Social Distortion @ Stone Pony Summerstage 5.14.11 (photos, setlist, review)

Social Distortion (Photos & Review by Alicia Adamczak)

More Photos Here

This past Saturday, the Stone Pony assembled its Summerstage for the first outdoor concert of the season - a sold out Social Distortion show. Anyone who's been to the Pony knows that it isn't a large venue. However, the outdoor stage and crowd area is huge in comparison! The crowd was split up into sections for concertgoers over and under twenty-one. Plumes of smoke and the pungent smell of booze rose from the packed older section, while the younger section was sparsely populated.

       Sharks, a punk band from England, took the stage first. For being stuck with the opening slot, they received a very warm welcome. They had great energy and the general opinion among the crowd, from what I heard, was a positive one.

        Next was ex-Hot Water Music vocalist Chuck Ragan. He took the stage with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, flanked on either side by stand-up bass and violin players. The crowd was slightly more lively (and tipsy) for this trio, a definite change from Sharks' punky style. Ragan played folk songs that had some couples in the crowd slow dancing. The crowd condensed as the band exited the stage.

       As soon as Ragan left, the rain began to fall, but quickly let up. The sun finally went down and "Social D!" chants rang out across the lot. A remix of "California Love" blaring from the speakers rose the tension before the guys finally showed themselves. Social Distortion played a two-hour set while people watched from not only the crowd, but the balconies of the Empress Hotel. Jon Gaunt joined in on the fiddle during "Reach for the Sky" and "Down Here With the Rest of Us," and female vocalists also took the stage for a few songs.

       The band ended with their cover of "Ring of Fire." As the night came to an end with the crowd shouting along to the music, I looked up and noticed the shadows of a couple on the hotel balcony dancing. Looking around, I took in the crowd. As an eighteen-year-old, I find it pretty amazing that a group of people my parents' age (and one couple that could have been my grandparents' age yelling, "Slayer!") can rock just as hard, if not harder, than my generation. All in all, it seems that the Stone Pony kicked off their summer concert season on a great note.

Setlist

Road Zombie

So Far Away

King Of Fools

Bad Luck

Mommy's Little Monster

Lude Boy

Machine Gun Blues

Ball & Chain

Don't Drag Me Down

Bakersfield

Gimme The Sweet & Lowdown

Down Here With The Rest Of Us (Jon Gaunt on fiddle)

Reach For The Sky (Jon Gaunt on fiddle)

Prison Bound

Story Of My Life

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California Hustle & Flow (female backup singers)

Can't Take It With You (female backup singers)

Ring Of Fire