The small narrow doorways, looking like they lead into a small, intimate club, give way and open into a large, expansive warehouse. Before the Social Distortion concert on Friday, I had never attended anything at the Showbox Sodo. While heading there I was expecting to find a smaller, more intimate sister venue to Showbox at the Market. How wrong I was. The expansive lower floor and spacious upper bar of Sodo probably triple or quadruple Showbox at the Market in size.
Social D needed all the room Sodo had to offer. The sell-out crowd was as diverse a crowd as I have ever been a part of. The bikers, the tattoo enthusiasts, the country outlaws, the punks (both old and new), the college kids, the classic rock fans, the PBRs, the whiskey & cokes, and the Jäger bombs all came together to celebrate the take-no-prisoners rock and roll of Mike Ness and Social D.
Social D’s thirty years of underground rock and roll made for a killer setlist including all their hits (but one) and more. Mike Ness was vocally as sharp as ever. With a gravel-and-grit voice representative of the survivor he is, he belted out “Mommy’s Little Monster,” “1945,” and “Another State of Mind” from the early days.
Mike Ness is Social Distortion. Unfortunately, Ness is the only member left from their commercial peak. If only Dennis Danell (RIP) were still around, there’s no question he’d be tearing it up alongside Ness on stage. Social D’s current guitarist, Jonny Wickersham, is no slouch. He was throwing in solos left and right and blowing away everyone in the joint. Along with Brent Harding slapping bass and Adam “Atom” Willard on drums, the newest incarnation of Social D is just as relevant and formidable as any lineup of the past.
They threw in a few new songs. I didn’t catch the titles but I’m happy to report they fit right in with all the others. From Sex, Love and Rock and Roll, they tore through “Highway 101,” “Nickels and Dimes,” “Reach for the Sky,” and “I Wasn’t Born to Follow.” The Greatest Hits track “Far Behind” also made an energetic appearance.
The high points of the night consisted mostly of their hit songs from the late eighties and early 90’s. “Prison Bound,” started out as a toned-down, country-tinged performance but erupted into full punk defiance. Their cover of the Man in Black’s “Ring of Fire” got everyone moving and screaming along. Other highlights were “Ball and Chain,” “Sick Boys,” “Bad Luck,” and the perfect closer “Story of my Life.”
The one personal disappointment I had with the show is that Mike Ness and Co. did not play my absolute favorite Social D song, “I Was Wrong.” That was sadly the one they missed. I’m sure they’ll be playing it at other dates on the road but anyway, this show was everything else I wanted it to be and more. I think many in the audience felt the same way. Do yourself a favor: if you love anything and/or everything about pure rock and roll, SEE THIS BAND!
DOWNLOAD: Social Distortion - SIck Boys (MP3) or Follow us for more Social Distortion MP3s (Twitter)
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when i click to play this, youtube tells me that the video contains content from WMG. what’s up with that?
by josh on Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 02.40 pm from the entry: Blitzen Trapper's "Black River Killer"
Awesome review! Makes me wonder if I’d enjoy him more live…
by Jarrod Dunham on Sun Dec 27, 2009 at 01.11 pm from the entry: Mayer Hawthorne & The County - University of Washington, HUB, North Den (Seattle, WA; Dec. 10, 2009)
Thank you!
by Nick on Sat Dec 26, 2009 at 11.23 pm from the entry: Present # 1: Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Engineer Demos
Ha, I blogged ‘Mambo Santa Claus’ today too. I thought I was the only one who knew that song. It’s a classic.
by Big Savings on Fri Dec 25, 2009 at 12.48 pm from the entry: Various Artists - "A Hipsters' Holiday" - Buy it
and the egg nog at kris kringle’s house is out of this world…
by steve on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 07.33 pm from the entry: The Music Tapes Caroling Tour - A Living Room in Boston (Boston, MA; Dec. 13, 2009)
this is wonderful. especially julian’s christmas sweater!
by josh on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 02.52 pm from the entry: The Music Tapes Caroling Tour - A Living Room in Boston (Boston, MA; Dec. 13, 2009)
so I was slow and didnt get my votes in, but I would have voted for 7-10 and added Fanfarlo and The Knux. Also Dan Auerbach was rad in person, so I would probably have given him a few extra points for that, even though this was about albums. I dont really get the Mayer Hawthorne thing, its not like motown revival is a new thing (Jamie Lidell, Ryan Shaw and Raphael Saadiq)
by Nicole on Thu Dec 24, 2009 at 01.13 pm from the entry: Top 10 Best Albums of 2009!
I have seen SD probably 10 times or more over the years, and he very rarely plays “I was wrong”. It’s one of my brothers faves, and he’s always disappointed when they dont play it. I think Ive heard it once. Kind of strange considering it was a semi hit if I remember correctly.
This is the 5th SD concert I’ve seen since Sex, Love & Rock n’ Roll came out and they’ve NEVER once played ‘Don’t Take Me For Granted.’ I think it’s the most rockin’ song on the new album and they must think it’s good too, since there’s a video for it - yet they never play it. That’s my only complaint from their kick a$$ shows! They did play ‘I Was Wrong’ once of the times at Marquee Theater in Tempe, AZ.