Social Distortion live in Atlanta

Dear Mike Ness,


Even if one of your songs says “I was wrong”, you were goddamn right on stage yesterday. F*** rock and roll you delivered, f*** audience in front of you.

To begin with, your support bands were just great.

This British guy, Franck Turner has guts and soul and makes a strong start. 150mph first gear and no bad smell of burned spark plugs. He is in it, not cheating, not lying. Then Lucero comes and right away, we are dipped in the hot sauce of good music. Big heart, big mouth, big sound.

Then you start, 200 mph, and you blow away the stage, the venue and the 2000 guys who came here for you.

I ‘ve been to 200 + gigs since 30 years and can immediately tell who makes it crystal clear or not. Do they own the perfect balance and do they perform a live act? You do. So did the Clash, so did Johnny Cash and the big names of the music I love. In the Hall of Fame, you deserve a golden seat, the colour of your Woody wood peckered guitar.

Elegance and style are not taught anywhere, but you gave a master class last night in Georgia. It’s simply just the way you are, believe it or not, like plugging the microwave oven and then it grills, it burns. Some try, some fail. You succeed.

Your music is raw and rock, a powerful tidal wave is coming to us each time.

The songs simply make it happen, they “make believe”

I was in the upper part of the venue, seated upstairs among big guys who knew all the lyrics, had tattoos, such as my left neighbour, with “sick boy” in red on his neck. His arms, as big as my thighs, were waving towards you all the time.

In front of me, a young guy and his girlfriend, clapping and happy. Brad was his name and he offered me a beer, just because I kept his seat for a couple of minutes. Friendship and enthusiasm were irresistibly infectious during as the concert went through, speeding away like a rocket.

All songs, good old and bright new songs went by quickly, with electricity in the air, made out pure and raw energy.

Makes you feel right in these hard times, where some days you’d say nothing goes straight.

It’s fun to think that a “punk” band does more for peace and love in this world than so many preaching morons, pale white reverends and false prophets with no soul.

In the Tabernacle, yesterday, the ring of fire was a ring of class.