Social Distortion
July 28, 2015
Marquee Theater- Phoenix, AZ
Social Distortion packed the Marquee Theater on Tuesday July 28 in Phoenix Arizona for an outstanding performance as part of their tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their self-titled album. Social Distortion performed with two excellent openers that bridged a number of musical genres. The first opener, Drag the River, an alternative rock band from Fort Collins Colorado and Nikki Lane, a country singer from Nashville Tennessee. Both opening performances brought a very different sound to the stage and an excellent energy as the fans waited eagerly to experience this legendary band.
Social Distortion, a punk rock band from Fullerton CA, released their first full length album in 1983. Over the past thirty plus years the band has gone on hiatus a few times and had a revolving door of band members, with lead singer Mike Ness remaining constant. Since their formation, Social Distortion has released seven full-length studio albums. Due to their extensive history spanning nearly 40 years, Social Distortion has a huge fan base consisting of people of all ages. The crowd at the Marquee ranged anywhere from individuals approaching sixty years to nine year olds raised on Social Distortion by their devoted parents. While squeezing through the crowd, a number of Social Distortion tattoos could be seen plastered on the bodies of their super fans. As expected at any good punk show, a few spats began in the audience before Social Distortion even took the stage, placing security on high alert to keep people safe. Fans packed into the venue and pushed forward when Social Distortion took the stage. The band dove into their first song of the night So Far Away which cued the onslaught of crowd surfers who made their way up to the stage throughout the set. Lead singer Mike Ness roamed around the stage, often finding his place at the edge of the stage as close to the crowd as possible. The band played their self-titled and most popular album in its entirety including songs “Let It Be Me,” “Sick Boys, She’s a Knockout, and Drug Train which were accompanied by a steady stream of crowd surfers. Fans were ecstatic when the first notes of Ball and Chain were played and elicited a massive sing-along with the crowd. The band weaved in a few covers of the Rolling Stones and Hank Williams before ending their set with an encore covers of Folsum Prison Blues and Ring of Fire. Social Distortion has a number of upcoming dates across the country for this tour, don’t miss this electrifying performance.
Review by: Meghan Lee
Social Distortion
Nikki Lane
