I arrived at the Paramount with about ten minutes to spare before the lights dimmed and Lindi Ortega along with a drummer and a guitarist (who looked like a cross between Paul Weller and Michael J. Fox) came on stage.
Ortega, from Toronto, but living in Tennessee now, is all charm with a sly sweetness about her. She wore a skimpy black dress and red cowboy boots. Several men yelled things about adding her as Facebook friends and she obviously enjoyed their attention. When one guy yelled out, “My name’s Greg,” she smiled and asked if he’d like to go on a date with her later. Ortega’s voice is definitely something to hear. She sings with the clarity of a songbird but with guts that could rival Aretha. Her part country, part pop echoed beautifully through the Paramount as did her acoustic guitar and that of her musician companions. She finished her set with a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” before leaving the stage to resounding applause.
The next act, The Toadies, are a band from Fort Worth, TX. They’re a straight up rather formulaic rock band. Vocalist Todd Lewis belted out songs with unintelligible lyrics and there was little to set the songs apart from one another. Guitarist Clark Vogeler performed several elongated, pompous solos that were unnecessary. They played their one hit, 1995’s “Possum Kingdom,” but like their other songs, Possum Kingdom mostly fell flat. The band barely moves on stage and they didn’t really exude much in the way of energetic vibes either. I think this is a band that needs to be listened to while stoned out of one’s head. I quickly grew bored and couldn’t wait until they left the stage. I overheard some people claiming they really liked them, so I thought maybe I’m old and jaded, but when consulting with my eighteen-year-old son afterward, he said the same thing. Being a guitar player himself, he expressed the same sentiments about the guitar solos.
The break tape began blasting various Ramones’ songs, so my mood quickly improved. Just as the break tape played the final notes of Muddy Waters‘ “Mannish Boy,” Mike Ness and the rest of Social Distortion came on stage. Ness was clad all in black, complete with a black hat. They opened their set with I Was Wrong with Ness’s gritty, raspy voice filling the theater. The show was a mixture of many of their well-known songs as well as some that were less known. Among the classics played were “Story of My Life,” “Winners and Losers,” “Reach for the Sky,” “Machine Gun Blues,” and my favorite, “Sick Boy.”
Social D is a band that attracts an audience of a wide age range. There were people in their forties and fifties as well as some kids who looked no more than eleven or twelve as they tumbled over the barricade with great succession.
After a short set, they left the stage, but returned after about five minutes for an encore that lasted about thirty minutes and included a raucous version of Carl Perkins’, “Let the Jukebox Keep On Playing.” When introducing said song, Mike Ness explained how when the song was written in 1959 there was a lot of racial inequality, but out of that came some great music, without which we wouldn’t have today’s rock and roll. He added that homage should always be paid to good black music and Carl Perkins was as worthy of any of those original artists who spawned rock music. At this time, bassist Brent Harding picked up the stand up bass that had sat in a corner all night.
For the finale, Ness stated “we’re going to kick things up a notch,” but changed his mind saying instead that they’ll “play something slow and slutty.” The band began playing that “slow and slutty” sound, but quickly shifted gears and dove into the opening chords of their famous cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” The moshing intensified and everyone sang along. Ness, enjoying the audience participation, yelled, “sing it, motherfuckers!” After the last note faded, Social Distortion left the stage, and there was nothing left but to go home sweaty, thirsty and basking in the glow of a wonderful show.
All photographs are the property of Holly Homan. They may not be reproduced anywhere in any form.
Youtube has some live clips from the show.
