Circle Jerks take pent-up Group Sex Anniversary Tour on the road and make their first west coast stop at The Observatory in San Diego.
The Circle Jerks had not played a live gig together in almost a decade and a half while dealing with internal struggles. In the fall of 2019, it was announced that the Circle Jerks were going to reunite in 2020 for a number of shows celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album Group Sex. Then COVID-19 disrupted plans and the Group Sex party was postponed. So now because of all the delays, this tour also becomes a celebration of the anniversary of Circle Jerks second album Wild In The Streets.
On Friday, February 18th, the wait was over for San Diego. The Circle Jerks and their friends the Adolescents and Negative Approach brought the sweaty punk rock tour home to the West Coast to satisfy the pent-up demand. Each of the three bands shared their seminal roots in the punk movement with the fans. All three bands got their start between 1979 and 1981 in the early days of the American punk movement. SoCal’s own Adolescents and The Circle Jerks, along with Negative Approach representing the Detroit hardcore scene.
Negative Approach popped the cherry on the evening and got the festivities started. This was no romantic foreplay or warm-up, they put the pedal to the metal hardcore style from the start. Singer John Brannon, growling out lyrics and spitting in true hardcore punk fashion. Beers flew and bodies slammed, each song building the tension in the mosh pits as the band worked through their set. Guitarist Harold Richardson never once turned to face the crowd preferring to bathe in the thrash and vibration of his Marshall stack.
Then came the OG, OC punks the Adolescents. In those early days, Orange County (OC) had its own flavor of pioneering hardcore punk bands that included Agent Orange, The Vandals, Social Distortion, and although truly not a hardcore band, No Doubt Gwen Stefani’s band. But this night was a promised orgy of hardcore and slam dancing, and the Adolescents did not fail to bring it hard and fast. When the band played their signature song “Amoeba,” they had the crowd shouting along pumping their fists to the chorus. Most, if not all of the audience ditched their face masks for the night. However, Adolescents’ singer and frontman Tony Reflex belted out the entire set while wearing a COVID mask, in a move one can only assume is to promote a safe Group Sex tour. Finally, it was time for the climax of the evening. It was time to celebrate 40 years of Group Sex and Wild In The Streets. The Circle Jerks took the stage. The 15-year wait was over and in true punk rock fashion, the Jerks packed the one-hour set with fire and angst in one minute and 30-second bursts. Guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Zander Schloss, and drummer Joey Castillo drove the frenetic pace with singer Keith Morris and his signature dreadlocks barking out the lyrics. The Circle Jerks tore through their catalog that included signature gems “Coup D’État” and “When The Sh*t Hits The Fan.”Older punks and younger ones, side by side, from 10 to 60+, slamming it out in violent but friendly mosh pits at the sold-out venue. The fans strutted, slammed, and flailed with the same enthusiasm just as some did in 1980. Even though most of the many moshing were not born yet. At one point, singer Keith Morris stopped the show briefly to banter with the crowd. Declaring his age of 66, christening the evening and the Group Sex tour as a celebration “that we are all alive.” After which, the band continued their staccato attack. The punk fun had, can be summed up in Keith’s intro to the band’s encore. “We have five minutes; we’re going to play you three more songs…”
On this night, Negative Approach, the Adolescents, and the Circle Jerks clearly defined punk rock as an attitude, not limited to youth.CIRCLE JERKS
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