Bad Religion & Social Distortion – Powerstation: Feb. 15, 2023
A last minute change of venue proved beneficial for bands and fans alike as two of California’s finest punk bands rocked Auckland’s Powerstation like a hurricane.
Yes, Cyclone Gabrielle forced promoters to move this dynamic double bill from Trusts Arena out in Henderson to the much more appealing Powerstation (just down the street from the 13th Floor).
With doors opening at 6:30 it looked to be an early night…after all there was still a State Of Emergency in place.
That didn’t stop veteran punk rockers from filling up The Powerstation. By 7pm there were more black Ts and jeans being worn in one venue than I’ve seen since The Stranglers were last here.
Social Distortion
At precisely 7:43 the unmistakable sounds of Muddy Waters’ I’m A Man filled the room and Social Distortion soon took the stage.
The band has been led by front man Mike Ness since 1978 and these days he is accompanied by Jonny “2 Bags” Wickersham (guitar/bvs), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr (drums) and touring keyboard player David Kalish. All but Ness have joined the band since 2000.
I first saw Social Distortion back in 1991 when they opened for Neil Young & Crazy Horse on the Ragged Glory Tour (Sonic Youth was second on the bill) and have been a fan ever since. This was their first time playing New Zealand and they have a unique take on ‘cowpunk’ that hits my sweet spot.
And that’s exactly what they did as they led off with So Far Away from their 1990 album…a tune I’m sure they played at that 1991 show I saw.
At age 60, Ness is in fine form…have you noticed how 60 year old punk rockers seem to be the norm these days?
They whipped through a 15-song set that featured a cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game and closed with Story Of My Life (also from that 1990 album) and a cover of Ring Of Fire.
If that was all I heard tonight, I’d be quite happy.
But, of course there was more to come.
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is even more ‘iconic’ than Social Distortion (although several folks approached me during the show admitting they were not that familiar with them).
The band was formed in 1980 by Greg Graffin, Jay Bentley, Jay Ziskrout and Brett Gurewitz and all but Ziskrout are here tonight along with guitarists Brian Baker (ex-Minor Threat) and Mike Dimkich along with Jamie Miller on drums.
They begin their set at 9:40pm with Too Much To Ask and American Jesus and off we go. Graffin (also founder of Epitaph Records) has a unique stage manner, waving and pointing while spitting out the lyrics…and he looks like a University professor (which he his, having a PhD in zoology). He too, at age 58, is pushing 60. Again, no one seems to notice.
The 75-minute set is a triumph, with a bit of crowd surfing thrown in for good measure.
Personally, I thought the Bad Religion set dragged in the middle, then picked up steam again with 21st Century (Digital Boy), but I’m probably in the minority.
For me, Social Distortion, who played a slightly longer set than headliners Bad Religion, were the winners on the night…but actually it was all of us dressed in our black Ts and jeans, having a good ol’ time at The Powerstation, rocking through another State Of Emergency.
Marty Duda
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Brenna Jo Gotje:
Social Distortion:
Bad Religion:
February 16, 2023 @ 1:50 pm
Gurewitz wasn’t there last night, he hardly ever plays with the band live these days. Also he’s the founder of Epitaph, not Graffin. Not trying to be a know it all, just correcting.
As for the show, it was epic. Bad Religion threw in a few less played songs like Too much to ask, Germs of Perfection and Turn on the light. Definitely a great night after all the crap Auckland has been through over the last few weeks.