Monday, November 18, 1996
CONCERT:
Mosh pits rule as punk band’s stage presence pumps fans upBy
Brian Remick
Daily Bruin Contributor
High above the hardwood floor arena at the Hollywood Palladium,
a large sign hangs from the balcony railing: "Moshing and Crowd
Surfing NOT ALLOWED."
The sign was gone halfway through Social Distortion’s show.
The band brought its classic punk style back to Los Angeles
Thursday night in support of its latest album, "White Light, White
Heat, White Trash."
An intense crowd packed into the Palladium for the sold-out
show, a vast number of whom sported T-shirts from past Social D
shows. These were no casual fans  they knew exactly what to
expect.
The Palladium is renowned for its substandard sound, which was
no exception on Thursday. Its large size and hardwood floors make
the acoustics in the building mediocre. However, aside from this
normal problem, the volume level at the beginning of the show was
much too low for the crowd on hand.
Lead singer Mike Ness showed clear aggravation with the sound
problems early on. The volume was finally raised after a few songs,
but Ness was signaling the sound technician continuously throughout
the show.
Ness and company took the stage and began their set. With the
first chord from Ness’ guitar, the crowd disregarded the moshing
and crowd surfing warning and instantly turned into a gigantic mosh
pit, a scene which remained consistent for the rest of the
show.
Social D kicked off the night with a few of what Ness called
"old school" hits from their first couple of albums. It was obvious
by the crowd’s response that either they were very familiar with
the material, or they just didn’t care and wanted something to
dance to.
The band followed with their current single, "I Was Wrong," at
which point the crowd reached its peak of excitement. Crowd surfing
could be seen all over the arena, something usually reserved only
for the area right in front of the stage.
Ness’ stage presence made the band incredible to see live as he
fed high energy into the audience. He constantly rushed the front
of the stage and never failed to put the finishing touch on songs
by leaping in the air and landing on the final chord.
The only slow point of the night came with "When the Angels
Sing," the band’s next single. A slower and lesser-known tune, the
song seemed to mellow out the crowd briefly.
With the beginning riff of "Sick Boy," however, the Palladium
was ready to burst with suppressed energy. The band plowed through
numerous hits from the past, including "Prison Bound."
Social Distortion played only about half of the songs from their
new album, which was a wise choice. The crowd responded much more
to their older hits, with the exception of "Dear Lover," one of the
best songs from "White Light, White Heat, White Trash."
The band left the stage after only 50 minutes, but they were 50
minutes of solid rock. The anticipation for the encore was
unbelievable.
Social Distortion returned quickly, keeping with the fast-paced
mood of the show. They concluded with strong performances of "Ball
and Chain" and "Ring of Fire," two of their best-loved songs.
"I don’t have to tell this audience that punk wasn’t invented in
the ’90s. We have reason to believe that some adages of punk were
formed as early as the ’60s," Ness said patriotically before
plunging into "Ring of Fire," which he dedicated to his son.
As the exhausted crowd shuffled out of the Palladium,
"Heartbreak Hotel" played softly in the background, fitting for the
nostalgic mood of the encore.
Mike Ness would have been proud.
MUSIC: Social Distortion played Thursday night at the
Palladium.