It’s been great to see Social Distortion return since Mike Ness’s bout with tonsil cancer. The band’s notorious reputation for taking long breaks between records and tours left a lot of us with our tails between our legs after learning what Ness was dealing with. The results of that wait have been spectacular. Their latest record, Born to Kill, is their strongest in years, and this tour is nothing short of great.
Mike Ness and crew have been on the road with the Descendents and the Chats for a couple of months now. Although this tour was halted due to doctor’s orders for Mike Ness, they were able to trudge on for the last few dates. Their final stop was Gallagher Square next to Petco Park in San Diego, which is essentially located on the front side of the stadium, turning the stage into a standing-only, amphitheater-style venue for shows you can consider big but not stadium-sized. This definitely fits that bill.
Initially not scheduled, The Chats from Queensland, Australia, were the opening band for the entire tour, but they also probably suffered the most during the tour in regard to canceled shows. A few months back, I spoke with Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson; he was intimidated to have to follow The Chats because of how good they are live. I understand why. Their relentless, high-energy songs definitely harken back to a sound closer to the era in which the Descendents and Social Distortion cut their teeth. Plowing through about fifteen songs, the band made good use of their thirty minutes and probably gained some fans in the process. I’m sure it’s hard to get a band from Australia out to the States, so check them out when they do come back.
I’ve reached a point where I feel the older bands I grew up listening to never put on a bad set. I’m more disappointed if they miss songs I wanted to hear. With the Descendents, that’s inevitable even when they get extra time with a headlining set. It becomes a game of what gets cut so you can hear this song instead. That being said, the band played a set that was a good mix of their discography. It is interesting to see how the set has evolved since their return to the stage, as they have replaced their self-titled track with Everything Sucks as their opening song.
It is weird to see songs like “Good Good Things” slide their way into the set, even if it’s somewhat influenced by Drain’s cover. It’s heartening to see the band embrace their shorter songs like “Der Weinerschnitzel”, “My Dad Sucks”, and “I Wanna Be a Bear.” Driving down to San Diego, passing the San Onofre’s Nuclear Station had me hoping we would hear “Kids (On Coffee),” but alas, no mention of the nuclear tits. We still got some songs I hadn’t heard played live, like “I’m Not a Punk”, and a few tracks off Everything Sucks, which celebrated thirty years this last September. The band continues to do amazing things in this phase. If you have yet to see the Descendents, what are you waiting for?
Mike Ness admitted that, while he wasn’t 100%, he still wanted to put on a show for us, and he did. Opening with the former closing song “Ring of Fire” pumped up the mostly older crowd. From the back of the venue, you could see where the kids were based on the patch of crowd close to the front of the stage that formed a small pit off to the side a bit. While we got some deepish cuts from the band, such as White Light, White Heat, White Trash’s “Untitled,” and early track “Lude Boy,” there were a lot of staples missing from the set, noticeably “Another State of Mind,” “I Was Wrong,” and “Ball and Chain.” However, in the case of “Ball and Chain,” I believe it was cut as Ness’s voice started to give out. While this gave a great opportunity for a sing-along of “Prison Bound,” it was definitely missed along with any songs from Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell.
Closing the night with “Don’t Drag Me Down,” Mike Ness made a speech about the band always being anti-racist, how our country was founded by immigrants, and the disappointment that comes along with people who see otherwise. It came off mostly well, with the exception of one lady who was yelling at people outside of the venue as we all left. Overall, it was a great night. As some of these other bands start to hang up their mics and instruments, it’s good to see two of my favorites still at it and taking the newer generation on the road.
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