frontman Mike Ness sauntered out into the spotlight wielding his legendary ’72 Goldtop Les Paul like an old-west gunfighter wears his pearl-handled Colts: with pride, but without bragging. It wasn’t just an instrument; it was part of him.
And as he hit the first few chords and the crowd lost it you just knew it doesn’t get much better than this.
Social D wailed with a passion that you can’t find from the Top 40 acts. These guys were real; they’ve lived their music. Drug addictions and heartbreaks. The loss of those you loved, and the inspiration to keep moving forward. You could hear it; no, you could feel it in every chord they blasted. A diverse song selection off everything from ‘Mommy’s Little Monster’ to ‘Heaven and Hell’ to ‘White Light’ and back to their self-titled album… All my favorites over their career ranging from the early punk to their blues- and rockabilly-infused hybrids to the more recent mainstream rock cuts. Mike reminisced a bit and led a sing-along on “When She Begins”. Toasted life, reflecting on how time flies and how far we’ve all come. And yes, a few teasers from their forthcoming ‘Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes’ album (Jan 2011; Epitaph Records). I’d been swept away by the music, but the band left all too soon. They popped out for an encore – “Ring of Fire” and “Prison Bound” to wrap the set – and then they were gone; swallowed by the darkness and applause.
And, ears ringing and satisfied, it was back to real life again.
Review/Photos by DJ Elroy:
