On Sunday, December 21, two great American bands came together at the Star Theater for the second time in a week. When the five men of The Blasters took the stage, they hit the ground running with an energy and freshness that was full steam ahead. From the opening “American Music” to their set-ending “One Bad Stud,” The Blasters provided a brilliant, nonstop night of Americana rock and roll that left me feeling as if I had just witnessed one of the great events in rock and roll history—the music and performance were that powerful.
Next up were John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake of the quintessential L.A. punk band X. With a fresh new roots, rockabilly and country-punk mix to their songs, they sounded as good as ever. Featuring a 22-song, career-spanning set list (see below), Zoom's stinging surf rock(abilly) guitar riffs and the propulsive drums beats from Bonebrake set the tone for Doe and Cervenka's vocals—and their singing and harmonizing was absolutely breathtaking!
Set List:
In This House That I Call Home
Beyond and Back
Dancing With Tears in My Eyes
The Once Over Twice
The Have Nots
Drunk in My Past
Come Back To Me
The Hungry Wolf
The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss
Blue Spark
Silver Spoon
Poor Girl
True Love
We're Having Much More Fun
Los Angeles
The New World
Year 1
White Girl
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
Encore
Adult Books
How I (Learned My Lesson)
Devil Doll
