Bad Religion and Social Distortion, titans of punk, can still rock

Even after more than 40 years, both Bad Religion and Social Distortion can still rock harder than many of the bands they’ve inspired.

Touring together for the first time, the punk pioneers put on a show full of face-melting guitar solos, mosh pits and a lot of nostalgia Friday night at Stage AE.

After a brief spate of rain, the crowd — mostly clothed in plaid flannel shirts and hoodies — was anxious for a good show. Bad Religion took the stage in a haze of red lights and distorted guitar, and as soon as they launched into their opening song, “The Defense,” mosh pits opened up on both sides of the packed crowd.

Bad Religion’s lead singer Greg Graffin may look like a lecturing professor — fitting, considering he holds a Ph.D. in zoology from Cornell University and has taught courses at multiple colleges — but his voice still retains a boyish quality that adds to the band’s more petulant-sounding songs.

The energy didn’t wane as they transitioned into “Los Angeles is Burning,” a 2004 single that made its way onto the Billboard modern rock tracks chart.

“It’s great to be back in Iron City,” Graffin yelled to the crowd after the song’s end. “And don’t worry about those clouds over there — it’s only rain.”

And then they played the song “Only Rain.”

Bad Religion is known for their vocal harmonies, which were on display Friday night, but they also brought heart-pounding drums and some fiery guitar solos to the stage that had the crowd jumping and roiling for the whole set. Especially on the high-octane “Stranger than Fiction,” which whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

After a handful of songs like “Struck a Nerve” and “My Sanity,” they brought the energy up again with “I Want to Conquer the World” and another of their best-known songs, “21st Century Digital Boy,” slightly slowed down but still scathing — and with a screeching guitar solo to match.

“Is that a funicular on the side of that mountain? Do I spy a funicular?” Graffin asked the crowd, who cheered heartily for the Incline, visible in the distance.

Related

• The Decemberists highlight new album in 1st Pittsburgh show in 6 years
• The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis deliver powerful punk/jazz punch in Pittsburgh show
• Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service hit 'Such Great Heights'

After an avalanche of tunes both old and new, they closed the set with a string of songs designed to make the crowd lose their minds, from “Generator” to “Sorrow” to “You.” And then, under a set of red, white and blue stage lights, they closed the night with a rendition of “American Jesus” that could have filled a whole stadium with its sound.

As a last little outro, they played the instrumental opening of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town,” leaving the crowd wishing the band would’ve stayed for the whole song.

But after an impressive 22 songs in a tight 70-minute set, no one could have asked for more.

After a short break, Social Distortion took the stage to “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters, and the exuberant cheers of the gathered audience.

While there was no matching Bad Religion’s energy — the second set wasn’t full of fans moshing or rushing the stage — Social Distortion put on a terrifically nostalgic show. Acting as the elder statesmen of punk that they are, they toured their catalogue, from songs going back to the band’s beginnings in the early 1980s to brand new stuff.

Starting out with mainstay “Bad Luck,” it took some time for frontman Mike Ness to get into step, but the band sounded studio quality with especially powerhouse guitar.

Ness’ gruff drawl has always been a little on the edgier side, but songs like “I Wasn’t Born to Follow” took on an almost wistful quality last night. He took long pauses between tunes to tell the stories of their origin, whether old or new.

“It’s important to know where all this stuff came from,” he explained.

“Wow, there’s a lot of people here tonight,” he commented. “I appreciate that, because you could’ve just as easily stayed home and watched back-to-back episodes of Court TV.”

Before playing “1945,” he harkened back to 1980, around when he dropped out of high school to pursue his music career and wrote the song.

“I’m gonna need your help to sing this one,” he cajoled the crowd before tearing into the carpe diem anthem “Reach for the Sky.” The song featured a keyboard solo that somehow fit with the revving guitars.

On the bridge, Ness lowered his voice, and the music softened, as if he was trying to whisper a secret into the ear of each audience member, before roaring back into the final chorus.

Next up was “Ball and Chain,” one of Social Distortion’s most well-known songs, and the crowd swayed and sang sorrowfully along with Ness’s genuinely regretful vocals.

“It’s good to see you all, it’s good to be here, it’s good to be alive,” Ness declared, before telling the crowd that the band was about to do something they haven’t done in a long time. “We haven’t rehearsed this in over a year.”

To the crowd’s thunderous joy, they launched into “Story of My Life,” another of their most popular songs, and another that lyrically laments the passage of time and the regrets it can bring.

Social Distortion ended the night on their hit hard rock cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which was, in fact, incendiary.

At the bridge, Ness took a moment to give a heartfelt thanks to his family, bandmates, friends and fans for standing by him during a difficult year. In 2023, he was diagnosed with tonsil cancer and underwent treatment.

“(Thank you for) the overwhelming love and support I got from the fans, on the days I felt I didn’t have what it took to fight this fight,” he said. “Life doesn’t always go how you think it’s going to go, and you have to suit up and show up, and you gotta roll with the punches … But thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

It’s a real stroke of luck to get to see these legends while they can still give their best. The crowd spanned all ages, with a lot of older punks bringing their kids for the first time, introducing a new generation to some of the major influencers of the genre. And even if everyone will be sore in the morning, it was worth it.