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!
