Social Distortion: Forever Young

PHOTOS BY AMY WALLENBERG

You can teach a dirty old dog new tricks, but he'll still be a dirty old dog, and thankfully, Social Distortion embodied this maxim at their sold-out House of Blues show in Anaheim last night (Dec. 11). Mike Ness and Co. delivered new takes on old favorites, proving that after 30 years in the SoCal punk scene, the band's raw ferocity and shredded hardcore heart remains at the core of their guitar-soaked battle cries. But the tattooed-covered Ness, with his guitar slung low and legs spread wide, revealed a softer side, too, throwing red roses to the crowd at the show's start.

From there, the band's dialed down version of "Story of My Life," featuring acoustic guitars, upright bass, and accordion, spurred the adoring middle-aged fans, rockabilly couples, and young punks in the first of the night's many sing-alongs. A mosh pit erupted during iconic punk classic "Mommy's Little Monster," while new tune, the tender "Highway 101," found Ness strutting across the stage, wringing sweat-drenched solos out of his Gibson Gold Top Deluxe guitar. For their encore, the band opened "Prison Bound" with a bluesy organ lick before kicking it up into a gritty rocker, and then closed the night with their beloved cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." The circle pit raged, the crowd sang loud, and the band showed they've still got plenty of fire to burn. 

We asked: Social Distortion recorded a classic cover version of Johnny Cash's song "Ring of Fire." If you could pick a song for Social Distortion to cover, what would it be?

Name: Krystina Havlicek
Age: 23
Hometown: La Habra, CA
Occupation: Hair stylist
"Skid Row, '18 and Life'."

Name: Brett Bridges
Age: 24
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Occupation: Retail
"The Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy in the U.K.'"

Name: Scott Gawlick
Age: 22
Hometown: Hollywood, CA
Occupation: Paparazzi
"Elton John, 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting'."

Name: Sharon Acosta
Age: 43
Hometown: Garden Grove, CA
Occupation: Paralegal
"Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'."

Name: Cindy Stepp
Age: 39
Hometown: Westminster, CA
Occupation: Cost control analyst
"Led Zeppelin, 'Hot Dog'."

Name: Monica Yorba
Age: 45
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Occupation: Nurse
"Nine Inch Nails, 'Hurt'."

Name: Luani Arellanes
Age: 26
Hometown: Covina, CA
Occupation: Hair stylist
"The Doors, 'Light My Fire'."

Name: Diana Magana
Age: 24
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Occupation: Bartender
"The Cure's 'Just Like Heaven'."

Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness / Photo by Amy Wallenberg

Guitarist Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham / Photo by Amy Wallenberg

Ness with bassist Brent Harding / Photo by Amy Wallenberg

Ness rockin' out with his Les Paul / Photo by Amy Wallenberg