|
Social Distortion frontman/guitarist Mike Ness knows
exactly what his fans want to hear.
The Social-D faithful--generally decked out in slicked-back
hair, Saddle Oxfords, shirts with flipped-up collars,
and more of the band's merch than the table selling
it--toasted Ness as he announced that the group was
returning to the studio on Nov. 5. There, Social Distortion
will begin work on the follow-up to 1996's "White
Light, White Heat, White Trash."
"I know, I can't f-----g believe it," he
said of the wait between albums. "We're all just
a bunch of slackers. What I can say."
The Tuesday night (10/28) show at the Marquee Theatre
in Tempe, AZ, was the third sold-out Social Distortion
performance in Tempe since May. In his gravely voice,
Ness praised the town for its long-standing relationship
with the band.
"Arizona was … one of the only places that
would have Social Distortion, so I thank you for that,"
Ness said.
Ticketholders screamed and applauded each time the
guitar-toting Ness jumped in the air, knees bent,
his greased hair flopping. Fans raised their glasses
and slapped high-fives after Ness' searing guitar
solos. He led a sing-along to "When She Begins,"
and his sped-up cover of the Rolling Stones' "Under
My Thumb" whipped the audience into a frenzy,
igniting crowd surfing and moshing.
Ness, wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and a tank top,
arrived on stage with a modest statement--"What's
happenin'. We had to get out of California because
everything was on fire"--before launching into
"Mommy's Little Monster."
He said little more about the wildfires in his home
state, instead pontificating about war before songs
like "1945" and the new tune "I Wasn't
Born to Follow."
"Twenty-five years ago, we weren't watching
TV to find out what was happening," he said.
"We weren't listening to the radio to find out
what was happening. We had to go underground to find
the truth--or we could follow the dumb-asses."
Besides "I Wasn't Born to Follow," Ness
also said the tunes "Footprints on my Ceiling"
and "Angel's Wings" (which he dedicated
to orphans) were new.
He also made fun of the crowd of "tough guys,"
coolly sneaking a smoke in a corner or acting standoffish
toward their girls. He dedicated "Footprints
on my Ceiling" to them.
"Folks, I'm going to sing a love song. This
is for all the tough guys. You gotta admit, even tough
guys fall in love--if you're smart."
Review courtesy by Christina Fuoco
liveDaily Contributor
Back
| 