Mike Ness

[bearman🐻]

Did anyone go? Sadly I couldn't make it...I'm just curious if it was a decent show.

[vansmack]

And don't forget to tell me how great Jesse Dayton was too.

[thatguy]

jesse dayton didn't show.  val yumm, box office employee at ram's head and songstress, took a few shots and got onstage in front of what could be called a less than welcoming crowd.  she did a great job considering the situation.
 
 mike's set was a lot of fun.  i can't believe it's been so long since those solo albums came out.  played most of cheating at solitaire, a few covers from under the influences, plus ball and chain and a new song called "i think i'll stay."  they played for about 1:15 or 1:20.  
 
 the band wasn't as tight as i've heard them, but that's due to the fact that the drummer was flown in that day and only had a two hour rehersal to learn the material.  considering that, he did a pretty good job.  jonny 2 bags was on guitar, brent on bass, and a guy named chris on pedal steel.  never caught the drummer's name.

[bearman🐻]

Very nice...thanks thatguy! By the way, did I see you at the Cure on Friday night?

[vansmack]

Yes, thanks.  Wonder what happened to Jesse?  Glad as hell I didn't fly out for that show only to have him be a no show.

[thatguy]

bearman: yes, i was at the cure.  i saw you a couple times as i swept the crowd for video cameras and such.  looked like you were having a good time.
 
 smackie:  jonny said that jesse had missed at least a couple of dates previously due to a variety of problems that may have included the police, but didn't know for sure why he wasn't there last night.

[bearman🐻]

I was having an awesome time...especially during stuff like "Shake Dog Shake". I was having one of those surreal moments where I was having flashbacks to 7th grade, walking to school in the rain, listening to that song on my Sony Walkman and hating school, my parents, my life. The usual stuff that 12-year-olds hate. Kinda cool when you can turn lemons into lemonade. I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by thatguy:
 
 
 smackie:  jonny said that jesse had missed at least a couple of dates previously due to a variety of problems that may have included the police, but didn't know for sure why he wasn't there last night.

Ha!  Jonny 2 Bags reporting that someone else is going to miss dates because of run ins with the law...the world has certainly turned inside out.  I'm so glad I didn't fly out to see Jesse and Ness - I would have been pissed seeing as how Ness is playing a few dates right down the street without Jesse anyway.

[Aphex]

It would be like the time I saw Public Enemy without Flavor Flav because he was in jail in PA.  It just sucked.

[vansmack]

Hardchargers,
 
 Last week was hell....and yes, the rumors are true. Oh well, historically-speaking, I'm in damn good company. After "the bust" last Tuesday, we couldn't get Booker, our MCI tour bus, out of being impounded in time so we missed the New Orleans House Of Blues show. All apologies to our hardchargers in the Big Easy.
 
 Our show @ the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta was off the hook...big crowd...and from the looks of how hard our merchandise table was getting hit, we've converted many a new fan on this tour so far. Philly @ the Trocadero was another killer night, then we hit NYC w/ 2 big shows @ the Filmore East/Irving Plaza on the 13th and 15th...and finishing out the week w/ 2 shows @ Springsteens old stomping grounds, The Stone Pony in Asbury Park New Jersey on the 16th and 17th, (Sopranos country indeed...let's go to the Bada-Bing!)
 
 We'll be missing the next 2 Thurs. @ the BROKEN SPOKE (NO Spoke shows on the 15th or the 22nd)....but we'll be back on May 29th for the last Thurs. in May....we definitely miss our Solid Chrome Dancers and wish we could bring every single one of y'all on tour w/ us...although, you might not wanna travel thru Madison County w/ us.
 
 Adios Mi Amigos! Jesse
 
 ps big thanks to Marcos and V for arranging our travel plans to get back to Austin last Thurs. for our show....another big thanks to my lawyers Riley Burnett and Clayton Clark for having the juice to keep us from missing our show @ the Meridian...what would I do without you people?

[vansmack]

Ness was joined on stage last night by The Boss.  Anybody there?
 
 They played:
 
 1. Misery Loves Company
 2. Ball and Chain
 3. If You Leave Before Me
 4. I Fought The Law
 
 Photos.

[vansmack]

Hardchargers,
 
 I just stepped off the plane in Austin and they're playin "Let's Run Away" from me and Brennens' Duet CD, "Holdin' Our Own", in the Austin Airport. Nothin' like being home! Monday night was the last show of a 17 date tour we did w/ Mike Ness of Social Distortion. Besides getting in front of one of the most loyal fanbases on the planet (there was between 750 to 1500 people per show and they didn't give a rats-ass about radio, record sales, TV celebrity or most of the things that are holding real American art and culture back these days), we shared quality time with who Bruce Springsteen called, (at our show the other night in Jersey), "a true American rock n roll legend". Mike Ness. Monday night in Salt Lake City, Ness walked out onstage during our show w/ a waiter's tray full of Jim Beam shots. The crowd went totally buck wild. Like the audience, I was blown away. So, I kind of stood there for a minute w/ this dazed look on my face and then realized "oh shit, we're in the middle of a show here". The word from his band and crew was, "wow, how cool, he never does that kind of thing!" After talking us up every night on stage...letting his road-crew help us...giving us his hotel suites in Aspen...letting us raid his backstage catering...Mike's a living example of an insanely talented working class guy who just happens to be one the coolest rockstars in the universe. What can I say? Thanks, and I hope I can repay him one day for helping me. WARNING: Don't worry you punks, he's still got the ex-dope fiend, ex-con, animal rage inside. Like Johnny Cash, he's learned to control it better.
 
 FRIDAY, we fly back to NEW YORK CITY to play the HILL COUNTRY BBQ club by ourselves. This place was opened by some guys from Lockhart Texas and is booked by the folks at the Rodeo Bar. It has a dancehall in the back and supposedly it's the hottest new place for roots music in Manhattan. We go on around 9 and play the WHOLE night. So all of y'all that saw us at Irving Plaza/Filmore East 2 weeks ago who complained about how short our set was...braaaaang it!
 
 Adios Mi Amigos! JD
 
 p.s. Every single city we played on the last tour was special. Literally, not one bad show...Philly, NYC, Detroit, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta we're all great...but, if I had to pick the most hardchargin' crowd of the whole tour it would be the New Jersey audience at the Stone Pony. And, that's even the night BEFORE Bruce showed up. N.J. people have hearts the size of Texas.....fawget abot it!