Social Distortion at Fox Theatre Pomona, Feb. 17, 2012


Social Distortion

February 17, 2012

Fox Theatre Pomona

VIEW OUR SLIDESHOW HERE.

For as far back as this OC music fan can remember, the ultimate way to cap off a long week of slacking working for the man has always been to rock the fuck out at a punk rock show on Friday night. Add to that scenario that it's the Friday before a long weekend and Social Distortion is playing said show, and you've got a bonafide alibi for some serious depravity.

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That said, Social D. played to a sold-out crowd of hardcore fans at
Fox Theatre in Pomona last Friday night, and they clearly came to make
sure everyone in attendance got their rocks off with reckless abandon. 

And if front man Mike Ness' 30-plus years in the business have taught
him anything, it's that when playing to veteran fans, there's no room
for being cookie cutter and catering to the masses. 


Case in point, the
band's most radio-friendly hit-“Ball and Chain”-was notably missing
(but

not sorely so) from Friday night's set, which sent a clear message
to the audience: If you came to hear the popular hits, kindly take your
ass back to your dorm room and get back to fluffin' up your Bieber 'do,
cus this ain't no Chris Brown Grammy party. 


As the only remaining original member of the group, Ness served out his
wrong-side-of-the-tracks swag like the elder statesman of the OC
underground music scene, managing to keep things fresh and sexy in the
process. Scoping the crowd and nodding in approval at the swirling pit
of shirtless, tatted-down young dudes cruising for a bruisin' in the
center of the floor, Ness thrived off the brash energy as he normally
does; even joining in on the perennial “fuck authority” attitude that is
the band's bread and butter, by talking smack on everything from the
city of Oakland, to the venue's rival across the street, the Glass
House.

“It's great to be here, Pomona,” Ness sneered midway through the show.
“Much nicer here than at the 'Ass House' across the street. You know why
they call it the 'Ass House',” he quipped, “Cus it sounds like ass”!!

Ouch.

Also on Ness' shit list, apparently, are the Northern California cities
of Bakersfield and Oakland, the former after which he penned the
honky-tonk tune, “Bakersfield,” off the band's most recent studio
release, 2011's Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.

Angry rants about unfortunate California locales aside, Ness did make it
a point to make ensure his overall disdain for mainstream society
doesn't get misconstrued for any certain racial groups when he said the
following:
“Racism is alive and well in America, let me tell you,” Ness said. “I
experienced it in the mid-'90s, I still see it once in a while. But I'll
tell you what, there ain't no room for it at a Social D. show. There
never has been, never will be. So, put that in your pipe and smoke it!”

Indeed.

Critic's Bias: Back in the Myspace days (2006), I found Mike Ness'
profile (not the band's fan profile). I sent him a message to thank for
the music he's made and let him know how much it's meant to me over the
years, to which he wrote back, “Why thank you doll. It's fans like you
that keep these old bones rockin! Reach for the sky, M.N.” Whether it
was really him or not, I don't care. That message with his profile
picture on it and screen name is still one of my most prized
possessions!!

The Crowd: Mostly veteran fans. Some younger faces, but mostly a 25 and older crowd. Not a hipster in sight.

Overheard in the Crowd:
— “There are some people in your life who are toxic and are always
giving you shit…you know where you need to leave them, right?” (Mike
Ness' intro to “Far Behind”)
— “But she's not my girlfriend”! (Drunk dude who tried to get my number in front of his girlfriend and got called out.)
– “Yeah, you roll those sleeves up, baby”!! (Fan girl to Mike Ness while he seductively rolled up his sleeves.)

Random notebook dump: I lost my shoe in the mosh pit of the very
first Social D. show I ever went to at the Hollywood Palladium back in
1997. At Friday night's show, I spotted someone's lone Converse tennis
shoe being kicked around the pit at the end of the night, which let me
know I'm not the only one who knows what it's like to leave a Social D.
shoeless and feeling like a boss!

Setlist:
Bad Luck
So Far Away
Story of My Life
Machine Gun Blues
Pleasure Seeker
Nickels & Dimes
Bakersfield
Dear Lover
Down Here with the Rest of Us
Far Behind
Sick Boys
Let the Juke Box Keep on Playin' (Carl Perkins cover)
Sweet & Lowdown Blues
**Encore**
Winners and Losers
Reach for the Sky (acoustic)
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)

See also:

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