X at Stage 48

John Doe & Exene Cervenka

Originally from Decatur, Illinois, John Nommensen Duchac moved to Los Angeles, California, where he became known as John Doe. Through a classified ad in a local newspaper in 1976, Doe met guitar player Tyson Kindell of Savanna, Illinois. Kindell would soon be known as Billy Zoom. Together they formed the local punk rock pioneer band called X. Doe then brought to band practices his poetry-writing girlfriend Christine "Exene Cervenka, originally of Chicago, Illinois, and she eventually joined the band as a vocalist. Drummer Donald "D.J." Bonebrake, the band's only native Californian, was the last of the original members to join. Doe and Cervenka co-wrote most of the group's songs, much of which had poetic lyrics and a rockabilly edge, and their slightly off-kilter harmony vocals became the group's most distinctive element. X separated and reunited several times since the mid-1980s, but has toured almost annually since 2008. X's seventh and most recent album is 1993's Hey Zeus!

There are few surprises at an X concert. For the most part, the band is bound to perform the same catalogue of songs the same way they were performed the last time around. At Stage 48 tonight, the only surprise was that Zoom sat on a stool the entire show, perhaps due to his recent cancer-related treatments. X once again concentrated on its first four albums, and revived the songs through intense power and speed. Gripping vocal interplay, stinging lead guitar runs and a thrusting rhythm section maintained high energy on stage and in the audience. The band celebrates its 40th anniversary on this tour, still with the original lineup. Unfortunately, however, the band has been doing pretty close to the same set for about 30 years. X is a strong unit, but how much longer will the band keep its fans waiting for new music?

Visit X at www.xtheband.com.

Setlist

1. Beyond and Back
2. In This House That I Call Home
3. Some Other Time
4. Sugarlight
5. Because I Do
6. Breathless (Jerry Lee Lewis cover)
7. Blue Spark
8. True Love
9. Come Back to Me
10. Adult Books
11. The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss
12. The Hungry Wolf (with drum solo)
13. The Unheard Music
14. I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
15. Year 1
16. Los Angeles
17. Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not
18. Johny Hit and Run Paulene
19. Motel Room in My Bed
20. Soul Kitchen (The Doors cover)

Encore:

1. The Once Over Twice
2. Nausea
3. Devil Doll