Henry Rollins / X
The Pacific Amphitheater
The Orange County Fairgrounds
Costa Mesa, CA
July 29, 2006
By Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)
Photos By Victoria Joyce
With the price of gas it would take something special to get us out of West Hollywood. And 50 miles south on the 405? Mega. Henry Rollins and X at the OC Fair? How fast can we Mapquest that?
We caught X here last year and the Plimsouls opened for them. How does that get better? Hammering Hank! He’s our fave rave DJ on Indie 103 with his Tuesday night rants while he plays the Buzzcocks and John Coltrane. He’s got more depth than the Grand Canyon. With his TV show in IFC, his movie career and a publishing company, is there anything Henry doesn’t do? Only one thing comes to mind. He’s not boring.
Rollins is on record that he hates to play his home town, LA. So a drive to the OC was not out of order at all. We love this venue. The Pacific Amphitheater is a medium big open air theater next to the Ferris Wheels, farm animals and deep friend Twinkies. Perfect.
The show was just shy of a sell-out. “I’m glad you dig us ‘cause your stuck with us for the next 40 minutes,” Henry humbly told the screaming fans who would have none of it. In his usual near-naked appearance Rollins attacks his music like Rock’s own Incredible Hulk clad only in black silk shorts. Yeah, we’re havin’ a heat wave.
With a comment on the sometime anti-lady rock lyics, Henry intro’ed “All I Want” with a reflective “I’m too pathetic to raise that flag,” and “I think humans are tricky creatures.” More comments on politics and guns got screams and yells from the home town of the ultra-conservative in So Cal. “F*ck that!” and slammed into “Civilized.”
We found out that Henry is jealous of John Doe. “I’m 28 and he’s 30!” “He makes it look easy!” Rollins is an X fan. So are we. “Thanks so much for putting up with us. I know who you are here to see!” And then he finished his set with “Liar.” Ha ha. We get it.
Henry is so right. John Doe does make it look easy. So does Exene, Billy Zoom and Bonebreak, all original members of one of LA’s most beloved bands. And taking the stage with such ease and grace, Billy walked on like it was nothing taking the crowd by surprise. “Thanks for coming out.” All 6000 took to their feet and did not sit down.
We said it last year and we’ll say it again, the combination of Exene’s and Doe’s voices are as original and beautiful as they ever were. Sweet, low and so sad. Hurt me some more. Doors cover “Soul Kitchen” is immortal with it’s frantic can’t-get-there-fast-enough beat. And Exene looked lovely in her maroon house dress, cocktail apron and signature cardigan. June Cleaver meets the Bride of Frankenstein.
Of course they did “Los Angeles” and all the other faves. Encore was the Jerry Lee Lewis cover, “Breathless.” We were.
Catch Henry and X on the road this summer. Brains and beauty, respectively.