If there's a golden rule when it comes to Los Angeles punk rock, it's this: When you have the opportunity to see Keith Morris on a stage, you take it. Whether it's with his bands OFF!, or FLAG, or the Circle Jerks, Morris is as good a punk rock frontman as there is.
He's not conventional though--far from it. At the Hollywood Palladium, at the start of a very special CJ's set to celebrate Morris' 70th birthday, Morris chats to the crowd for a good few minutes before pummeling them with "Deny Everything."
Over the course of the evening, he'll offer short but informative lessons on Los Angeles and Orange County punk rock, The Beach Boys, the state of the world, and everything in-between. Morris has something to say, he will be heard, and he's worth listening to.
Plus, yeah, it is his birthday. Lend the guy your ear! Seven decades in, and Morris still rules every stage that he sets foot on. The Circle Jerks performed at this same venue three years ago--the setlist was very similar, the crowd equally rabid, the intensity at the same level. Yet this show didn't feel like the same thing again. That's largely due to Morris' banter, and the timelessness of the Circle Jerks.
Every song that a Circle Jerks fan can reasonably expect to hear, they heard at the Palladium. "In Your Eyes," "Back Against the Wall," "Behind the Door" -- all are furiously snotty slabs of hardcore excellence. "Beverly Hills" is a bonafide punk classic, brimming with locally-focussed contempt and overflowing with wit.
They never let up; "Coup Detat" and "Moral Majority feel appropriate given current conditions, while "Live Fast Die Young" is a musical slap in the chops.
"World Up My Ass" is as close to a sing-along as the CJ's have, and then we get a bunch of tunes from Morris' time in Black Flag -- "Wasted," "Depression," "Fix Me," "Revenge," and "Nervous Breakdown." One of the highlights of the night, it again hammered home that Morris' Black Flag was the best Black Flag.
"Question Authority" closed the set, another song that feels like it could have been written yesterday. Morris might be 70, but very few younger punk bands are putting on a better show.
Earlier, Detroit hardcore vets Negative Approach blew everybody's cobwebs away as the venue was still filling up. Its no surprise that Morris repeatedly has NA open for him--songs such as "Tied Down" and "Ready to Fight" are genre classics. The cover of Sham 69's "Borstal Breakout" was the cherry on the cake.
Rocket From the Crypt initially felt like an odd choice for this bill, but it absolutely worked and there's never a band time to hear "Born in '69" or "On a Rope." Frontman Speedo was on fine form. "Can you believe it's Keith Richards' birthday?" he joked, before saying of Morris, "He's one of only two people with dreadlocks that I trust."
We were new to Ceremony, but we became fast fans. The glorious blend of classic L.A. punk and U.K post-punk works wonderfully well, and keeps you on your toes. L7 frontwoman Donita Sparks joined them for a run through her band's "American Society," and they also blasted through the Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles." That said, their own songs were equally memorable.
A great night, all told.
All photos by Diona Mavis / https://www.instagram.com/dionamavisphotography
